Chapter Five
“She’s been keeping to the Center mostly, but she spends at least a few hours out every day. It took me a while to track her,” Tom hesitated a moment before continuing, his tone grave. “She’s been meeting with Ryland, at his new job.”
“For what?” Sam wouldn’t have needed to be a genius to know that a partnership between Isabelle Tyler, who had been created to prevent the 4400 from carrying out their mission, and Denis Ryland, who had almost succeeded in killing them off, was not good news.
“I don’t know,” Tom answered, “but I’m guessing that they’re not planning to send you guys fruit baskets and flowers.”
“I doubt it.”
“They could be planning something like the inhibitor again,” Tom speculated. “I still can’t believe that he’s not rotting in a cell somewhere!”
“That makes two of us.” Sam mightn’t have been surprised to hear that Ryland had escaped with little more than a slap on the wrist, or that he had immediately been recruited by the private sector, but she was still far from happy about it. The only silver lining to that particular storm cloud was that when word of the lightness of his punishment came out, quite a few people who had previously been straddling the fence regarding the issue had become indignant on behalf of the 4400, particularly after the positive effects of the Nova Group’s demonstration.
They needed all the support they could get.
“He’s not working at NTAC, but he’s still got a lot of contacts,” Tom continued, “and friends in high places. We can’t rule out the possibility.”
“We can’t rule out any possibility.” Sam said; she could think of a lot of things that Isabelle could do if she had access to military assets and the resources of the Haspel Corporation, and none of the scenarios she came up with had particularly pleasant endings.
There was also a possibility, despite what ‘Maia’ had said, that Isabelle would be able to fight against what she was supposed to do, and as long as that possibility existed, neither Sam nor Tom would be prepared to carry out the instructions to kill her.
“I’ll keep watching her.” Tom promised. “As soon as I know more, I’ll let you know.”
With a flick of her wrist, Sam sent half a dozen basketballs bouncing across the wooden floors of the gym, sending each of them through the hoop in turn and keeping them hovering for a few moments before gently setting them down.
“Okay...” Jack said slowly from behind her. “As of now, no telekinesis during basketball games – unless we’re playing SG-13.” He amended. Colonel Dixon had taken a little too much pleasure in his team’s last victory over SG-1 for Jack’s tastes, especially when he had already won fifty dollars betting on the result.
“I think they might consider that cheating.” Sam remarked, laughing.
He sighed dramatically. “You’re probably right – you know, your control has got a lot better, ever since you came off the inhibitor. You couldn’t channel telekinesis through your hands before.”
“I know.” Sam hadn’t made a conscious decision to start channelling her ability, but ever since the inhibitor had been flushed from her system, she had instinctively been finding new and more effective ways of using her gifts. There had been some accidents as she adjusted to her new strengths, but she felt that she was far more in control of them than she had been before, and she couldn’t deny that that was appealing.
“Have you thought about trying to incorporate your telekinesis into hand to hand combat?”
“I think you’ve been reading too many comics, sir.” She remarked, amused. Quite a few of Jack’s ideas for practice activities seemed to be inspired by the adventures and abilities of various superheroes – and some of them had been very effective.
“I’m serious,” he insisted, “you can channel it through your hands, so imagine if you could try a telekinetic punch – you’d probably be able to kick Bra’tac’s ass if you could master that.” He finished enthusiastically, picturing the Jaffa master’s likely reaction if Sam managed to defeat him in hand to hand combat; while he liked and respected her, as he did all of the members of SG-1, they were far from equal to his impressive combat skills, honed for more than a century and he was well aware of that fact.
Sam was quiet for a few minutes, as she considered the merits of his suggestion. When she had fought with Replicarter, she could remember using her telekinesis to send her flying, so if she could control that, it could potentially increase the strength of her blows dramatically...
Seeing the thoughtful expression on her face as she studied her hand, clenching and unclenching her fist as her brilliant mind reflected on the possibilities, Jack took a cautious step back.
“No offence, Carter,” he said hastily, “but much as I love to help you practice, I don’t have my helmet with me, so maybe we could find you another sparring partner...” He hurried over to the doorway, calling for one of the airmen to deliver his message.
Teal’c appeared a few minutes later, puzzled by the summons, although he did not ask any questions, he merely looked at Jack, one eyebrow slightly raised. “You wanted to see me, O’Neill.”
“That’s right.” Jack clapped him on the shoulder, gesturing towards Sam. “Carter needs to practice her powers and her sparring, and she needs an opponent for that. She’s going to try a telekinetic punch.”
“I see.” If Teal’c was apprehensive about the task Jack had volunteered him for, he showed no sign of it.
“Here.” Jack passed a helmet, along with an assortment of protective pads, to his friend. “You should put these on – and don’t bother going easy on her.”
“Major Carter?” Teal’c was, understandably, more than a little taken aback by this instruction and looked to Sam for guidance.
“It’s alright, Teal’c.” No matter what, she knew Teal’c well enough to know that he would never hurt her; he had a true talent for training with people who did not share his Jaffa strength or his combat expertise and he could always gauge the right skill level to use with each opponent. Under the circumstances, she was far more worried that she would hurt him.
They squared off on opposite sides of the mat, waiting for Jack’s signal before beginning.
Sam had intended to start with a very light punch, but Teal’c swung first, and she ducked instinctively, swinging back.
A split second later, Teal’c sailed across the room, landing with a heavy thud on the other side.
“Teal’c!” Horrified, she darted to his side, crouching next to him to make sure that he wasn’t hurt. “I am so sorry!” She apologized, “I didn’t mean to do it so hard.”
“It is alright, Major Carter.” Teal’c reassured her gently, accepting the hand she held out to help him to his feet. “You did not hurt me – except, perhaps, my pride.” He added with a slight smile. He bent his head forward a little as she hugged him, glancing over her shoulder to give Jack a less than friendly glare.
Jack grimaced slightly. ‘He’s going to get me for this.’
One week later
Sam was in her lab, reaching out with her technokinetic ability to visualise and repair a damaged circuit in the prototype Mark II naquadah generator when her cellphone started ringing, the cheerful tune filling the room, its volume increasing until she picked it up.
“Carter.”
“It’s me, Sam.” Tom’s voice filtered through the phone, the urgency in his tone audible.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, knowing that whatever it was he had called about, it had to be serious. He had never attempted to contact her outside their agreed check-in times before, knowing, as she did, that minimizing their calls would help to keep his co-workers from becoming suspicious and attempting to trace their calls.
“She’s gone,” he told her bluntly. “She went out shortly after one yesterday afternoon, as usual, but she didn’t come back. I’ve talked to Shawn, and he has no idea where she is – even her own father doesn’t know. He’s just officially reported her missing.”
“And Ryland?”
“Still at Haspel – according to his assistant, he’s been at a conference for the past two days.” Tom’s tone made it clear that he didn’t believe a word of Ryland’s alibi. “Since I’m keeping tabs on Isabelle off the record, I don’t even have any official authority to bring him in for questioning.” He exhaled slowly, his frustration evident. “Right now, there’s really not a lot I can do.”
Sam could understand that; tracking a missing person who didn’t want to be found was difficult enough under ordinary circumstances, let alone when that person had 4400 abilities. “What should we do now?”
“I don’t know; her picture has been circulated to the police and military, and they’ll give NTAC a head’s up as soon as she pops up on the radar. If we don’t hear from them, all we can do is wait. Chances are, she won’t stay away from the 4400 Center long.” He said optimistically. “It’s all she knows. She’ll turn up – it’s not like she’s disappeared off the face of the Earth.”
Sam’s heart sank at the jest. “I’ve got to go.” She said hurriedly, glancing at her computer monitor and bringing up a series of files, scanning the text there.
Tom was no fool. “Sam? What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t say anymore.” She told him. Even if she was right – and she hoped that she wasn’t – she couldn’t tell Tom about what she really did. “I’ll call you if I hear anything. Goodbye.” She hung up before he could protest, turning her full attention to the computer in front of her.
She had found what she was looking for, and was gazing at the computer screen, horrified, when Daniel entered.
“Sam, do you have the footage from our mission to... Sam?” He touched her shoulder gently, concerned. “Is everything okay?”
Sam shook her head, not taking her eyes off the text in front of her.
“What’s wrong?”
“She’s gone through the stargate.”
Chapter Six
“Area 51 have confirmed that they had a breach of security at one of their offsite facilities yesterday evening,” Sam explained to the group seated around the table in the briefing room. “The security teams were incapacitated, and the security cameras were all disabled, but not before they captured footage of Isabelle Tyler entering the facility. Seismic activity confirms that the ‘gate was activated at 19:12. We can safely say that she was able to use the stargate to go offworld.”
“You’d think that they could have let us know that they’d had a break-in.” Jack grumbled.
“They made their reports.” Weir told him. “We would have been informed... in time.” She turned to look at Sam, “What I don’t understand is how she could have known about the stargate in the first place. Why would she even go looking for it? Could the people from the future have programmed her with the information? Major Carter?” She pressed gently, seeing the dismayed expression on the other woman’s face. “Sam?”
“Looks like congratulations are in order, Major.” Richard’s grin was broad as he shifted baby Isabelle in his arms. “I’d salute, but I’ve got my hands full.”
“Is this your daughter? She’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“What’s her name?”
“Isabelle.”
The baby’s gurgles and broad smile of greeting were charming, her delight at the presence of a new face plain... until she had taken Sam’s finger in her chubby hand. Her happiness had faded abruptly, and her dark eyes had been solemn as she stared up at her.
“She learned about it from me.” Sam said quietly, horrified at the thought of what she could have unleashed on the galaxy, however unknowingly. “When I visited the 4400 Center last year, I met Isabelle and her father. She must have been able to read the information from my mind when she grabbed my finger.” Noticing raised eyebrows and open mouths all around the table, she stopped to think about what she’d just said. “Too weird?”
“On a scale of ‘one’ to ‘normal day at the office’?” Jack replied. “I’d rank it as a Thursday. Those are usually a little more off-beat than other days.”
“Could she really have been that powerful, even as a baby?” Weir asked, trying to wrap her head around the revelations of the past hour. Quiet days at the SGC were few and far between, but they had had a lot on their plates over the past couple of weeks. Her debriefing with her superiors was going to be a long one. “She’s not a 4400.”
“Both of her parents were,” Sam said, “and we have no way of knowing what kind of powers the people who created her and sent her back may have given her. We know that she has promicin in her blood, so she definitely has at least one ability, maybe more.” She thought back to her vision while she had been sick, and of what ‘Maia’ had told her. “They’re relying on her to stop the 4400, maybe single-handedly. It’s a pretty safe bet that they’ve made sure that she has as many powers as they could possibly give her.”
“How... how bad was it?” Daniel asked, almost afraid to find out. “You haven’t ever said much about what you saw when you were unconscious.”
Sam met Jack’s eyes, wondering how much she ought to say about her vision. She had told him almost everything about what she had seen, omitting only a few details... like the horrific deaths of her teammates, deaths she had witnessed and been unable to prevent, including her own at Daniel’s hands, and the fact that she had decided against demanding that someone else be chosen as a 4400 in her stead, despite knowing that it would mean giving up her chance to save her father’s life. Jack nodded slightly, indicating that, as far as he was concerned, it was up to her how much or how little she told them.
“I don’t know how far into the future it was, not exactly,” she began slowly. “I only saw glimpses of what it was like then. What little technology I saw was at least a few hundred years more advanced than anything we’ve got now, maybe more but the planet... it was a wasteland; there was almost no agricultural land. Most of the surviving population were living in camps, scattered all over the planet.”
“Most of the surviving population?” Teal’c repeated. “What became of the others?”
“A small minority, maybe a few million people, were living inside a huge city, with high walls. It seemed to be the only prosperous place left on the planet.”
“It could be that the people living in the city were the ones who wanted the future to stay the way it was,” Jack speculated, “it sounds like they’re doing well as things stand… as they will stand.” He amended.
“While everyone else is dying off.” Weir remarked, disturbed both by what she was hearing and by how believable it was.
“Yes.” Sam nodded. “The people from the future – the ones who sent us back – are trying to prevent this from happening again, but the others found out about what they had planned and sent Isabelle back with us.”
“A Trojan horse.” Daniel said, his eyes wide. “After all the trouble they went to to save the future of humanity, it’s scary to think that one person could doom us all.”
“And now that she’s found the stargate, it’s not just the humans on Earth who are in trouble. The whole galaxy is at risk.” Sam said.
“So we need to find her and stop her.” Daniel said, his tone determined.
Weir raised an eyebrow. “If you have any ideas on how we can do that, I’m listening.”
“We’re going to need to let Agent Baldwin know about the stargate – and Agent Skouris too.” Sam said, knowing that it would make it a lot easier for Tom to explain away his absences if Diana also knew what was at stake. “He’s supposed to be the one to take care of Isabelle, he has the syringe the people from the future sent to use against her, and I doubt he’d be willing to just let me borrow it.”
“Are you sure that that’s going to be necessary?” Weir asked. Bringing people into the loop about the stargate was not a step to be taken lightly, not if there was an alternative.
“I think it will.” Sam said. “They’re both already pretty suspicious about what we’re doing here, so I wouldn’t put it past them to be able to find out on their own somehow, anyway. Plus, if we find Isabelle, we’ll need Baldwin with us when we go after her. I’m also going to need their help if I want to get in to Haspel and talk to Ryland; we need to know what he told Isabelle, and to find out where he got his information from. We may have a leak.”
“Fair enough,” Weir allowed. “I’ll have to clear it with the President, but with their clearance it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I wonder how they’ll take it,” Jack mused.
“They deal with all kinds of crazy every day,” said Sam. “I doubt this’ll throw them much.”
Seattle
“Wormholes, other planets, alien slavers posing as gods, and super-evolved robot bugs?” Diana repeated, apparently having trouble closing her mouth once she finished.
Ordinarily, Jack would have sympathised with anyone who was being told about the Stargate Program for the first time, but given Tom and Diana’s line of work, he found their shock pretty funny. “So, giant balls of light falling from space and thousands of missing persons coming back from the future with superpowers is par for the course, but this you find hard to swallow?” He glanced at Sam with a grin, glad that they’d given the NTAC duo the Cliff Notes version. He thought their heads might explode if they heard much more.
“So are we going to get to travel through this stargate?” Tom asked, his surprise ebbing more readily than his partner’s and quickly giving way to a childlike eagerness to try out a cool new toy he’d been told about.
“Maybe.” Sam said. “It depends on whether we can track Isabelle; if we can, it might be a good idea if you came with us when we go to after her.”
“So I can give her a shot?”
“Exactly.”
“How would Ryland have known about this stargate?” Diana asked curiously. “I didn’t think that he had the clearance to be told about something as secret as that, even before he was fired.”
“He didn’t.” Sam agreed. “Officially, he doesn’t have permission to know about it, but we have had leaks before.”
“It’s a hard thing to keep a secret.” Jack backed her up. “And because it’s so powerful, there are more than a few people who would give anything to be the one controlling it.”
“The NID gets more funding from the private sector than the government, so it’s possible that he knew of it through his contacts at Haspel.” Sam theorized aloud. “He wouldn’t have needed to have clearance to have access to it. As long as he knew where it was, Isabelle would be able to take care of the rest herself.”
“Do you think that Ryland will know where she went?” Diana asked.
“Maybe. If we can, we also need to find out where he got his information from.”
“I can see why you wouldn’t want to take any leaks lightly.” Tom agreed, pulling up the car outside the Haspel building.
The receptionist had been less than eager to allow them access to Ryland’s office, insisting that he did not receive visitors unless they had an appointment, and while Tom’s NTAC badge had silenced her protests, she was still unhappy at the idea of one of the most senior executives of the company being invaded and blaming her for it.
With a thought, Sam disrupted the phone line, preventing her from calling Ryland to warn him, hoping to catch him off guard. They were on his turf, after all, and would need all the advantages they could get. As they passed through the corridors, she disabled the security cameras.
Although Tom and Diana’s status as NTAC agents allowed them to access the building, they were investigating this without the approval or knowledge of their superiors, and it wouldn’t take much effort on Ryland’s part to make life difficult for them if he chose to notify his powerful and influential connections about their visit. They had the President’s permission to be there but he preferred that his involvement be kept quiet, if possible, and had ordered discretion.
Ryland’s office was near the top floor, with a well-appointed lobby outside for visitors.
“So this is how the guy who nearly killed the 4400 lives.” Jack commented in disgust. Whoever said that crime didn’t pay clearly hadn’t got their facts straight.
“It gets worse.” Tom stated grimly, opening one of the double doors and motioning for the others to precede him into the office.
Ryland’s expression was far from welcoming as they entered, his eyes cold as he surveyed them. “I don’t suppose this is a social visit,” he remarked in a chilly, slightly sarcastic tone, “so I won’t bother sending for coffee.” He looked at Sam and Jack. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.”
“I’m Colonel Jack O’Neill, this is Major Samantha Carter.” Jack made the introductions. Depending on how much he knew about the SGC, it was possible that he knew of them and if he did, he would know that they were both quite well thought of by the President – one of the more pleasant side effects of saving the world – and that trying to complain about them would do him little good.
“Samantha Carter…” Ryland repeated slowly, trying to place the name. “One of the 4400, if I’m not mistaken.” His brow furrowed in a scowl as he remembered what Isabelle had said about a 4400 working at the SGC, correctly guessing that the 4400 in question was standing in front of him.
“That’s right.” Ordinarily, Sam would have been infuriated by the look he was giving her, but given what she knew about Ryland, she wasn’t going to cry if he didn’t approve of her.
“Where’s Isabelle Tyler?” Tom demanded.
Ryland raised an eyebrow, affecting a surprised expression. “Why would you think that I’d know anything about that?” He asked calmly. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not working with the 4400 anymore – isn’t it your job to keep tabs on her?”
“We know that you’ve been meeting with her, Dennis,” Tom said, managing, with great difficulty, to keep his temper in check at the other man’s derisive tone. “And we know how she’s been able to disappear.”
“Do you?” If anything, Ryland seemed amused by Tom’s angry tone. He glanced at Sam and Jack. “I would have thought that that would be a bit above your security clearance.”
“Do you have any idea what’s at stake here?” Sam asked quietly, unable to believe that anyone who had worked with the 4400, who knew about why they had been sent back, would willingly try to thwart their work, siding with the person sent back to stop them.
“Do you?” He countered sharply. “It’s easy for you and the other 4400, Miss Carter,” he deliberately refrained from using her rank. “You’ve got your abilities, you must think that you can do anything you like and that nobody can stop you. If you wanted to, you could dominate us all, take over completely and do whatever you wanted with the rest of us. You say that you’re here to save the future, to make the world a better place, but what does that mean? A better future for people with abilities and to Hell with the rest of us? People like the Nova Group are willing to abuse their abilities to dominate. I just want to protect the rest of the population.”
“And how is helping the person sent back to stop the people protecting the future going to make the world a better place?” Jack asked sarcastically.
“You’re not helping her out of the goodness of your heart.” Diana observed shrewdly. “What’s she giving you in return?”
“I’m afraid that that’s between me and Miss Tyler.” Ryland answered dismissively.
Behind them, the door opened with a creak. If Sam listened carefully, she could hear soft footfalls but she couldn’t see anybody at first, not until two men shimmered into existence behind Ryland. They were tall and wore black uniforms, with near-identical scowls on their faces.
“Trouble, sir?” One of them asked Ryland, his tone respectful.
“Not at all, John.” Ryland assured him. “They were just leaving – weren’t you?” He rose, laying a hand on John’s shoulder. “Invisibility is a useful talent for a bodyguard, don’t you agree – even if it’s not as… interesting as Michael’s ability.” He didn’t elaborate on what this ability was, but the threat was clear. “They’ll see you safely off the premises. I’ve got a lot of work to take care of.” He returned his attention to his work, ignoring them as John and Michael approached the small group, indicating that they should precede them out of the office and through the corridors back the way they came.
“What the Hell is wrong with you two?” Tom demanded of the two bodyguards, disgusted that any 4400 would choose to side with Ryland after all he had done. “Don’t you care that he nearly killed you all? How can you betray your own kind like this?”
Ignoring him, the two men led them to the front door, with John holding the door open while Michael ushered them out, their faces stony and devoid of expression.
“Next time you need to see Mr Ryland, please call ahead and make an appointment first.”
“This is disturbing news, Doctor.” General Bauer said, his tone disapproving, as though he felt that she should have been able to anticipate Isabelle Tyler’s escape and prevent it, even though the second stargate had not been in her custody. “If this young woman is as dangerous as you have suggested, then she could cause a great deal of trouble for us.”
“I’m aware of that, General,” Weir was too experienced a diplomat to allow any sign of her rising irritation to show on her face or in her tone, but she found herself sympathising with General Hammond over his reaction to Bauer.
“What measures are you taking to locate and apprehend her?” General Gyrich demanded.
“There’s not much we can do at this point,” she responded, knowing that he knew it and that he was hoping to unbalance her. She was made of sterner stuff than that. “Photographs of Ms Tyler have been given to all SG team members, and they will be making enquiries of the natives of the planets they visit. If there are any leads, we will pursue them, General, but the galaxy is a big place. By examining the DHD, Major Carter was able to isolate the planet she travelled to, but there’s no way we can know what her next stop was after that, and as we don’t know what she wanted to travel to another planet for, we have no way of anticipating her next move.”
“And what is the current situation with the Replicators and with the System Lords?” Richard Woolsey, the Presidential liaison, asked. Of all the members of the committee assembled to oversee the Stargate Program on behalf of the President, a committee consisting of Woolsey, Senator Jeffreys, who had replaced Kinsey as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee after his arrest, and two military generals, Weir found him to be the most reasonable – but that wasn’t saying much.
“The Replicators are continuing their assaults on the Goa’uld, and have eliminated almost all of the weakest. The few who survived have been left so weakened by the attacks that it’ll be a long time before they can pose a threat to Earth, or to anyone else. They’ve moved on to attacking System Lords now.” Weir reported. “We’re concerned about the possibility that they will eventually turn their attention to Earth once they’re through with them, but for the moment, they haven’t made any attacks on human-occupied planets. The defeat of the individual Goa’uld has had one major beneficial effect,” she added, glad to be able to give good news on one count, at least. “The fact that they are being defeated is undermining them in the eyes of their armies. Many of the disillusioned and dispossessed Jaffa have pledged their loyalty to the Free Jaffa.”
“I suppose that’s something.” Bauer acknowledged grudgingly. “Thank you, Doctor.” He began to stand, indicating that their meeting was at an end, but General Gyrich raised a hand, halting his movements.
“There is one other matter we need to discuss.” He cut in, meeting Weir’s gaze squarely. “Colonel O’Neill and Major Carter.”
“What about them?” She asked, although she knew exactly what he wanted to hear.
“I understand that they are still living together.” His tone was disapproving.
“Yes,” she acknowledged, “the arrangement was cleared with General Hammond, and with the President. Major Carter was abducted after her return, and it was felt that it was safer for her not to live alone, at least for the present.”
“I am aware of that, Doctor,” if the expression on his face was any indication, he didn’t think much of either man’s judgment regarding the matter in question, but he didn’t remark on it. “We have some concerns that their relationship may compromise their ability to work together effectively.”
“Perhaps it would be prudent if they were to be separated.” Senator Jeffreys suggested. “There are many military projects that would benefit from Major Carter’s involvement, one new venture, in particular...”
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” although her tone remained polite and pleasant, there was steel in her words. “Major Carter is a vital member of my command, and she and Colonel O’Neill have never given me any cause to think that they can’t work together.”
“You don’t think that there is reason to believe that they have become personally involved?” Woolsey clarified.
“No.” She responded firmly.
Gyrich looked put out by her response, but he didn’t argue. “You will let us know if the situation changes.” It wasn’t a request. “We will speak again soon.”
Chapter Seven
SGC
“Good morning, sir,” Mitchell greeted cheerfully as Jack entered the gate room. He turned to his team, who were lined up behind him. “Say ‘good morning’ to Colonel O’Neill, guys.” He instructed them, grinning when they obediently greeted Jack in chorus.
“You’ve got them well trained.” Jack remarked in an undertone, impressed.
After Colonel Makepeace had been exposed and obliged to retire, SG-3 had gone through several replacements, none of whom had lasted more than a matter of months before they requested a transfer. The three Marines who made up the team had their own ideas about what they wanted in a leader, and scant patience for those who did not meet their standards. Mitchell had surprised quite a few people – and disappointed more than a few of the gamblers who had laid bets on how long he would last – when he had so ably taken the team in hand, turning them into a model SG unit.
The fact that he had crippled their former CO had certainly helped instil a healthy dose of cautious respect.
Mitchell shrugged modestly. “I learned from the best, sir.” He glanced behind Jack, at the entrance to the gate room. “Where are…”
“They’ll be here in a minute.” Jack said hastily, resisting the urge to check his watch. Sam was helping Walter with a computer glitch, so she had an excuse, but the other two were just plain late, which was unusual… for Teal’c, at any rate. ‘Come on, guys, don’t show me up in front of the Marines!’
As though he had heard Jack’s unspoken plea, Teal’c entered the gate room a moment later, geared up and ready to go, with Sam following shortly afterwards.
‘Two down, one to go.’ Jack thought. When another minute ticked by without any sign of Daniel, he debated whether or not he should send someone after him, but before he could give the order, Daniel jogged into the room, slightly breathless, his face flushed.
“Sorry I’m late,” he apologized, adjusting his pack to enable him to carry his heavy load with a minimum of difficultly. “I’d forgotten one of my books.”
“Bra’tac’s gonna think we stood him up if we don’t get a move on.” Jack chided mildly, indicating to Walter that he could begin the dialling sequence. He wondered what the other man thought he was going to need his books for, given their mission, but he decided against asking.
“I am grateful for your assistance, O’Neill, as I am sure Master Bra’tac is.” Teal’c said as they watched the stargate spinning and the chevrons engaging. “Cronus’ defeat has left many of his Jaffa dispossessed, and he wishes to have the chance to speak with them before another Goa’uld attempts to draft them into his own army.
“Don’t mention it, big guy.” As far as Jack was concerned, the more Jaffa who realized that the Goa’uld were not gods and who abandoned their former masters, the better.
Since the Replicators had begun to kick Goa’uld ass, Bra’tac’s Free Jaffa movement had gained more new recruits in a matter of months than it had in the previous nine years. A self-styled god who got his ass kicked by a bunch of metal bugs wasn’t much of a deity, after all.
“Chevron seven locked.” Walter announced from the control room as the wormhole formed.
“It’s faster when you do it.” Jack told Sam in a whisper.
She laughed softly. It might have been faster, but dialling the stargate had been Walter’s job for so long that he would not have been happy to see the task usurped.
From the control room, Weir called down “Good luck”, and then Jack led SGs 1 and 3 through the stargate.
“If you’d told us that we were going to need a ship, Carter could have brought one of her own.” Jack remarked, wincing inwardly as the metal floor beneath his feet rocked slightly.
The mothership that Bra’tac and the small number of Free Jaffa who aided him in his work – Teal’c’s son, Rya’c, among them – had managed to scavenge from Morrigan’s stronghold after it was decimated by the Replicators was definitely showing signs of wear and tear, particularly as none of the members of the small group were particularly expert at maintaining the technology.
“It’s probably a problem with the inertial dampeners, sir.” Sam suggested. “I can take a look, if that’s alright with you.” She told Bra’tac, who nodded permission.
“That would be greatly appreciated, Major Carter.”
“Please hurry,” Jack urged her, eyeing a decidedly green archaeologist with no small amount of trepidation. “Before Daniel gets space-sick.”
“I’m okay.” Daniel insisted, groaning as the ship was jolted and clutching at his stomach. He wasn’t the only one who was suffering; two of Mitchell’s Marines looked as though they were regretting eating such a big breakfast that morning.
Sam hastened away and, a few minutes later, the ship seemed to be moving much more smoothly.
“Why do we need to go by ship, anyway?” Mitchell asked curiously. “Wouldn’t it be easier for us to just travel there by stargate?”
“There is no stargate on this planet.” Bra’tac explained. “It can only be reached by ship – and Cronus required all of his for battle with the Replicators.”
“So the Jaffa he left there are stranded.” Jack said, disgusted. The System Lords weren’t known for being generous or considerate employers, far from it, but even so, he never ceased to be stunned and appalled by the cavalier way in which the Jaffa who served them, and on whom they depended both for survival and for consolidating power, were treated.
“Indeed.” Teal’c said quietly. “It is unlikely that Cronus gave any thought to what would become of them if he was defeated.”
“Perhaps he did not consider that defeat was a possibility.” Bra’tac suggested, knowing all too well the extent of Goa’uld arrogance.
“If he’s been treating them like crap, maybe they’ll be glad of the chance of a fresh start with you guys.” Mitchell suggested optimistically.
“Perhaps that will be the case, for a few,” Bra’tac acknowledged, “but for the majority, Cronus will have been the god they have believed in and worshipped all of their lives. They will be distressed by word of his defeat and death – if they even believe us when we bring them the news. They may think that we are attempting to deceive them, to trick them into betraying their god. That is why I asked that you join us. Perhaps they will be more easily persuaded if they can see the Tauri who have defeated other Goa’uld for themselves – and Major Carter’s presence will be invaluable, of course.”
“Why me?” Sam asked, returning from her repairs in time to hear the last part of Bra’tac’s speech. Even as she asked the question, she knew what the answer would be.
“The abilities you have been gifted with are well-known in the galaxy, Major.” Bra’tac told her gently. “The Jaffa you liberated from Hathor and Nirrti have spread the word through the ranks of other defeated Goa’uld.”
“I should have sworn them to secrecy.” Sam grumbled under her breath. It was bad enough that she attracted attention as a 4400 on Earth; now she was apparently well known for her abilities throughout the galaxy.
“No,” Bra’tac told her firmly. “It was important to them that they saw a Goa’uld defeated by a human, and that they saw the difference between the power that comes from their technology, and the true power that comes from within you. All Jaffa should know of Hathor and Nirrti’s defeat.”
It was on the tip of Sam’s tongue to point out that her powers were not inborn, that they came from a neurotransmitter she had been artificially altered to produce, but Rya’c didn’t give her a chance to explain the science behind her abilities.
“You are legendary among the Jaffa, Free and enslaved, and among humans on Goa’uld planets.” He told her eagerly. “The System Lords try to prevent rumours from spreading, but nothing they can do can stop them speaking, no matter how many times they punish those they hear.” He grinned, showing a boy’s delight at the idea of the would-be deities’ impotent fury. “I believe they hate you more than they do Father.” He said, looking up at Teal’c, who ruffled his hair affectionately.
“So you know that you’re doing something right.” Jack said cheerfully, patting her shoulder.
“Many of the System Lords would give a great deal to be the one to capture you, Major.” Bra’tac said. “The bounties on offer are substantial.”
“Better than a day’s rations?” Jack’s joke earned him a reproachful frown from Daniel, who hadn’t known whether he ought to be relieved or offended when he found out what the price on his head was.
Bra’tac nodded confirmation. “Much better.”
“So what’s the highest bidder offering?”
“Chulak.”
“No, seriously…”
“Along with the infrastructure and the inhabitants.” Bra’tac added.
Jack was able to sum up his thoughts, and those of his teammates, in one word: “Wow!”
The contingent of Jaffa left to guard Cronus’ stronghold was a relatively small one, considering the size of the facility, with only a few dozen warriors stationed there, but that was not particularly surprising, given what Bra’tac had said about resources being concentrated on the fight against the Replicators.
While their conviction that Cronus was a god had been shaken somewhat by his ignoble defeat, it had not been shattered, and it had taken Bra’tac a long time to persuade the Jaffa to listen to what he had to say and to consider the possibility that they had been deceived by their former master, especially when their initial impulse had been to execute him and his fellow ‘traitors’ for their blasphemy.
As Bra’tac had predicted, the presence of the two SG teams, and Sam in particular, had proven very helpful when it came to convincing Cronus’ Jaffa to hear them out. The fact that they had been effectively stranded on the planet, with very limited resources, also helped them to be a little more receptive to the idea of hearing Bra’tac out.
“Even if you guys don’t want to sign up, I doubt you want to spend the rest of your lives on this rock.” Jack pointed out, indicating the barren landscape with a wave of his arm. Cultivating what little agricultural land there was would be a challenging task for experienced farmers, let alone warriors who had known nothing except life in Cronus’ army since they were little more than boys. “It’s not like Cronus is in a position to send you fresh supplies.”
This was inarguable, and the leader of the contingent, speaking on his own behalf and that of the warriors who served under his command, grudgingly agreed to accept their help, and the promise that if they did not wish to join the Free Jaffa, they would be left on a planet with a stargate, and could travel wherever they wished from there.
Once Cronus’ Jaffa had been escorted onboard the ship, with their personal possessions stored in the cargo hold, they left the planet, bound for P4I-907, an uninhabited planet Bra’tac had chosen, deeming it better for them not to bring the group to the planet that the Free Jaffa had adopted as their base until he had a better idea whether or not they could be trusted.
Although the Jaffa Master had disliked the idea of treating the group with distrust, security concerns had been paramount and key areas of the ship were sealed off, just in case the idea of a mutiny appealed to them.
Bra’tac had gathered the Jaffa together in the main hold, and was speaking with them, leaving the piloting of the ship to SGs 1 and 3.
“Any plans for this weekend?” Jack asked Mitchell, commandeering Nirrti’s throne and sitting back while Teal’c took the helm.
“No, sir.”
“We should go out, bowling or something.” Jack said, including Daniel and Teal’c in the invitation and grinning when they nodded. He glanced at Sam, shaking his head in mock-exasperation. “Carter’s gonna be working. You really need to learn to relax.” He chided her lightly.
“Actually, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.” Sam insisted. “And if Stark is as far along with his project as he says he is, then maybe some of his technology could be duplicated for the SGC. It could definitely come in handy.”
“Stark as in Stark Industries?” Daniel asked. She nodded confirmation. “Didn’t they want to hire you last year?”
“Still do.” She said; since her initial refusal, they had continued their efforts to recruit her, offering more favourable terms each time they approached her, before finally opting for inviting her to act as a short-term consultant. “Doctor Weir suggested that I do it, and got it okayed; she thinks that it should be interesting, and based on the schematics Stark sent, I agree with her.”
“Just don’t let him try to tempt you over to the Dark Side.” Jack ordered good-naturedly.
“Sir,” Sam resisted the urge to roll her eyes, “the private sector isn’t the Dark Side.”
Jack looked as though he was ready to debate that point, but before he could voice his arguments, a klaxon started blaring, prompting Sam to hasten to Teal’c’s side to examine the sensor readings. Jack, Daniel and Mitchell quickly followed, looking over her shoulder to see the data.
“Replicators.” Sam announced, swiftly tapping the controls to ensure that the shields were raised, and at full strength. Goa’uld technology was no match for that of the Replicators, however. At best, the shielding would buy them a little time.
“Find Bra’tac and tell him to get up here.” Mitchell ordered one of his Marines.
“They’re not firing,” Daniel observed.
“No,” Sam was puzzled by this behaviour; the Replicators had never shown themselves to be reluctant to take on the Goa’uld before. “Maybe…”
Before she could voice her thoughts, a beam of light all but blinded her companions, and when it dissipated, she was gone.
“Okay,” Jack said, as soon as he found his tongue, “next time, I’m handcuffing her to my wrist.”
Chapter Eight
The cell into which she had been deposited was small, with a low ceiling and walls that were constructed entirely of Replicator blocks, neatly slotted together. The atmosphere was breathable, so the Replicators had either planned to capture her, perhaps tracking the mothership, or they had been able to quickly adapt their systems to provide life support for her.
She hadn’t been restrained, but as there was no door, window or opening of any kind in her cell, containing her wasn’t going to be a problem.
Sam ran a hand along one of the walls. The blocks were chilly to the touch, tightly packed together to give the walls a slightly bumpy texture. Remembering her practice sessions with Jack, and with Teal’c, she made a fist, drawing her hand back and focusing her energy on a telekinetic punch, but it had no effect, not even when she repeated the process. The blocks were too densely packed and the bonds between them were too strong for them to be forced apart, not like that.
She started to reach out with her mind, wishing that she knew more about Replicator technology, enough to enable her to visualize and control it, but even the Asgard had only been able to provide her with limited information. She knew the basics, but that was it, and the basics weren’t enough to enable her to manipulate the technology.
The ship dropped out of hyperspace, and although Sam couldn’t see anything, she could feel it when the ship landed.
She heard a whirring, clicking sound, faint at first but growing louder as the walls around her seemed to dissolve, the blocks tumbling down around her feet. The wall in front of her seemed to fold back as a narrow tunnel, just tall enough to allow her to walk through it without having to bend down, formed in front of her. Sam could only see a few meters ahead of her, and doubted that the tunnel led anywhere she would want to go, but her choices were very limited; she could either follow the tunnel wherever it led, or stay behind to be buried alive by an avalanche of Replicator blocks.
She opted for the former, leaving her cell and walking cautiously along the tunnel. As she walked, the tunnel collapsed behind her, giving her no choice but to move forward.
‘They’re definitely not taking any chances.’
She estimated that she had walked about a hundred meters or so when the texture of the surface she was walking on changed; instead of a floor of blocks, she was walking on a dirt track dotted with stones and sparse patches of grass. At least she knew that she was on a planet, although there was no way of knowing which one, or if it had a stargate she could use in the unlikely event that she was able to escape.
The tunnel continued to press her onwards, allowing no time to stop and examine the ground beneath her, and after a few more meters, she stepped back onto a floor of Replicator blocks, following the tunnel further, until it opened out into another chamber, as sparse as the cell in which she had been confined, although it was much larger.
Once she was inside the chamber, the tunnel sealed shut behind her, leaving the wall completely smooth.
“Great!” She muttered in disgust. She had never thought that a day would come when getting captured by a Goa’uld would be a preferable option. Some of their prisons might have been a bit mediaeval, but they were easier to get out of.
A section of one of the walls seemed to melt, and as Sam watched, the patch of liquid metal stretched to the height of a human as it passed into the room, before reforming in a very familiar figure.
“Hello, Sam.” Replicarter’s smile was benign as she regarded her. “You can’t imagine how pleased I am to have you here with us. You’ll have to forgive me for the… unorthodox method of transport. I didn’t think that you’d respond well to an invitation.”
“I can’t say that I would have.” Sam agreed, jerking back as her counterpart gently touched her neck with cool fingers, tracing the skin over the place where her blade had sliced her throat the last time they had come face to face.
“No scar.” Replicarter observed calmly. “Remarkable. I had thought that it would kill you, but there is not even a mark left. You must have extraordinary regenerative capabilities, far superior to those of other humans.”
Had it not been for Shawn’s healing, she would probably still have had a scar stretching across her neck, but Sam didn’t want to satisfy Replicarter’s curiousity, so she remained silent.
Replicarter didn’t seem to expect an answer. She studied Sam’s face for a few moments, then the ground beneath them vibrated slightly.
“Where are we going?” Sam had done enough travelling through space to recognize a ship taking off when she felt it.
“I thought that we could go on a little trip together.” Replicarter said, her tone suggesting that Sam should consider this a treat. “It’s only right that you should be there, after all.”
“Be where? And for what?” Sam asked impatiently.
“My brethren and I have succeeded in destroying most of the System Lords, but there is one final stronghold we need to deal with if their hold over this galaxy is to be shattered.”
“Apophis and Heru’ur?” Their alliance had given them a level of strength that the other, solitary System Lords did not enjoy. It made sense that they would be the ones who would be able to hold out against a Replicator assault longer than the others.
“That’s right.” Her smile widened slightly. “Considering your history with them, it is only right that you should help to strike the final blow, don’t you agree?”
“I would have thought that two Goa’uld wouldn’t pose a problem for you guys, not enough for you to need help.”
Sam’s taunt didn’t trouble Replicarter unduly; she merely continued to smile. “You are trying to put me on the defensive.” She remarked calmly. “You won’t succeed. I could send my brethren to dispatch the Goa’uld – but why should I risk losing some of our number in a confrontation when there is an easier option?”
Sam couldn’t fault the logic behind this, and noted her counterpart’s words about losing some of the Replicators with interest. As long as she had access to suitable raw material, she could potentially create as many new blocks as she wished. They were far from irreplaceable, yet she wanted to minimize her losses. Maybe she meant it when she referred to them as her brethren.
“We will be there soon,” Replicarter told her, “and then we will destroy them.” She was silent for a few moments, studying Sam. “You should really have done this yourself.” She chided her. “You have untapped greatness inside you, Sam – and I don’t just mean your abilities. If you set your mind to it, you could accomplish anything. We could have ruled this galaxy if you had been willing to reach your full potential, but you cling to human limitations.” She sounded regretful, but then brightened. “Fortunately, that is an aspect of your personality that I do not share.”
“I am sorry, O’Neill.” Teal’c said regretfully. “I am unable to track the position of the Replicator ship.”
“Even if you were could track them, we wouldn’t be able to catch up. They’re too fast.” Mitchell said. If it had been one of the others who had been taken, Sam might have been able to coax a little more speed out of the hyperdrive, or to extend the sensor range. Without her, their chances of finding the Replicator ship, let alone mounting a rescue, were extremely limited.
“There’s got to be something we can do!” Daniel said anxiously.
Jack was silent as he reflected on the possibilities, trying to come up with a viable plan. If Sam could come back after being abducted by people from the future and held for six years, not to mention her trip back to the past, and the time she had been snatched by Kinsey’s goons, then they could get her back this time. If the Replicators had wanted her dead, they would have beamed onto the ship to attack her, and if they needed her alive, she would be safe until she had done whatever it was that they wanted her to do. It was of limited consolation, but it was better than nothing.
‘I really need to have a talk with Carter about this getting kidnapped habit of hers.’ He told himself, discarding his first ideas, knowing that they were unworkable. ‘What I wouldn’t give for Thor to show up right about…’ When the thought struck him, he felt like kicking himself for not having thought of it sooner. “Teal’c,” he clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “can you get us to the K’Tau homeworld?”
Teal’c needed no second prompting. Entering a few commands into the navigational controls, he found the coordinates and set in a course. “It is not far from here, O’Neill. We should be there within the hour.”
“Great.”
“Jack?” Daniel’s brow was furrowed in confusion. “Why are we…”
“They have one of those Hammer dealies, remember?” Jack reminded him, thankful that Freyr had not seen fit to include the same kind of challenges as the ones Thor had included on Cimmeria to reach the communication interface there. They couldn’t afford any delays. The sooner they could get in touch with the Asgard, the better. “If we want to get Carter back, we’re going to need some help.”
Since the Stargate Program had begun sending SG teams out into the galaxy to explore and to secure advanced technology, Sam had studied that technology whenever she could, with a particular emphasis on Goa’uld weapons and ships, so that they could defend against the former and duplicate the technology of the latter. However, while she had a more extensive knowledge of Goa’uld technology than any of the other SGC scientists, her knowledge was nowhere near as precise as that of her counterpart, who was utilizing her technokinetic abilities more effectively and more devastatingly than Sam would have ever thought possible.
Restrained by Replicator blocks, Sam couldn’t pull away from Replicarter’s hand, which fed precise details of the schematics of the motherships to her, forcing her to visualize their systems overloading. The images were so strong that Sam could not keep her technokinesis in check. She had tried at first, but the effort had exhausted her and, ultimately, proven futile. The motherships exploded in a haze of fire.
“I don’t know why you’re fighting this.” Replicarter remarked scornfully. “You cannot stop it – and why would you want to? These parasites have been enslaving humans for millennia. The galaxy is better off without them.”
Sam wasn’t so sure that she agreed with that; while she didn’t dispute the fact that the Goa’uld were a dangerous threat to Earth, and to the countless humans and Jaffa they had enslaved through false religion, the Replicators weren’t exactly the friendliest of neighbours either, and without the Goa’uld there to draw their attention, they would turn their attention to Earth.
‘I never thought I’d be trying to protect Apophis,’ Sam thought, focusing every ounce of energy she could summon for another attempt at resisting the images being forced into her mind, and on trying to break her counterpart’s hold. ‘Right now, he’s the lesser evil.’
“Sam!” Replicarter’s tone was exasperated as she withdrew her hand from her head, regarding her with a reproachful expression that reminded Sam of her mother’s when she was a little girl and had dismantled one of the household appliances, far from an infrequent occurrence. “You’re making this a lot harder than it needs to be.” She scolded. “It would be a lot easier if you cooperated – for both of us.”
“Not going to happen!” Studying her counterpart, Sam could see that her irritation was genuine, as was her desire for cooperation. ‘Maybe this isn’t as easy for her as last time,’ she speculated inwardly, wondering if her hard-won control over her abilities, not to mention the strength she had gained now that she was no longer being dosed with the inhibitor, was making it more difficult for Replicarter to maintain her control if Sam struggled against her.
“I could make it worth your while.” Replicarter offered, confirming Sam’s suspicions.
“I’m listening.” Sam said, not adverse to the idea of buying time.
“Earth has few minerals we can use to replicate, and I have no desire to destroy it unnecessarily.” Replicarter told her. “If you cooperate, I promise that my brethren and I will leave Earth and its population unharmed. You were sent back to save its future,” she reminded her, her tone gentle and persuasive. “I’m giving you the opportunity to do that, if you will help me now.”
Sam wasn’t foolish to believe that she had any intention of keeping this promise, but she nodded her assent, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
“Good.” Replicarter smiled her approval, gently pushing her hand through the skin of Sam’s forehead. “Just relax, and it will all be over soon.”
Apophis and Heru’ur’s ships continued to explode around them.
Focusing on relaxing her breathing and shielding some of her thoughts from Replicarter, Sam began to probe her counterpart’s mind, as gently and as unobtrusively as possible, slipping past her defences as she gleefully destroyed Heru’ur’s flagship.
It was disconcerting for her to see how closely Replicarter’s mind resembled her own, mimicking the form it had taken when they had communicated this way months before, but there were differences; while it still resembled a virtual construct of the inner workings of a computer, it was darker, with stark white lines of coded text whizzing past her, seemingly at the speed of light, coming at her from all directions.
Was this where the information she received from other Replicators was processed? They were linked; what each block saw, heard and experienced, Replicarter saw, heard and experienced simultaneously, which meant that there was a massive amount of information to sift through.
Confident that her counterpart would be too distracted by her attack on the two System Lords to pay much attention to her, Sam continued to cautiously prove her mind, pushing further and further, into the deepest recesses of her consciousness, digging for the information she needed.
Replicarter’s jubilation when the Goa’uld stronghold imploded was palpable, the force of the emotion almost sending Sam reeling.
She didn’t have much time left now before her counterpart would turn her attention to her.
A tiny pinprick of pale blue light was visible out of the corner of her eye and Sam instinctively pushed towards it, a wave of relief and joy washing over her when she reached it.
‘This is it!’
“What do you think you are doing?!” Replicarter’s voice echoed through the void. Opening her eyes, Sam could see her counterpart struggling to disengage her hand, but her struggles were in vain, her blue eyes wide as she stared back at her. “What is this? Release me!”
“Sorry,” Sam smiled sweetly. “I’m not done yet.” The information she had been searching for seemed to hover before her, glowing. “So this is what holds you guys together.”
“Sam, please…” Replicarter’s tone was pleading as she tried to pull away.
Ignoring her, Sam concentrated on the cipher, willing the lines of text to dissolve.
“You’re taller than I am.”
“Yes, O’Neill.” As this was the eleventh time Jack had made a remark of that sort, the note of impatience in Thor’s voice was not unjustified. He had anticipated that his appearance would surprise them and that it would provoke comment, but had expected that once he explained that he had been among the first of the Asgard to be given a new body, cloned from the repaired genetic template, their curiousity would be satisfied and they would accept the changes. He had not reckoned with Jack O’Neill, however.
“That’s just wrong!”
“I think it looks good on you, buddy.” Mitchell said approvingly. As Jack had said, Thor was now taller than the human men by several inches, his frame lean and muscular. He was pale-skinned and bald, with a slightly elongated face and, for the first time, he was wearing clothes; a dark grey tunic and what looked like black sandals. “So does the outfit.”
“Thank you, Major Mitchell.” Thor accepted the compliments graciously before returning his attention to the sensors. “I am detecting a Replicator vessel nearby.” He reported, frowning slightly, “there appears to have been a conflict with the Goa’uld.”
“That is the stronghold of Apophis and Heru’ur.” Bra’tac announced, recognizing the coordinates.
Thor nodded confirmation. “I will adjust our course to intercept.”
As Thor’s vessel, named the Mayuya in honour of the man who had given the Asgard a new chance at survival, was so much faster than Bra’tac’s mothership, SGs 1 and 3, along with Bra’tac and the Jaffa, had been brought onboard, while the mothership remained on the K’Tau homeworld.
An alarm chirruped at Thor’s elbow and he glanced down, frowning. “Sensors are detecting two Replicator vessels approaching our position, weapons charged.” He reported, activating the viewscreen. “I am raising shields. Brace for impact.”
The shots never came.
“What the Hell?!” Jack exclaimed, watching in disbelief as the Replicator ships fell apart – literally. One moment they were pointed at the Mayuya, ready to fire, and the next they were breaking down, crumbling, with individual blocks scattering.
“If my sensor readings are correct, the Replicator vessels have disintegrated.” Thor said, as puzzled as they were by what he was seeing. “The bonds between the individual blocks have been severed. I do not know how.” He added, anticipating the question.
“Are you guys thinking what I’m thinking?” Jack asked, looking around at the rest of the team, hoping that he was right.
“I believe so, O’Neill.” Teal’c responded gravely.
“You don’t think that… Sam… could she have…” Daniel gave up on the idea of getting out a complete sentence and just stood there, staring.
“No way!” Although he was well aware of the fact that he was probably sporting the world’s goofiest grin, Mitchell couldn’t bring himself to care.
“Cool!” One of his Marines exclaimed, impressed. The other two gaped at the display, unable to believe their eyes.
The alarm chirruped a second time. Glancing over Thor’s shoulder at the display, Jack could see what looked like a small grey sphere moving towards the ship.
“What the Hell is that?” He demanded.
“I am unsure,” Thor responded, scanning the approaching object. The closest description he could come up with was ‘escape pod’, but he couldn’t think why the Replicators would need one of those, unless… his mouth curved upwards in a smile. “I am picking up a single life sign on board. Before any of them could even ask, he initialized transport and, seconds later, Samantha Carter materialized in front of them.
“That was fun!” She announced, smiling broadly.
Relieved and overjoyed to see her standing there, alive and unharmed, Jack strode forward, gently placing a hand on either side of her head and pulling her forward to kiss her, her arms moving around his waist and neck. The rest of the galaxy seemed to slip away, leaving just the two of them behind.
“Uh, sir…” One of Mitchell’s Marines spoke up reluctantly after several seconds passed without either of them breaking off the kiss. “Are they allowed to do that?”
“Do what?” Mitchell asked in as casual a tone as he could manage. “I don’t see anything – and neither do you.” He added pointedly, glaring at each member of his team in turn for emphasis. “Right?”
“Yes, sir.” They chorused.
“Good.”
“O’Neill,” Teal’c’s grin was broader than any of them had ever seen it, “perhaps you and Major Carter ought to get a room.”
They didn’t even hear him.