Stars And Sparks
Stars And Sparks
by Stephen Rule
TITLE: Stars And Sparks
AUTHOR:Stephen Rule
EMAIL: care of Nessi_Anne@Yahoo.Com
CATEGORY: SJR, Angst, Character Death, Future Story
SPOILERS:
SEASON / SEQUEL:
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNINGS:
SUMMARY: Daniel and Teal'c help Jack...
STATUS: Complete
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis yes. All others, please ask first.
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Dedicated to Vanessa
Copyright Stephen Rule; September, 1999
May 31 Memorial Day
"Ready."
Seven figures drew their rifles to their shoulders, pulled back the bolt and waited for the next order.
"Aim." the bellowing voice called.
The figures pointed their rifles skyward.
"Fire."
The figures in unison pulled on the triggers and shots sounded. The three words and their appropriate actions were carried out twice more in dawn's soft light. But these figures were not alone in dawning of a new day--another figure was there.
Slowly and painfully, walking with cautious steps and dressed in uniform with a chest loaded with bars and shoulders loaded with stars. His hair was grey, his face was marked with wrinkles. But his eyes looked young and vibrant as they scanned across the three-foot high white crosses. He continued until he found the one he wanted, at which he stopped, turned to face it front on, and then saluted. In his early years it may have been snapped out with lighting speed but now it seemed like it took forever... and it hurt.
"Good morning, happy Memorial Day. I'm sorry I haven't been to see you, but it is hard these days."
The figure paused as almost to decide what say next and then continued.
"It's becoming a struggle to even get out of bed let alone break out of the enemy's detention facility... I mean the Air Force Retirement Home."
He stopped once more looked around to make sure he was alone and then pressed ahead.
"There is also my captor, sorry... my nurse 'Vanessa'... who I must say seems to take great delight in torturing my soul with her condescending tone of voice and the way she tries to help me all the time... plus she calls me 'Colonel Jack'... I really hate that."
A gentle breeze floated past him and moved to make a flag flutter.
"I guess my main problem is that most young people think that because you're old, you're crippled... which I'm not."
The flag was still moving, showing off its stars and stripes to the world. The man turned to look at it, pondered it, and once again forced out more speech.
"You know, it's odd how all this time has passed and I still have you're flag. You know, the one off your uniform."
Birds began to sing, heralding the new day in with thick waves of song. He knelt down in front of the cross, slipped his hand in to a pocket and produced a small patch with the flag embroidered upon it.
"Seems like only yesterday it was given to me. You know, after..." He paused, his voice starting to crack. "After they did that to you." His vibrant eyes now turned to deep pools of sorrow, and a tear began to roll down between a wrinkle. His voice trembled with a mixture of anger and heart-breaking pain as he forced out the words with no regard now for anyone who might be listening.
"I remember when they caught us and you... especially you. On their computer, transferring data to your laptop, saying it was 'important' and that I had to give you 'more time'." More tears flowed as he continued. "'More time' you said, and now all I have is time. Nothing but time to remember you... and remember your trial." His voice, now moistened by tears, dropped to a whisper. "I remember the way they sat there... looking at us as if we were lambs for the slaughter." He stopped talking long enough to suck back the tears and draw a breath. "The way your council gave up before starting...the way with no regard for you, he said the court ruler would pass a harsh sentence that would take away your 'liberties'. Shame how he never actually told you what 'liberty' meant in their language."
He paused again, his fingers tightening around the patch. "Then they passed sentence on us all... we all lost that day, but you more than anyone." He took yet more breaths. "I can still hear the ruler saying those words... they hit me and tore me apart, those words. 'You have been found guilty of gross heresy against the people of the planet Tarasha-Blackcula. Your punishment will be the removal of your liberties in the Power-Chair."
The sun was now fully risen as he knelt in front of the cross and he stopped talking, wiping his eyes. "Then there was the night when they carried out the punishment... and I was forced to watch. They restrained me, those two guards who seemed to be built of rock, and they forced me to kneel in front of the platform on which the chair sat. I tried to break free of them, I did, but they just put more and more pressure on me until I could no longer move. Then they brought you out, clothed in your uniform, walking tall in perfect step. You made me so proud with the way you kept your head held high. I struggled harder to break free of my guards, I did, but it didn't work. You were led to the chair and told to... say your last words." He broke speech once more, his eyes of brimming with what was now a continues stream of tears.
"Those words were burned into me forever. You said simply that it was 'an honor serving with you, Sir' and then you saluted me. You were placed in the chair, strapped in tighter than my guards were holding me, but you never once took your eyes off me. I raged with anger, yelling that they let me go, threatening that I would kill every one of them... You looked at me shock then, shaking your head as you whispered to me: 'no Jack, no'. I stopped fighting then, letting the sorrow and pain wash over me and I started to cry... tears of realisation that the woman I loved was about to be violently torn away from me and that I was powerless to stop it."
The morning was filled the sounds of his crying and another figure now walked toward the kneeling man.
"Then through my tear stained eyes I watched as you mouthed the words: 'I love you', to me. You haunt my dreams, you know? I see that moment every night of my life. The last thing I ever heard from you was your screams as they fed you with electricity, your body twisting and stretching as the power raced through every facet of you. And then it stopped."
The other figure drew closer to Jack, now close enough to hear what was being said.
Jack drew in more air and continued to splutter out words through the great torrent of tears and sobs. "Stopped long enough for the medical man to say that you were not quite dead and that you needed more! So once again the power engulfed you. I threw up at that point, still whispering your name. After what seemed an eternity it stopped and the medical person finally pronounced you as dead... and in saying that, I too died that day. My whole world was gone and I could do nothing but kneel there, staring at your body, crying and thinking of you and also my son... both taken from me before their time... and the thought that although I loved you, I had never showed it or told you... Sam...forgive me... please?"
His tears began dry up for he had no more to shed... and his eyes were red raw he forced out one more sentence. "Then as if by some cruel twist of fate, they gave me your rank badges." He looked down at the flag in his hand. "And this flag as if it were some from of condolence."
With that he stopped talking and continued to cry. The other figure walked up behind Jack, stopped and placed a hand on the shoulder of the tear drenched man.
Jack turned his head and looked up. "Danny."
The other figure was male, about seventy-five years old, with grey hair and thick glasses and he looked at Jack and smiled. "Yes Jack, it's me. Want a hand up?"
Jack kept looking at him and cleared his throat. "No thanks Dr Jackson I can get up myself." With that he slowly and rather shakily got up and stood next to Daniel.
At this time Daniel spoke. "I got your letter Jack and I came as you asked but why? I mean, it said that you wanted to do something to rejoin Sam and I mean no offence here, but she is dead." Daniel waited for Jack to say something but he did not so Daniel kept on speaking. "Now unless you have found some miracle cure for death I can not see how you could bring her back."
Jack looked at his friend, then looked at the cross. "You know Danny-boy, it's funny how I came to this gravestone even though I know she's not buried underneath it."
Daniel eyed Jack off, gathered his thoughts and spoke. "I know that fact all too well Jack--she was never sent back to Earth with us, she was sent through the star gate and they deleted a chevron after she went in. Therefore the wormhole collapsed and her atoms were scattered in space."
Jack kept looking at Daniel when he told him what happened to Sam's body after she was executed.
"Even so Jack, I can not see how you can bring Sam back." Daniel's voice trailed off then started again as a sudden thought slammed into his head. "Jack no way in hell will I help you to do that!"
Jack opened his mouth and let the words pour out. "Why not? I miss her so much and I am tired of living without her... I just want be with her."
Daniel stared at Jack blank faced. "Jack, I miss her too but I wouldn't do that... I fail to see how you would even consider this as an option." Jack looked up at the sky and in a loving tone addressed his friend. "I look at the night sky sometimes and I see the stars as her eyes, calling to me to come to her. You're fine now Daniel... you found your wife and you now live happily ever after but I am not and I want that chance."
Daniel stood there, stunned at what he was hearing but he was also moved for hearing the once mighty and brave warrior showing that he had a heart that could be broken too. "Jack don't take this wrongly, but you do not need my help to do what your thinking of, I mean you could get a..."
Jack cut him off. "Yes I could Danny, but that would not put me up there with her now would it?"
Daniel thought about it and once more he looked at Jack. "Alright Jack, how do you in theory want to do it?" Daniel questioned.
Jack wasted no time in his reply. "Well I want to go the way she did, through the gate."
The two old men were disturbed by the sound of people moving around nearby. Daniel asked another question. "How do I fit into your plan or in your case mission?"
Jack looked Daniel in the eye and in a slow calculating voice told him. "Easy, you can get me to the Stargate."
There was a long silence before either spoke, the sounds of breezes through trees was loudest of noise until one of them finally did.
"Even if I do get you in, I will not help you with your mission."
Jack pondered what his old friend said, then gave Daniel his answer. "You get me in and I will get another friend to help me with the rest."
The two men both looked one final time at the cross and left. As they did, Jack muttered under his breath. "See you soon Sweetie."
They turned and walked up the long line of crosses and began to talk about the old days, somehow this lightened up their conversation.
"You know Jack, our gate has been closed for ten years."
"Really Danny, well I guess there will be no-one around to see us open it a couple of times."
They walked further. "It's good to see your mind has not lost it's cunning even if your body has Jack."
1 June
"Jack, I turned the juice back on but it might take awhile--the wiring is old."
Jack faced Daniel. "I think at our age we can wait a little while."
In silence the pair stood in front of the gate, just staring as the memories flooded out of the hiding places in their minds. Both began to smile.
"Jack, what did you do after you left the Stargate?"
"I went to Special Forces for a time and trained up the young bloods. Quite a few went through this as I remember."
A faint humming was starting to echo in the gate room.
"Then I got promoted, rode a desk until I retired at sixty-five."
Lights began to come on.
"Then I sort of bummed around, seeing a little of my own world after seeing so much of other peoples."
Above in the control room, computers began to boot up and run their system checks.
"How about you Daniel, what happened to you? After I left I heard little stories but nothing concrete."
The lights were now at full and the room glowed like the sun.
"Some of the stories were not true I never did find my wife but I did find another one on this world."
Jack's old ears pricked up and his mouth opened with youthful enthusiasm to ask his question. "Who?"
Daniel focused on the gate before him and responded. "Janet, you know 'Doc'."
Jack was blown away from what he was hearing. "I need to make a call, Doctor come with and tell me all about this. I mean destiny makes strange bed fellows not completely odd ones."
A short while later they stood in the control room, looking out at the dormant gate. The room glowed it familiar red.
"Jack who are you going to call?"
"Do not worry Danny, they won't mind us calling." With that Jack sat a terminal and punched in the seven chevrons. The gate spun around, locked the chevrons and it once more exploded into life. Turning to Daniel, Jack handed him a small box. "Here, go down and send this through." Sighing, Daniel nodded and left and sent the box through. When the stargate closed again, Daniel went back to Jack in the control room. After awhile the stargate came on again. Both looked down at its shimmering, wavy surface. A shape walked through. The shape was tall and wore a hooded clock covering its face. It drew back the cloak and from across the room, out of the old P.A. speaker a few words came through. "Nice to see you again, Teal'c."
"Are you sure you want to do this Colonel O'Neill?" The big Jaffa asked, walking up to the control room and looking at Jack as he sat down.
"Yes Teal'c, more than anything."
Teal'c looked out the control room window at the stargate pondering what was being asked of him until he replied. "Colonel, I will help, you will die on your feet like a warrior."
Jack smiled. "Thanks, you have no idea how much this means to me."
"Actually, I feel it means your life Colonel."
Daniel sat, also looking at them. "You both realize technically this is murder."
Jack and Teal'c looked at Daniel. "Where will the body be and the evidence to prove it." Jack responded harshly.
Daniel smiled. "If we are going to do it, we have a window open now. Let's get it over with."
Shortly after, the three men stood at the base of the ramp that led up to the stargate.
"This is it Danny, time to go. So I guess I say goodbye." Jack extended his hand to shake it but Daniel did not shake it. He drew his hand to his forehead and saluted. "It was an honor serving with you, Sir."
Jack let out a few tears. Teal'c stood there and he saluted as well. "Goodbye Colonel O'Neill, say hello to Major Carter for me."
Jack looked at Teal'c and spoke. "I will."
They paused in silence for a while.
"Jack, we will go to the control room now... good luck." With that Daniel and the Jaffa left Jack at the base of the ramp.
Jack reached into his pocket and got the flag out. "Not long now, our forty year wait will be over soon my love."
The gate spun and as it opened, Jack looked back at the control room and waved. Its occupants waved back. Jack started up the gate ramp and smiling at the top, he screamed in pure joy. "I'm here Sam." And walked through.
"Now Teal'c," Daniel roared and Teal'c deleted a chevron from the computer. The stargate shook violently, sucking back on itself and the room grew dark. The screen flashed the message critical failure as the wormhole collapsed. "Well Teal'c, they're together now. You want to stay and help explain to the MP's what a civilian and an illegal alien are doing here?"
Teal'c just looked at his old friend straightfaced. "Easy, when I departed I thought we left the gate open and I did not want to let the dog get out."
Daniel and Teal'c laughed.
2 June
The night sky glistened in its blanket of stars as an old man stood staring at it in his back yard.
He was roused by the sound of the door opening and footsteps.
"Daniel, what are you doing out here?"
Daniel turned to face his wife. "Look at those two stars my love, see how close they are? Almost as if they were touching?"
Janet wrapped her arm around her husband. "I see them... why are they important? What are their names?"
Daniel kissed his wife's head and looked once more at the stars. "I call them Sam and Jack... together for all time."
The End
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