Back To Front
Back To Front
by Sally Rolfe
Title: Back To Front
Author: Sally Rolfe
Email: blaidd@madasafish.com
Status: Complete
Category: Action & Adventure/Romance/Humour
Spoilers: reference to Season 1 ep "There but for the grace of God" and season 3 ep "Point of View"
Season/Sequel info: None
Rating: PG
Content Warnings: mild language, m/f
Summary: Strangers arrive at the SGC......
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of me and are not to be used without my express permission.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Finally finished, for now!!!!
DEDICATION: To my best friend, Winifred, and to all those who work so hard to bring us such a fantastic series. Thanks guys!
FEEDBACK: YES PLEASE!!
The lift doors closed behind him and Siler leant back against the wall, glad that the ceremony was over and he was back at the SGC. He hated being away from the base, just in case something happened and his team was needed, but mainly he hated being away from his fiance. Even a day was too long for them to be apart and he smiled at the thought of seeing her beautiful smile, or the twinkle in her eyes as she tried to contain her excitement about yet another object brought back through the gate. Still, they were getting married in just under two weeks and, though he would never admit it to anyone, the prospect scared him. It was an unusual feeling, and one he was not used to experiencing. He'd been in the military a long time, seen things most people would not, or could not, believe. Yet he had always maintained his cool, calm exterior. Fear was something he had experienced before, but never about something as normal as getting married. He was pulled from his reverie as the lift came to a gentle stop and the door opened, admitting him back into familiar territory. He made his way towards the control room, loosening his tie and shifting slightly in his uniform. He preferred to be in combats, but dress uniform was required at ceremonies and he had no choice but to obey, even though it made him uncomfortable.
"At Ease Airman" he said, returning the young Lt.'s salute as he entered the control room and made his way over to his fiance. Sliding his arms round her slender waist, he laid a tender kiss on her neck, feeling her sharp intake of breath as she realised he was back. She turned in his arms, her blonde hair flowing down her back as she titled her head up slightly and pressed her lips against his.
"Chris" she breathed, her eyes shining with love as she looked at him.
"Hi Beautiful. So what's been happening while I've been gone?" he asked her, gently stroking a stray lock of hair from her face.
"O'Neill, that's what's been happening!" she snorted, rolling her eyes in mock despair.
"What's he done this time?" Siler asked, his tone neutral as he wondered what could have happened this time.
"What hasn't he done is more like it" muttered Simmons from the other side of the room.
"Care to enlighten me Major?" he asked, his gaze shifting to the young man fiddling with one of the computers.
"It's the mirror we brought back from P3R-233. He's been fiddling with it for days and now something's happened to it Colonel" Simmons replied, casting an admonishing glance at the woman in Siler's arms for not explaining it herself.
"What's happened to it?" Siler demanded, glancing down at his fiance before turning his attention back to Simmons as the young Major continued.
"It's changed, gone all funky Sir. One minute it was dull and blank, the next it seems to be showing some sort of picture" Major Simmons replied, his voice showing no surprise at this turn of events.
"Right, where is he? I've had enough of this. I'm gonna bust him back down to Airman if he keeps on like this. He'd be more use as a decorator, painting people's houses, than as a Technical Sergeant. How he ever made it to that rank is completely beyond me" he seethed, furious at Sgt. O'Neill and his continued mistakes.
"He's in the lab but Chris, go easy on him" the woman replied, her eyes pleading with him not to be too harsh on O'Neill.
"Why should I Sam? He's been nothing but trouble since he got here. I'm amazed he ever made it onto the Stargate project and I intend to make sure he's removed from it as soon as possible" he told her, hints of his anger showing in his voice. He spun on his heel and walked away, heading for the lab to give Sgt. O'Neill a piece of his mind.
"O'Neill, where the hell are you?" Col. Siler shouted as he walked into the lab. His anger increased as he realised the lab was empty, except for the strange 'mirror' they had retrieved from P3R-233, which was shimmering slightly. Intrigued, he slowly made his way towards it as he tried to figure out just what the hell it was showing. His fury at O'Neill momentarily forgotten, he reached his hand towards the mirror's surface and brushed his fingers lightly against it. He gasped and drew his hand back as a jolt of electricity shot up his arm, his anger at O'Neill returning as he rubbed his arm.
"When I get my hands on him, he's gonna....." he spat out, stopping as he realised things were different. He was no longer in the lab at the SGC, he realised with a start, as he looked around him. He spun round as he heard a noise, alert to the possibility that he might have to fight his way out, and stopped as three men appeared from the darkness, their weapons aimed straight at him.
"Identify yourself" one of the barked.
"Colonel Chris Siler, SG1. I need to get back to the SGC and see if someone can tell me what the hell is going on" he replied, his anger plain in his voice as he went over in his mind just what he was going to do to O'Neill when he got his hands on him.
" Colonel Siler?" another asked, his tone slightly puzzled. "Don't you mean Sergeant?"
"No Airman, I mean Colonel. What the hell's going on here?" Siler asked, confused.
"Better take him to the SGC, along with the other one" the first said, motioning Siler to move as the men kept their weapons trained on him.
"What other one?" Siler demanded, his anger welling up once more.
"You'll find out" he was told as a gun barrel nudged him in the back, indicating he was to keep moving and that explanations were not going to forthcoming anytime soon.
"What the hell is going on?" Hammond demanded, his gaze switching from one monitor to the next as he tried to figure out how they came to be holding Col. O'Neill, dressed in combats but bearing Sgt. insignia, and Sgt. Siler, bearing Col. insignia, in their detention cells.
"I don't know Sir. Perhaps they cam through the mirror. They were both found at Area 51, in close proximity to it. What I don't understand is what's with the uniforms?" Sam replied, watching as 'O'Neill' shifted slightly, his head bowed as if expecting some sort of interrogation or punishment.
"Let's put them in the same cell and see what happen" Daniel suggested. "They may know each other. If they have come from an alternate reality, they may have come from the same one".
"I'd say leave them apart, until we can determine just what the hell is going on" Jack replied, as he curiously watched his alternate self. "Why don't we have Siler brought up here, so we can try to figure this out?"
"Why not. Maybe he can explain why he's bearing Col. insignia and why he's not still on leave" Hammond replied, shaking his head slightly in confusion. He and SG1 took their seats as they waited for Siler to be brought up from his cell, their mood subdued as they each tried to fathom the reason for their visitors.
"Take a seat" Hammond said as Siler entered the room.
"What the hell have you done this time Jack?" Siler demanded, striding angrily across the room and placing his hands flat against the table as he stood staring angrily at O'Neill.
"Excuse me?" Jack replied, stunned by Siler's actions.
"I'm gonna nail your hide to the wall for this Jack. I've had enough of you and your mistakes. How the hell you ever made it to Technical Sergeant, let alone onto the Stargate project, is beyond me and I'm gonna make sure you're busted back down to Airman for this latest mess!" Siler snapped, furious at O'Neill's manner.
"That enough Siler! Now sit down and explain yourself" Hammond barked, his tone brooking no argument.
"Sir!" Siler replied, coming to attention and saluting smartly before slowly easing himself into a chair.
"Now, would kindly explain why you are insulting a superior officer and why you're masquerading as a Colonel?" the General demanded.
"With all due respect General, I'm not. O'Neill is only a Sgt and I've held the rank of Col for two years, as you know" Siler replied, his voice still holding vestiges of his anger towards O'Neill.
"WHAT?" Jack asked, stunned by this development. "I most certainly am not a Sgt and you are not a Col. What the hell is going on Siler?"
"That's Colonel to you Jack, and I'd appreciate it if you kept your mouth shut. When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!" Siler retorted, his anger growing at O'Neill's insubordination.
"That enough!" Hammond roared, stunning them both into silence. "Both of you be quiet! I'll have no more of this nonsense!" he told them, waiting until both men subsided and re-took their seats. "Now Colonel Siler" he continued, "would you mind explaining what's going on here?"
"Sir. Jack and I work together at the SGC. You're our commanding officer. We've been working on the project for three years and I made Colonel two years ago. You promoted me Sir. I command SG1, along side Daniel Jackson, Teal'c and Major Graham Simmons" he informed them, his puzzlement growing at their stunned expressions. "Sir, while we're on the subject of explanations.....Sam, why are you in uniform and what the hell did you do to your hair?" he demanded, unable to comprehend the change in the woman he loved.
"Pardon me, but what are you talking about Siler?" Sam queried, wondering whether this was indeed an alternate reality Siler and, if so, what was her relationship with him.
"You're not in the military love, remember? Plus, you had long hair a few hours ago, when I last saw you in the control room. Don't you remember? You told me to go easy on O'Neill after Graham told me what had happened with that mirror thing" he informed her, his tone gentle.
"Love? Sam, what is it with you and men in authority?" Jack asked, picking up on the way Siler referred to her.
"OK, what exactly is our relationship Siler?" she asked carefully.
"We're engaged. We met three years ago, when we were both assigned to the Stargate project. I asked you to marry me about six months ago and we're supposed to be getting married in just under two weeks, remember?" he explained, growing more confused with each passing moment. "Look, what's going on? Will someone please explain what is happening?"
"We think you might have come from your reality into ours" Jackson told him. "The mirror is a device that moves a person from one reality into another. We think that you may have crossed over from you reality to ours without actually realising it. When you touched the mirror, what happened?"
"I felt an electric shock and then I was standing in a strange hanger, surrounded by armed men I didn't know, and who didn't know me" Siler explained, his confusion lessening as the idea of alternate realities sank in. It was a possibility he hadn't considered, but it made perfect sense. It explained O'Neill's behaviour, Sam's appearance and why nobody seemed to believe he was a Colonel.
"And you didn't know the mirror was a gateway to other realities?" Sam asked, unable to comprehend the news that her alternate self was engaged to Siler.
"And I'm a Sergeant in your reality?" Jack demanded, shaking his head in disbelief.
"No Sam, I didn't know the purpose of the mirror and Yes Jack, you're a Sergeant, though not a very good one. In my reality you're a complete 'technophobe'!" Siler told them.
"Nothing's changed there then" Sam muttered, smiling as O'Neill cast a disgusted look in her direction. "Well, I guess that explains the O'Neill we have in the other holding cell, and why he's wearing on Sergeants rank".
"He's here? May I see him General?" Siler asked, turning to look at Hammond.
"Soon Colonel" he replied, still having trouble addressing Siler by that particular rank. "First we'd like to ask you some more questions, if you don't mind?"
"Of course. What would you like to know?" Siler agreed, breathing an inward sigh of relief that he wasn't going insane.
"Have the Goa'uld attacked Earth in your reality? If so, how did you defeat them?" Hammond fired the questions off quickly, seeing Col. O'Neill open his mouth and getting in before Jack could start another argument.
"Yes Sir, they have. We allied with a race called the Asguard to stop them. In return, we helped the Asguard with a little 'bug' problem they were having. We also had a visit from four of the system lords, who were trying to make us surrender to their terms. We showed them in no uncertain terms that we would not be 'bullied' by them and nearly started an all-out war, because of our Jack O'Neill" Siler told them, turning a level gaze back on Col. O'Neill.
"Really?" Jack asked, his tone cold as he returned Siler's gaze.
"Yes. Our Jack O'Neill couldn't keep his mouth shut and kept on about "not letting those nasty little buggers get the upper hand"" Siler replied, mimicking Jack perfectly. "We didn't realise the Nurti could faze-shift and was listening to our private conversations until it was almost too late. It was only thanks to the Asguard that we didn't all get wiped out by the system lords. The Asguard, grateful for our assistance with their bug problem, told the system lords that Earth, and it's people, were under their protection. The system lords backed down and agreed to leave us alone" he finished with a shudder, remembering how close he had come to losing his beloved Sam that day.
"You mentioned the Asguard 'bug' problem? Are you referring to those nasty little mechanical things that were wiping out the Asguard?" Jack asked, curious as to how they had combated that particular problem.
"I am. That's how we first met the Asguard. We visited Cimmeria and found an Asguard mother-ship, or rather what was left of it. It had crashed on the far side of the planet, far from any populated area, and there were quite a few of those things lying around. They appeared to have caused the ship to crash, so we took a few home to study. We found out that, by creating a computer 'virus', we were able to kill them. We borrowed the idea from one of the many 'hackers' who were busy causing havoc on the Internet and adapted one of the more virulent strains of virus to suit our needs. The Asguard found out we'd been to the downed ship and contacted us. Sam and I explained about the virus we were working on and gave them a sample to try out. It worked and we became friends. They seem to have a bit of a soft spot for me, but I can't quite figure out why. Sam reckons....never mind" he concluded, deciding they didn't need to know about that particular conversation.
"So, how are things back home?" Daniel asked, wondering briefly if his life was any different in this Siler's reality.
"Well, things have been pretty quite. The Asguard have shown us some interesting ways to defend ourselves, though they weren't particularly happy that we raided some of their technology from their downed ship. Still we've adapted it to our own specifications and even managed to destroy Setesh with it. Teal'c's family are safe and well, living on Earth, as is Shau'ri. Our General Hammond is still trying to adapt to being married again, but Janet is one of the best things to happen to him. Our Jack has just celebrated his fifteenth anniversary with Sarah and another daughter, which makes four children now. Now all we need is to get Major Simmons hitched and Sam can stop trying to play match maker. The Goa'uld are leaving us alone and we're continuing our exploration of the galaxy using the Stargate" he told them, suddenly feeling very homesick. "General, may I see Jack O'Neill now? I think it's about time we were getting back to our own reality" Siler asked, the longing in his voice unmistakable.
"Of course. Teal'c, would you mind showing Col. Siler down to the detention cells? I think it's about time we let our visitors go home" Hammond agreed. "If you ever need anything Colonel....." he said, leaving the sentence unfinished and the possibilities open.
"Thank you General. I'll bear that in mind" Siler told him, getting to his feet and saluting. Seeing the General return his salute, he spun on his heel and followed Teal'c from the room, leaving the other occupants to ponder all they had learned.
The mirror shimmered slightly, the lab at the SGC just as they had left it, except for Sam and Graham standing just inside the room looking worried. Col. Siler turned to look at the people fanned out around them, wondering briefly if they would ever meet again. Grabbing 'his' O'Neill by the scruff of the neck, the two men reached out and touched the mirror. With a small flash of light they were gone, back to their own lives and their own reality.
"Well, wasn't that fun?" O'Neill said, one eyebrow raised sarcastically as the others tried in vain to control their laughter. "Oh, enough already!" he admonished them, causing them all to burst into uncontrollable laughter. "I'm glad you all find it sooo amusing!" he snapped, spinning on his heel and marching from the room, SG1's laughter following him down the hall.
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