Third Time’s The Charm
By Rocza
Email: roczadeb@yahoo.com
Story Status: Complete
Sequel Information: None
Series Information: None
Season: Continuum/Future
Spoilers: 0819 Moebius, 0901 Avalon, 0903 Origin, 0907 Ex Deus Machina, 1004 Insiders, 1019 Dominion, Continuum
Categories: AU, Action/Adventure
Crossover: None
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Characters: Jack, Sam, Daniel, Teal’c, Cam, Original character
Content Level: PG-13
Content Warning: Strong Language
Summary: Continuum Spoilers---SG-1 returns from their mission to ancient Egypt to find that the timeline isn’t fixed…yet.
Archive Permissions: The story is the property of the author and may not be posted without the author’s consent. Any who want it are welcome. Just give me credit.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions; not me. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement intended.
Author’s Notes: Continuum plot bunny. What if the team from ancient Egypt came back to make sure the future was fixed, only to find it messed up again?
--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG
---ANCIENT EGYPT (approx 3000 BC)---
“Alright, Daniel. That should be the last of it,” Colonel Jack O’Neill, retired, called as he secured the last of the supplies inside the Gateship.
The new Jack, Sam, and Teal’c had been here for three months. But the Dr. Daniel Jackson, from the original SG-1, had insisted on overseeing the placement of the coverstones himself. Dr. Samantha Carter had insisted that Daniel leave with them to ensure that they didn’t cause further damage to the timeline.
All four of them wanted to make sure that everything was put back exactly as it should have been. If not, they weren’t willing to put another version of themselves at risk to fix it. But with a Gateship/time machine at their disposal, it was unlikely that they would need to risk more people.
Not that Jack had anything better to be doing. Being retired had its perks. But not many were as confusing as one Dr. Samantha Carter, now Carter-O’Neill. Jack grinned at that thought. Having discovered the hottest babe in the galaxy and having nothing better to do, with the revolution against Ra a resounding success, Jack set his sights on the shy woman.
What he had discovered had surprised him. Dr Carter was a brilliant, beautiful woman with a backbone of steel under her frumpy exterior. Push her, and she turned into a hellcat.
After they had kissed in the Gateship during the start of the revolution, Jack had pursued the woman relentlessly. But the good doctor had been firm, no action without commitment. So, Jack committed that day, dragging her, giggling, in-front of a stunned Daniel and insisting that they be married right away.
That night he had made love to his wife for the first time. Hot didn’t even begin to describe her. She had quickly become his everything. So what Sammie wanted, Jack made sure she got. And his Sammie wanted the timeline restored, so he was doing his damnedest to ensure it happened.
“I am ready to depart, O’Neill,” Teal’c stated as he approached, once again in his full serpent guard armor.
“Cool. Go ahead and saddle up, big guy,” Jack said with a grin.
Teal’c returned Jack’s smile with a slight bow of his head and he made himself comfortable in one of the jump seats in the front of the small Gateship.
The Jaffa had felt out of place among the humans. While he had joined their mismatched band on the hope that his people would be free in the new timeline, he had never felt truly comfortable with them. Jack just hoped that the future was kinder to the big guy. Regardless, Jack had made sure that the others included the lonely Jaffa in their plans and celebrations.
Jack scanned the crowd that had come to see them off. His wife was talking animatedly with one of the local women. She finally gave a squeal and wrapped the woman in a tight hug. The woman returned the hug with a huge smile. Sammie let her go and then reluctantly turned away to return to the Gateship.
Seeing her tears, Jack wrapped her in a hug, “It’s okay, Sammie. You ready?”
“Heck, yeah,” she replied, smiling through her tears. “Is Daniel on board yet?”
“Nope, but I expect it’ll take him longer. He was stuck here for five years, ya know,” Jack replied, kissing her cheek. “Hurry up, or he’ll take shotgun.”
Sammie giggled and kissed him as she passed. She hurried forward taking the second seat of the small Gateship and smiling shyly at Teal’c. Jack had to drag his eyes off her and back to the crowd to find the wayward archeologist.
Finally, Daniel appeared from the crowd of well wishers. He spoke softly in ancient Egyptian and then turned and hurried past Jack into the ship. Jack’s eyes followed him as he took the seat opposite from Teal’c, shaking out his dusty robes.
“Okay…” Jack said as he turned back to the crowd. He gave them one last jaunty wave and hit the control to close the back door. Once the hatch was secure, he breathed a sigh of relief. He sauntered up to the front and took his place in the pilot’s seat. “Alright, let’s blow this popsicle stand.”
Jack activated the little ship and grasped the flight controls with grin. The small ship rose smoothly into the air. Sammie was practically bouncing in her seat giggling with excitement. Jack kept sending her sly glances, enjoying her excitement almost as much as she was. Then struck by a bit of whimsy, Jack started humming the theme to Gilligan’s Island.
Once they reached orbit, Jack looked back at Daniel. “Ready?”
Daniel sat slumped in his seat, not sharing in the excitement of these reincarnations of his teammates. He had gotten used to the changes, but he still missed his friends, dead these last five years. “You remember what year, right?”
“Pi-shaw…2009, here we come…” Jack replied with a light heart. The ship pulsed and flashed around them.
--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG
---EARTH ORBIT (2009 AD)---
All four leaned forward to examine the planet below them. The dark side of Earth now showed spots of light against the darkness.
“Yes! Electricity!” Jack exclaimed happily.
“Wait!” Daniel shouted above the others to be heard, “We don’t know if the timeline is fixed. Contact the SGC. Remember what we talked about. We only want to talk to General O’Neill or SG-1. And for God’s sake don’t tell them who you are.”
Sammie turned to Daniel in concern, “You really don’t think that we did it, do you?”
Daniel let out a resigned sighed, “I’ve waited too long to get my hopes up now.”
“Alright, quiet,” Jack cautioned, then activated the communications link. “Stargate Command, this is Gateship 1 over.” They waited quietly for a response. Jack frowned at Daniel when no reply was forth coming, “Repeat, Stargate Command, this Gateship 1, do you read, over.”
Finally, the radio crackled to life, “Gateship 1 this is NORAD, we read you. Please identify yourselves and state your location.”
“Oh, crap!” Jack replied softly before turning to Daniel. “What now?”
Daniel sighed, “We figure out what went wrong and when and we fix it,” he said tiredly.
“Right,” Jack turned back to the radio. “Sorry, NORAD. We must have the wrong number. Gateship 1 out.” He terminated the radio connection and cloaked the ship.
“Hey,” Sammie exclaimed suddenly, “Can this ship find specific life signs? I mean, we need to know where we are in this timeline. Maybe our counterparts can help us figure out what went wrong.” She glanced at her three companions questioning.
Jack just shrugged and grabbed the controls to the ship, before long a map popped up on the overhead display, showing four dots. Sammie leaned in and hit the one in Egypt, “Daniel…” Next, she hit the one in Seattle, “Me…” then she hit the one in Colorado Springs, “Jack…” she grinned at her husband. Then hit the final dot, “Daniel? Well, that’s a bit unexpected. Why are there two of you Daniel?” she turned back to him.
“I… I don’t know,” Daniel replied in shock.
“Well,” Jack started, “It looks to me like that would be a good place to start. So, which one, Daniel? Egypt or Chicago?”
Daniel considered the question, “In the other alternate realities, I was either dead or in Egypt. So, let’s go to Chicago,” he reasoned.
“Your wish is my command,” Jack quipped as he resumed control of the ship and guided it towards Chicago, zeroing in on the little dot. Before long, he had landed the small ship on the roof of an apartment building.
“Alright, I’m going to assume that seeing yourself will be a shock, so Daniel, you should probably stay back here with the ship. Teal’c and I will go in and secure the area. Then you and Sammie can then come in and explain all the mumbo jumbo. Hopefully, we’ll get some kind of idea just what the hell went wrong. Otherwise,” he said with a shrug, “we got three more blips to talk to.” Jack turned back, examining the map on the screen. “I just wish I could take this thing with me,” he said tapping the screen.
A slight pop broke the silence following his statement. Jack turned to find a small portable device sticking out of the wall. He took it out and had two seconds to see a small version of the map with the little dot still in place, when Sammie snatched it from his hands and immediately began playing with the controls. “Hey,” he complained, trying to sound offended.
“Oh, wow. This is absolutely…wow…It’s a miniature map and it can also list out other people…wait…other life signs…see this one. That’s a dog…This is…wow…” Sammie was deeply sucked into the new technology.
Jack plucked it back out of her hands with a grin, “Later, Snookums. Right now, I need to use it to find our target.”
“Oh,” she sighed, disappointed, “right.”
Jack and Teal’c exited the small ship and cleared the rooftop. He used his radio to let Sammie and Daniel know that roof was clear and headed down into the building. It was only when they received several odd looks from the tenants they passed that Jack realized that Teal’c was still in his Jaffa armor.
“Remind me to get you some normal clothes,” he told the Jaffa.
“These clothes are normal, O’Neill,” Teal’c replied.
“Yeah, but not on Earth. Don’t get me wrong, you look good. Just…different,” he finished with a wave of his hand.
“Indeed,” Teal’c nodded, understanding the logic, the need to blend in with these humans, for the time being. “Very well.”
Before long, they had made their way down the floors to the apartment and were suddenly, standing outside the door, Jack felt weird. He opened the zat'nik'katel and tucked the weapon behind his back. Teal’c nodded at him and took position guarding his back, out of sight of the doorway. Then Jack knocked on the door.
He wasn’t sure what he expected, but after a muffled, “Just a minute,” the door opened to reveal the face of the man he had come to know well in the last few months. Dr. Daniel Jackson with one significant difference. This Dr. Jackson was missing the lower half of his right leg.
Shock momentarily took away his speech and Jack could only stare at the man.
“Jack?” the new Daniel asked in a hesitant, hopeful voice.
“Ah, yeah. Dr Jackson,” Jack finally forced out. He was confused as he watched the man’s face fall in disappointment. “I…ah…can we talk?”
The new Daniel sent him a bitter, fake smile, “Sure, whatever you want, Colonel.” Jack watched him as he limped deeper into the apartment.
Jack motioned to Teal’c and followed the new Daniel into his apartment. After a quick scan, he found that the small, one bedroom apartment was mostly empty and that Daniel was the only occupant. He winced in sympathy as the new Daniel winced in pain as he sat down in an easy chair and then let out a soft moan in relief. Jack noted how this Daniel avoided looking at him, keeping his head down. Daniel Two didn’t even notice Teal’c enter after him. Not exactly a good sign.
Once, Daniel Two was comfortable, he finally glanced up, “What…” Daniel Two froze in place as he spotted Teal’c. “Oh my God...Teal’c. Is it really you?” the longing apparent in his voice.
“Indeed, Daniel Jackson, I am Teal’c of Chulak,” Teal’c replied formally.
“I...” Daniel Two stared at them, studying their faces intently. Jack watched and saw the moment that this new Daniel finally realized that they were not HIS Jack and Teal’c. “Who are you?”
Jack took that as his cue, “Colonel Jack O’Neill, retired. Recently reactivated and sent back in time to fix the timeline. Apparently, we fucked it up again.”
“Again?” Daniel asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, you…I mean the other you…sent a message about what should be the right timeline, but it didn’t…doesn’t match …” Jack started.
“Indeed, I was shown this tape. It stated that the Jaffa were free. Yet they were not. I joined O’Neill to ensure this future happens,” Teal’c added, solemnly.
“Look, let me get Sammie in here. She is so much better at explaining these things than me,” Jack stated. He sighed and pulled out the zat'nik'katel from behind his back and closed it. Daniel Two just smiled and waited. “Sammie, we’re clear. Come on in.”
Within a few moments, a soft knock at the door revealed his wife and the first Daniel. “Hey guys. You’ll never guess who we met?”
“Ja-ack. Stop goofing off,” Sammie giggled as she reached up and kissed him. “I was worried.”
“It was nothing,” Jack stated, as he grabbed his wife in a hug. “You guessed right, Daniel.”
Daniel One smiled at him and headed for his counterpart, only to freeze at the sight of himself minus one leg. “Whoa,” he stated sadly.
“Oh my…Daniel…You poor thing,” Sammie said and ran over to give the new Daniel a hug.
Daniel Two wiped the quiet tears away from his eyes as the woman, who was so familiar and so different, released him, “Wow…When…ahem…when did you guys leave the timeline?” He asked, trying to regain some emotional control. He had felt so alone and now his friends, sort of, were back and asking him for help.
Daniel One spoke up first, “2005.”
Jack replied, “2007. It took us awhile to get the Stargate working like before.”
Daniel Two looked at the two confused, “Then why come back now? Wouldn’t it have been better to come back in 2005?”
Sammie grinned, “Yeah…well, we talked about it and decided that we didn’t want to accidentally screw up the time line by arriving before we left, so to speak. So, we padded the time by a few years.” She glanced at her companions, “So, how come you know us? And why are there two of you in this timeline?” she asked, squatting next to him, taking his hand in hers.
Daniel Two immediately took on a pained look, “I’m…I’m not originally from this timeline.” He sighed and seemed to brace himself, “We went to Ba’al’s execution…Something happened and…people started to disappear. First Vala, then Teal’c,” he looked over to his friend sadly. “Then Ba’al broke free of his bonds and killed Jack…” he eyed the new Jack closely, looking for his dead friend.
“Cam, Sam, and I ran for the gate…” his eyes clouded, picturing those last minutes, reliving the pain and adrenalin. “We made it just as the Tok’ra city disappeared. But when we came out the other side, we were in the Arctic…The Stargate never made it to the US in this timeline…We…We were rescued by none other than Colonel Jack O’Neill,” Daniel said quietly, refusing to look at the others.
“They interrogated us for weeks…making us relive every mission…every difference in the timeline. Eventually, they let us go, with orders to stay away from each other and anything to do with our former lives…” tears were freely flowing down his eyes. “And so…here I am.”
“It’s okay, Daniel,” Sammie whispered, hugging him tightly.
Daniel One watched and finally stated, “So what happened? What changed?”
Daniel Two looked up and a flash of pure hatred flared in his eyes, “Ba’al,” he spat. “Ba’al went back in time and changed our future.”
“Wait,” Jack said, holding up a hand, “Didn’t you just say you went to this guy’s execution?”
Daniel Two looked confused, “Oh, yeah. That was after Jack got promoted. You guys left before…” he looked thoughtful.
“Before…what?” Jack pushed impatiently.
Daniel Two chuckled, “Patience, Jack…We won the war. Defeated the goa’uld system lords. Wiped out the replicators. Jack was promoted to Major General and transferred to DC. Sam was transferred to Nevada. I was on my way to Atlantis. And Teal’c…” Daniel Two smiled at the Jaffa, “Teal’c went to Dakara to help form the new Free Jaffa Nation.”
“But then Vala arrived and we discovered the Ori…They took the whole ‘god’ thing to a new level…Ba’al was one of the last system lords to escape…Turns out that he had escaped to Earth. He used the months that he hid here on Earth to duplicate the Asgard cloning technology and made copies of himself,” Daniel Two paused, looking at the others.
Daniel One frowned, “That couldn’t have been good.”
“Ah…no. But we found out later that he implanted each of the clones with a tracking device…Apparently, he didn’t even trust himself. He eventually had us hunt down some of his clones. He killed off others himself. Eventually, there was only one left. That was the one we were executing that fateful day. And the last clone told us about Ba’al’s failsafe.” He looked sad, “Of course, we didn’t believe him. Then Teal’c disappeared right before our eyes and Ba’al laughed saying that it was already too late.”
Daniel One looked thoughtful, “But you know when he changed the timeline?”
Daniel Two looked bitter, “Yeah. In 1939 the Achilles left port with the Stargate on board. It never arrived. Fat lot of good it does us though. We are being watched, if we break our restrictions…try to change the timeline…they will throw us in prison…”
Daniel One looked confused, “How can they stop us?”
Daniel Two frowned, “By making sure we are never…EVER…able to get close to the Stargate again.”
Jack grinned, “Who needs a Stargate…when you have a time-traveling Gateship?”
Realization slowly dawned. Daniel Two slowly changed his frown to an evil grin, “There is that.” Then he painfully stood up, “So what are we waiting for…let’s go get the rest of my team.”
Daniel Two grabbed a few items and tossed them into a bag before limping towards the group waiting at the door. With a final grin, he locked the door and followed the others to the roof.
--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG
---SEATTLE (2009 AD)---
Colonel Samantha Carter, aka Elizabeth Hobbs, was following her normal routine. She went from work directly to an internet café for a short break and then home to an empty apartment. She found that life was easier to bear if she pretended that she was infiltrating hostile territory, which wasn’t too far from the truth.
Nothing they said or did could make her FEEL like a civilian. In her mind, she was a Colonel in the US Air Force. She had fought, bled, and died serving her country and her planet. She sure as hell wasn’t about to give up just because some trumped up moron didn’t know how dangerous the goa’uld were.
One thing she was absolutely sure of, Ba’al would come and destroy Earth. Nothing would stop him from seeking his revenge. But Ba’al was always smart enough to play the long game. Fifty years was a short time to wait for all the players to be in place and Ba’al had time on his side.
So, Sam kept up her instincts and conducted her research. She had narrowed down the date that Ba’al had corrupted the timeline to a two day window. Now, all she had to do was determine exactly where the ship was in the North Atlantic and she would have the last bit of information needed to complete her mission.
Ba’al would not win this game. She wouldn’t allow it.
A suspicious movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Sam slowly turned in that direction. She had often caught her observers watching her. They didn’t try to hide too well. She figured that they were only mildly interested in the crazy woman who looked like a dead astronaut.
Sam’s breath caught in her throat. The large black man looked out of place at the Internet Café as he disdainfully picked his way through the crowded room. His clothes didn’t seem to fit his large frame well and the bandana around his head made him standout more.
“Teal’c,” she whispered to herself. Then shook herself, Teal’c in this timeline was still in the service of Apophis. Not on Earth. But she couldn’t help but stare at the man, so similar to her close friend, as he made his way to her.
Not Teal’c bowed his head at her, “Colonel Carter, if you would please accompany me to the roof of this establishment.”
Sam shook herself free from her shock at seeing her dear friend. No, not her friend. Her eyes narrowed. Something was different about him. He was so closed off and stiff. “No,” she replied, coolly.
Not Teal’c raised his eyebrow, “I cannot explain my presence in this place. I swear that I mean you no harm.”
“And I would accept that from the Teal’c who was my friend. His honor was his life. But I don’t know you. For all I know, you work for Ba’al,” she stated.
“I understand your mistrust. I hope that I may prove to be as honorable as the man you remember. How may I prove my loyalty to you?” the Jaffa asked as he calmly stood before her.
Sam quirked an eyebrow at him. So, he didn’t claim to be HER Teal’c. Interesting… “Swear on your father’s honor and on the life of your son.”
Teal’c gave her a deep bow, carefully placing his fist over his heart, “I swear on the eternal honor of my father’s spirit that I do not follow any false gods. I swear on the continuing life of my son that you will not come to harm as long as you are in my presence.” He stayed bowed, waiting for Sam to accept his oath.
Sam was stunned. She hadn’t actually expected him to swear a formal oath. From what she knew of Jaffa, a formal oath was the strongest bond a Jaffa could make. Regardless, of his allegiance, Teal’c would honor his oath. To death if needed.
“Okay,” she said. “I accept your oath…Now, lead the way.”
Teal’c rose from the bow and tilted his head for her to follow, “Are you concerned about those who keep you under observation?”
Sam snorted, “Not. They are pathetic and easy to lose. Mostly, I ignore them.”
“We do not want to alarm them, until after we have secured Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell. Doctor Daniel Jackson is already in our care,” Teal’c relayed.
Sam considered, “You need me on the roof?”
“Yes.”
“Give me 15 minutes and I’ll meet you there,” Sam stated, blandly.
Sam wasn’t sure she wanted to make it to this meeting, but something told her to trust this version of Teal’c. She could easily lose her watchers and make it to the roof with time to spare. Then she could see if she was walking into a trap or not.
“As you wish,” Teal’c replied and then slowly made his way back out of the café.
Sam watched him work his way to the street and then disappear in the crowd. She shut down her computer and packed her things. Soon, with a wink at her watchers, she was out the back door and around the block. Before her watchers could catch up she had entered and exited a nearby bookstore. She smiled as her followers franticly searched the street. Then she made her way to the roof of the bookstore.
Once on the roof, she eased across the rooftop over to the side that bordered the internet café’s roof. At first glance, she didn’t see anything. So, she set herself up in a better position and waited. Within a minute, she could see Teal’c exit the rooftop doorway and make his way over to her side of the roof. But then he disappeared.
Sam waited. Soon two more figures, definitely not Teal’c just appeared near where Teal’c had disappeared. Sam figured that the Jaffa had brought a cloaked cargo ship and landed it on the roof.
Sam grinned. She no longer depended on Teal’c’s loyalty. With a cloaked cargo ship, she could pick up her friends and continue her fight. Take it across the galaxy.
Sam focused on the two new figures, a man and a woman that she couldn’t quite see clearly. She ducked down as the couple approached her side of the roof. She could just make out their conversation less than 10 feet away.
“I swear, baby. I don’t care how kick-ass or hot she is. I married you,” the man’s deep voice cajoled. “My wife is a gorgeous rocket scientist. What more could a man want?” Something about his voice was familiar. Sam knew that voice. But she couldn’t quiet place it.
“But…” the woman’s voice broke in a feminine whine.
“No, buts, Snookums,” the male voice interrupted soothingly, “Come here.”
Sam froze. She recognized that voice. No, it can’t be. The Colonel O’Neill of this timeline hated them and the threat they represented to his son. She risked a glance over the separating wall just in time to see Jack O’Neill kiss the frumpy woman.
Sam ducked back down. Shit! What the hell is going on?
Sam considered her options. She wanted…no, needed that cargo ship. So, if this was a trap, the best way to get close to the ship was to spring the trap. Sam took a deep breath and glanced back over the wall. Jack and the frumpy woman were walking back towards the cargo ship, hand in hand. It made her want to gag. What could he possibly see in that… She couldn’t even think of an adequate word to describe her.
Sam took her chance and scrambled over the short wall that separated the two rooftops. Once down, she circled around the roof until she was near the entrance to the cargo ship.
“Welcome, Colonel Carter,” Teal’c’s deep voice interrupted her slow, stealthy progress. Busted!
Sam stood up and with a nonchalant head shake raised her hands to show that she didn’t have a weapon…at least, not in her hands. She continued forward until she could see the large Jaffa warrior.
Teal’c stood next to the ship’s entrance but instead of a cargo ship, she saw the inside of a cloaked Jumper.
“Hey, Sam,” Daniel’s quiet voice interrupted her quick study of the ships interior. She only had time to recognize the time dilatation device before she whipped around to see Daniel. Her Daniel. Limping over towards her using a cane.
“Daniel?” Sam gasped. Daniel’s bright smile contrasted with his thin frame and gaunt features. She eyed him closely, noting the signs of stress and exhaustion.
“Yeah,” he replied.
Sam closed the distance and wrapped him in big hug. “Oh, Daniel, I’ve missed you so much.”
He chuckled, “Yeah, I got that. So, you ready to go?”
Sam let him go and eyed the strange Teal’c, “Where exactly are we going?”
Daniel smiled, “To pick up Cameron, then we can figure out how to fix this mess.”
Teal’c strode by them and entered into the small Jumper. She could see several other people in the front, but not clearly. “Who else?” she asked suspiciously.
Daniel gave her a huge grin, “Me, you, Teal’c, and Jack.” Then his grin turned sad, “I know they are not our Teal’c and Jack, but they are pretty nice…Different…WAY different, but nice. Come on.”
Sam followed his halting steps into the Jumper and once there stood in shock at the sight of another Sam Carter seated in the co-pilot seat. That whiney woman had been a Carter? Holy Hannah!
“Colonel Samantha Carter, I’d like to introduce you to Colonel Jack O’Neill…” her Daniel started.
“Retired!” Jack interrupted.
Her Daniel smiled and amended his statement, “Retired. Teal’c of Chulak. Dr. Samantha Carter-O’Neill,” her counterpart gave her a shy smile and a nervous wave. “…and Dr. Daniel Jackson.”
“The first,” the new Daniel added.
“How…?” Sam asked, unable to properly form words. She knew that Daniel already existed in this timeline. That made three Daniels by her count.
Her Daniel grinned, “ZPM, Time Travel, Fishing…”
Sam immediately remembered the weird tape and the gift wrapped ZPM. “But, I thought that was SG-1. You know, General O’Neill, LtCol Carter, etc…”
The new Daniel looked down and away from her, “Yeah. It was,” he said softly.
Jack piped up, “Yeah, about that. Danny One over here told us that the Gateship was lost to Ra and they got stuck in Egypt. But that messed up the timeline, so Hammond pulled us together and sent us after Teal’c, but things got a bit harry…Next, thing ya know…poof… we’re back with the old Daniel trying to make sure the revolt goes according to plan. We cleaned up the mess from the rebellion and THEN…popped into this little gem of a timeline.”
“What happened to the others?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
Jack winced, “Well, our Danny got one of those...things in his head and Teal’c had to kill him.”
“...and the rest of SG-1 were executed by Ra for inciting the rebellion,” the new Daniel finished.
“So,” Jack stated suddenly, obviously trying to change the subject, “where do we find this Mitchell fella?”
Sam couldn’t help but smile, “Kansas City. I have his cell number if we need to pinpoint his location.”
“Ya,” Jack’s strong Minnesota accent showing, “Ya do that. I just hope the goons on this rock don’t miss ya right away or we’ll have to bust ‘im out.”
Sam sat back in one of the bench seats and called a phone number that she had programmed into her cell, but had never had the opportunity to call. She waited as Jack quickly guided the small ship into orbit and back down towards the mid-west United States. Once he was hovering over Kansas City, Sam dialed the number.
“Y’ello,” Cam answered on the first ring.
“Hey, Cam. Where are you at?” Sam asked, knowing that their phones were monitored by the government.
“SAM?! I thought you weren’t supposed to call? What do you mean where am I? Stuck in Kansas City. Where else?” Cam’s voice rambled.
Sam smiled, “I mean where EXACTLY are you in the city?”
“Ahh...” Sam could picture Cam looking around for a street sign. “...passing the corner of 8th and Main. I’m driving. I could meet you.”
Sam looked up at Jack and suddenly found a huge map spread out in front of them. With a small dot moving along one path. “Can you head back the other direction? Towards the park on the west end of 8th?”
“Yeah, sure. Just give me a few minutes to get there,” Cam replied quickly.
Sam pointed out the park at the end of the street and Jack nodded deftly maneuvering the small ship over the city.
“Alright, I’m almost there. Where do you want to meet?” Cam asked as the dot slowed and finally stopped at the edge of the park.
Sam grinned at Jack as he maneuvered the ship right over the young man looking around talking on the cell phone. “Right where you’re at is good.”
Jack quickly landed the ship and Daniel limped back to open the hatch. Once the door was open, Daniel grinned at a stunned Cam he stared at the back of the Jumper. “Nice ride, Daniel,” Cam exclaimed as he shut his phone and strode towards the small space craft.
“Yeah, it comes in handy now and again,” Daniel replied, casually leaning on his cane.
Sam walked up and tossed her cell phone out the back of the ship,” Hey, Cam.”
Cam eyed her actions then nodded and tossed his cell over his shoulder as well. “So, is it time to save the world yet?”
“You could say that,” Jack asked from his position in the ship. “Ya wanna get comfortable, please. I so don’t wanna get stuck here.”
“General O’Neill, Sir?” Cam asked immediately coming to attention.
“Not. Colonel. Retired. Long story. Let’s go,” Jack whirled around and settled back into the pilot’s chair. The small ship jumped into the air and sped off. “So, folks, I don’t know about you, but I haven’t had a shower in months. What say we move this circus to someplace with plumbing?”
Sammie squealed, “Oh, please. And clean clothes...and real food. She turned to Teal’c,” You haven’t lived until you had chocolate cake. Talk about food of the gods...”
“Indeed. This is the confection that you and O’Neill have discussed often, yet have never been able to reproduce,” Teal’c stated with quiet dignity.
Hearing Teal’c’s voice, Cam came forward and gazed in wonder at the second Daniel, this one with both legs, another Sam Carter, and an oddly formal Teal’c. “Wow, I can’t believe it.”
Jack set the ship down in a forested area, “Alright, Campers. I set us down about half a mile from a truck stop. Showers, my sweet,” Jack cooed at Sammie, “Food, including the delectable chocolate cake, big guy. So, out with you all,” Jack stood up and shooed the group out the back of the ship. “And don’t forget where we parked!”
--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG
---HIGHWAY 101, CALIFORNIA (2009 AD)---
Several hours later, showered, shaved, and full of ‘real’ food. The group made their weary way back to the Gateship. They had determined a time and a location for their next time jump, but they needed to rest before they attempted it. No one wanted to face, Ba’al at anything less then their best. Colonel Carter, Colonel Mitchell, Daniel Two were adamant that he would be difficult to take down.
Jack’s attention was drawn by the two Daniels and Colonel Carter whispering fiercely as they lagged behind the rest of the group. Curious, he drew closer to find out what was going on.
“Damn it, Sam. I can’t leave without at least giving him the option,” Daniel Two stated fiercely.
“But Daniel...we can’t...” Sam replied, “Damn it. This just makes things way more complicated. We have to complete the mission.”
“And we will, Sam,” Daniel One soothed. “But could you really debrief him with this news and the knowledge that you didn’t try to save him. I can’t.”
“And neither can I,” Daniel Two seconded.
Jack decided to interrupt the argument. This op was dangerous enough without adding new and dangerous variables, “Hey, kids. Wha’cha doing?”
Sam jumped at his voice, confirming his suspicion, “Colonel!”
“Jack,” he corrected.
Sam winced, “Jack,” she said guiltily.
“So…” he continued, looking at him expectantly.
“So, Jack,” Daniel Two started. “You’ll never guess who else is in this timeline.”
“DANIEL!” Sam hissed.
“He has a right to know, Sam,” Daniel One replied. “And you know it.”
Jack stared at the three with a confused frown, “Is this about the other me? ‘Cause I already know that I’m still kicking in this timeline.”
“No,” Daniel Two answered, “Well…not really…sort of.” He gave a deep sigh and then plowed right in, “Charlie is alive in this timeline.”
Jack gave a small huff and tried to misunderstand. He looked back at Daniel Two, “What?”
The Daniels exchanged a look before Daniel Two tried again, “Your son, Charlie, never died here.”
“Oh…” Jack replied softly with a blank face. Jack felt numb. He couldn’t feel anything. He didn’t want to. The Jack in this timeline did what he couldn’t do. He had protected his son. He had lived to see his son grow into a man. Jack wasn’t sure that he wanted to face this particular failure of his again.
“Do you know what this means, Jack?” Daniel Two pressed. “It means we can save him.”
Shit! Jack hadn’t thought of that. And for half a second he was tempted to steal away the young man that his son would have grown into. To have his son back. But this wasn’t his Charlie. Jack had already blown his chance. No matter how much he wanted…needed his son, he couldn’t take him away from his father, the man who had succeeded in saving his son from a quick and painful death. Because, no matter how much he wanted it otherwise, his Charlie was dead and nothing could change that.
“DAMN IT, DANIEL. He’s already been saved. You…You can’t take him from his father. You don’t have that right,” Jack fumed. He may not be this Charlie’s dad, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to put another version of himself through this kind of hell.
“Listen to me, Jack. When we change the timeline, he won’t exist anymore. And I can’t…I don’t…I wouldn’t be able to face you, in any timeline. And…I couldn’t live with myself, if I didn’t at least try to save him. You know?” Daniel Two tried to explain.
Yeah, boy did he know that feeling. Jack sighed and ran a hand over his face and hair, before turning back to Daniel Two, “I won’t let you kidnap him.”
“I…we don’t want to kidnap him. We just…wanted to give him the option to come with us,” Daniel One stated. “His choice.”
“Yeah…Well, what about his father?” he asked angrily. “’Cause I know how I would feel about the whole thing.”
“He can come with us too,” Daniel One piped in. “I mean, what’s one more double in the wrong timeline, right?”
Sam interrupted Daniel One, “You didn’t see him, Daniel. He hates us. He thinks we’re nuts. He…He didn’t want anything to do with us. He won’t come voluntarily.”
Daniel Two snorted in agreement, “Oh, he probably would have come around, eventually, if I hadn’t told him his son was dead. That was sort of the deal breaker.”
“Ya think?” Jack snarked, angrily. “I think that this ‘discussion’ should be with the whole group. If ya wanna risk the mission by adding people, everyone deserves to throw in their two cents worth.” With that, Jack spun on his heel and strode off towards the Gateship.
Jack was pissed. How could they even consider tossing Charlie into this mess? They were about to go fight the big bad Ba’al and fix the timeline…again. Charlie was better off staying right here. Safe and…non-existent.
Jack passed the Gateship and disappeared into the surrounding trees. Could he leave Charlie? Let him just disappear with the rest of this timeline? He had to admit that some part of him felt good that Charlie…any version of Charlie…was alive and well…somewhere.
Jack found a stump and sank down trying to let go of the anguish he felt. He was torn in both directions. He was so wrapped up in his own pain that he didn’t hear the soft footsteps behind him.
“Jack?” Sammie asked quietly.
Jack turned towards her, his eyes burning with unshed tears. “Yeah?” he choked, trying to blink the tears away.
She looked at him closely before wrapping her arms around him and whispering, “Come here, baby.”
Jack felt her hold him tight and then he finally let go of the pain. He grabbed on to his wife like a lifeline and let his grief go. Letting the silent sobs join his silent tears as he grieved for his long lost son and the young man that he never became.
Later that evening, after Jack and Sammie rejoined the group, they discussed the side mission. Everyone was for giving Charlie and Jack O’Neill the option of joining them. They discussed their options and then formalized their plan. They would go first thing in the morning and regardless of Charlie’s choice, they would leave from the O’Neill residence to go back in time.
--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG
---COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO (2009 AD)---
Colonel Jack O’Neill had always been an early riser. He was usually up and about well before his alarm clock decided to sound off and today was no different.
Jack walked out onto the porch and grabbed his newspaper. He was perusing the front page when he heard a high pitched whine, like an engine but not. He scanned the street and the sky trying to determine the source of the sound when it suddenly stopped.
Okay, that was weird. He shrugged and turned tucking the paper under his arm. He was about to close the door when movement caught his eye.
A tall black man walked up to his porch from his driveway. Jack examined the man closely. The guy was definitely military. He moved too smoothly, an economy of movement.
“Can I help you?” Jack asked warily, still half hidden behind the front door.
The man gave him a short bow with his head, “Colonel O’Neill, I am sorry.”
Jack was more confused than ever, “For what?”
Just then another face popped around the door frame, “For this.” Jack had just enough time to register the shock of seeing his own face before he was surrounding by blue light. His nerve endings were burning with intense pain and he blacked out.
Jack regained consciousness slowly. His whole body was tingling and going through a ‘pins and needles’ feeling. He tried to play possum, but someone must have been watching him because he soon heard movement and a soft, “He’s awake.”
Jack tried to think about enemies. Who would go to all the trouble to attack him in his own home? Shit! Charlie was still asleep in his room! Fucking hell!
Jack started to tug and pull on his bonds. Whoever had tied him up had done a pretty good job. The ropes simply tightened the more he struggled. Finally, he collected his anger and glared around the room. His eyes landed first on a blonde woman and his eyes widened in recognition. The dead astronaut from the Arctic. He glared for a moment before turning to the next face. Recognizing her companion, he moved to the next, the black man from the doorway. Then the next, the geek who lost his leg. Then…what the fuck? There are two of him…He turned to the last two, and froze in shock. The blonde woman also had a double, but this one looked…softer. She was leaning into a tall man who looked remarkably like himself. Eerily so.
WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? “Get the fuck out of my house,” he stated coolly, glaring at everyone.
“Ah, about that…can’t,” his doppelganger quipped.
The guy with one leg turned a heated glare at his double, “Jack, stop being an ass.”
His double threw an innocent face across the room, “He started it.”
The guy with one leg blew out a long suffering sigh and addressed Jack again, “Colonel, we didn’t come here to hurt you. We came here to ask Charlie a question.”
Jack started struggling in his bonds, “The HELL you say. You stay the fuck away from my son.” He continued to struggle and only ended up dumping his chair over.
His double quipped, “Told ya talking to him would be useless. Teal’c ya wanna quiet him down, please. Ah, watch the fingers. He bites.”
“As you wish, O’Neill,” the black man replied and approached the prone man. Despite his struggles, the big guy quickly righted the chair and secured a gag around his head. Jack finally stopped struggling, knowing it was useless. “We should awaken the young O’Neill,” the big guy stated once he was finished and Jack tried to show all his hate in his eyes as he glared at them.
“Yeah,” One leg’s double stated. “Jack, perhaps you should…”
“No,” his double replied, firmly.
“But Jack, he won’t recognize the rest of us,” the man pleaded.
“Daniel…I can’t…alright, I just can’t…” his double stated, leaning into the soft blonde. She hugged him back and whispered in his ear. His double sent a gentle smile her way. “I’ll be fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry.”
Jack watched the exchange closely. How in the hell did I get stuck in an episode of the twilight zone?
“I’ll do it,” the other guy said. He was the only one besides the black guy, Teal’c, without a double in the room.
“Thanks, Mitchell. I owe ya one,” his double said simply.
Jack glared at Mitchell as he left the livingroom. He felt a bit of smug satisfaction as the man flinched under his glare. Serves you right, bastard.
Unfortunately, he heard his son’s voice all too soon. He resigned himself to watching this ‘thing’ play out.
Charlie entered the livingroom with the Mitchell guy standing right behind him. Jack felt his chest swell with pride when Charlie took in the scene, freezing on the last step, before swallowing and continuing into the room, hiding his anxiety.
Charlie looked between Jack and his double and finally asked, “Dad?”
Jack was so focused on his son that he missed the gesture his double made in his direction. When Charlie’s eyes settled on him, taking in the ropes, Jack gave him a nod and tried to smile under the gag.
Charlie rushed over to him, “Dad, are you okay? What’s going on?” Charlie turned to the others in the room, anger overriding his fear, “What do you want with my dad?”
One leg Daniel cleared his throat, “We wanted…needed to ask you a question. We aren’t going to hurt you or your dad. Promise.”
Jack threw a quick glare across the room and hesitated when he spotted his double again. The man seemed frozen. Raw anguish and open longing stamped on his features as he stared openly at Charlie. The blonde at his side was whispering quietly in his ear. Finally, he shook off his pain and turned his eyes away from Charlie.
“Get on with it, Daniel,” his double choked out.
The two legged Daniel, started up next, “We don’t belong here…”
“No shit, Sherlock,” his son snarked in reply. Oddly, his son’s statements only made the group grin.
“Right…I meant we don’t belong in this timeline…” the guy tried again.
“Fuck, are you nuts? You’ve been watching a bit too much Sci-Fi? Get on with it already. Ask your damn question,” Charlie pushed. Jack grinned again, proud.
“Charlie,” his double said softly.
Charlie’s eyes snapped to his double.
“In order to ask the question, we have to make sure you know how your answer impacts you. How many duplicates do you see here in this room?” the Jack double never once raised his voice.
“Three. You, the ladies, and them,” Charlie answered quickly. “So what?”
“Yeah, well, I don’t pretend to understand it all, but we are all from four different timelines.” His double pointed out the two legged Daniel, “Dr Daniel Jackson is the sole survivor from the original timeline. They traveled back to ancient Egypt and got stuck. Sammie, Teal’c, and I lived completely different lives until the day we got a message from Daniel that changed our lives. We went back in time and fixed what they broke. My Daniel died in the process.”
His double looked over to the one-leg Daniel, “When we got back, the world wasn’t fixed. So we looked and found that this world had two more Daniels.” His double turned his eyes back to Charlie, “Turns out that Daniel, Colonel Carter and Colonel Mitchell were stranded here in your timeline. But this isn’t their home anymore than it is mine. Come to find out that some creepy bad guy went back in time and wiped out their reality. Doctor J, over there is from the third timeline, the fixed one. And YOUR Daniel is currently enjoying the deserts of modern Egypt.”
The other Jack sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair, “Am I making sense?”
Charlie examined the people in the room, “So there are four of you?” he asked the double.
“Yeah, sort of. Brigadier General Jack O’Neill went to ancient Egypt with the first Daniel. He was executed by Ra for inciting a rebellion. Then there’s me, Colonel Jack O’Neill, retired. I’ve been running a contract fishing boat for the last nine years. Jack number three was Major General Jack O’Neill. He was killed by that creepy bad guy just before the timeline changed. Your dad is number four,” his double stated simply.
Jack could feel Charlie’s excitement. His son was practically bouncing with the need to know more. Jack was afraid of what his son would ask next, because the one clear memory he had from that Arctic trip was of that Daniel informing him that his son had shot himself with Jack’s gun. Jack turned to his double and could see that same dread creeping into his eyes.
“What about me?” his son asked with bright curiosity.
Doppelganger Jack turned away, pain flashing on his face. One-leg Daniel answered for him, “You died in the other three timelines.”
Jack could sense his son go rigid in shock. He hated not being able to do anything, to say anything to protect his son from this. “How?” was Charlie’s quiet question.
“It doesn’t matter,” his double interrupted in a gruff voice. “What matters is that we…” he gestured to the group, “are going to fix the timeline again and all this will cease to exist.”
“What we wanted to ask you is…would you be willing to go with us?” one-leg Daniel asked.
Jack went rigid in his bonds. His mind already jumping ahead. If the timeline was restored back the way it was then Charlie would be dead again. They didn’t want to hurt Charlie; they wanted to ensure he survived. But Jack couldn’t make this decision for his son. Above all, he wanted him to live. He glanced at his counterpart. He could tell that the loss of his son had nearly destroyed him.
“I…I don’t know. I mean…” Charlie turned towards Jack. “Dad?...What about my dad?”
“He would come with us as well,” his double quipped, surprising Jack. “I mean, what’s one more Jack O’Neill in the grand scheme of things, eh.”
“What…what if you’re wrong and we wouldn’t just cease to exist? What would happen if we stayed?” Charlie asked, regaining some of his compose. Jack grinned in pride. His boy was still thinking on his feet.
The hard-eyed blonde spoke up next, “If we are wrong, then eventually that ‘bad guy’ Ba’al will come back to Earth. He will destroy everything you know and love and he will enslave our planet. One of the first things, he will do is try to capture your dad. And once he finds out about you, he will use you to hurt your dad.” She lost some of the intensity in her eyes as she remembered something with fondness, “General O’Neill was one of the main reasons that Ba’al had to escape into another time to survive. Ba’al won’t forget the man who orchestrated his downfall.”
“I kinda find that hard to believe,” Charlie scoffed at her story.
“You and me both, kid. But the things I’ve seen in the last few months…” he turned a grin to the woman at his side, “…let’s just say I’ve learned to trust the brainy blonde.” The woman at his side giggled, making Charlie smirk, and the other woman to frown. “What?” his double threw back at the other blonde.
She rolled her eyes at him, “Nothing.”
Charlie was once again wearing his thinking face, “Alright, so staying is likely a bad idea, what happens if we go with you?”
His double seemed to seriously consider the question, “Honestly…we don’t know. Our first goal is to kill Ba’al as soon as he steps through the gate. After that, we return to the future and hope it’s fixed. It could be dangerous or it could be a cake-walk. We just…don’t know.”
Charlie seemed torn as he considered his options. Finally, he asked, “Why do I have to choose? Why not just make the choice for me?”
Teal’c stepped forward, “Because, Charlie O’Neill, it is the burden of a warrior to decide his own destiny and live with the consequences. No one, not even your father, can choose for you.”
The big man’s words seemed to have a calming effect on Charlie, “Then I choose to go with you,” he stated to the room, and receiving relieved smiles in return.
“Alright then, I guess we should all introduce ourselves, me you’ve met.” Jack’s double began pointing out the members of the group one at a time, “The big guy is Teal’c. He’s an alien. Next to him is Lt Colonel Cameron Mitchell. Then there are the Daniels. Daniel is the one without the cane and Dr. J is the grumpy one with the cane. Behind them is Colonel Samantha Carter. She prefers Sam. And finally, this vision of loveliness on my right is Dr. Samantha Carter-O’Neill, my wife. But she likes to be called Sammie.” He finished by leering at his wife.
“Right,” Charlie replied, staring at Sammie with a small, wistful smile on his lips. His smile turned to his dad and he frowned.
“Can I untie my dad now?” Charlie asked.
“Sure...” Daniel started.
“…ONLY, if he promises not to kill any of us before we fix the timeline,” the double Jack stated, while glaring at Daniel.
Charlie pulled off the gag and gave his dad a considering look, “Dad?”
Jack looked closely at his son, “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked quietly. “Don’t let them bully you. Remember, they could all be hyped up on some kind of drug,” he cautioned.
“I know,” Charlie answered. “But I just FEEL that this is the right thing to do. You know?”
Jack smiled and chuckled, “Yeah, I know. I promise not to hurt them…yet.”
The other Jack gave him a joking glare, before cutting the knots on his wrists and handing him the pocket knife. He took it and quickly sliced the ropes holding his ankles to the chair. He closed the blade and pocketed the knife before flexing and stretching out the kinks in his arms and legs.
Jack watched curiously as the group trouped out his back door and stood expectantly on his deck. “Okay, so how exactly do you plan on fixing the timeline?” he asked. “’Cause last I heard, travel to Antarctica was restricted.”
The other Jack just grinned, “Pff, like I need a Stargate. I’ll just use my handy-dandy spaceship slash time machine.” He pressed a button on a weird looking remote and suddenly, Jack’s back yard was filled with a huge machine.
Jack looked over at Charlie in shock, “Alright, maybe they slipped us the drugs.”
Charlie had a huge grin, “Yeah, but what a wild ride.” Then he watched in amazement as the back half of the cylindrical ship lowered to reveal the interior. “Wow! Come on, Dad.” Charlie grabbed his hand and dragged him into the small ship.
Soon, all nine passengers were safely tucked away. Jack watched closely as the other Jack grabbed the controls and the small ship rose in the air. Before long they were in orbit around the planet, and Jack was hard pressed to conceal his awe at the beautiful sight of his planet from space.
“Alright,” the other Jack began, addressing the whole group. “Here’s how I see this op going down…” and the group switched gears into battle mode, and prepared to take on the last System Lord.
--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG
---NORTH ATLANIC (1939 AD)---
The small cloaked ship followed in the wake of the giant cargo ship. All the players were in place. Teal’c, Daniel, Sam, and Cam had successfully infiltrated the ship’s cargo hold earlier in the day. Retired Jack was piloting the Gateship with Sammie and Charlie in the front of the cabin. Dr J and Colonel Jack were in the cargo area armed up and ready to provide aerial support to the ship-based team, if needed. All they needed now was their unwelcome house guest.
Suddenly, the side of the ship disappeared in a huge blue splash that quickly disappeared back into the cargo ship’s hold.
“That’s our cue, Campers. I’m closing the blast door now. Good luck,” Jack called out to the two in the back. He maneuvered the small ship up next to the gaping hole in the ship and watched as the four time travelers quickly and cleanly dispatched all the Jaffa and finally Ba’al as soon as they stepped through the Stargate.
When the Stargate shutdown, Jack could just make out the movement of his people and the flashes of the zat'nik'katels as they destroyed all evidence of the intrusion. Then he flew the Gateship right next to the gaping hole and tried to stay as level as possible.
Before long, his radio crackled to life, “We’re clear.”
That was his signal, all of his team was back on board. “Copy,” Jack banked the small ship and shot straight up and back into orbit, while Charlie opened the blast door for the others.
Safe in orbit, he turned to survey the others. They all stared at each other in a strange giddy manner.
Colonel Mitchell broke the silence, “Well, that was way easier than I thought it would be.”
Colonel Jack turned and grinned, “A bit anticlimactic. I was expecting…more.”
“Indeed,” seconded Teal’c.
“So what do we do now?” Charlie asked the smiling adults.
Retired Jack gave him a shit-eating grin, “Why kid, we go ‘back to the future,’ of course.”
Daniel and Dr J both winced, and echoed, “Of course.”
--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG
---EARTH ORBIT (2008 AD)---
The small Gateship flashed and pulsed once more. It was visible briefly before the cloak engaged. Its passengers quickly assessed the image of the planet below and looked hopeful.
“So, what odds are you giving?” Retired Jack asked from the pilot’s seat.
“Even odds,” Colonel Jack replied next to him.
“Done,” Retired Jack accepted. He activated the radio and opened a channel to the SGC. “Stargate Command, this is the Phantom Cruiser, do you read?”
“Phantom Cruiser, this is Stargate Command. Please identify. Over.”
“Yeah, this is Space Ghost. I have an urgent message for General O’Neill and SG-1. Copy?” Retired Jack replied as he gave a meaningful look to his co-pilot.
“Copy. Urgent message for General O’Neill and SG-1. We can relay the message to the General’s location but he is unavailable for receipt of message. Copy?” the voice from the SGC stated.
“Negative. We will wait for General O’Neill or SG-1 to come available. Phantom Cruiser, Out,” Retired Jack replied in the radio, “Looks like Daniel was off on his timing.”
“So…looks like we wait,” Colonel Jack pointed out.
“Yup,” Retired Jack replied.
Several minutes passed in silence.
Finally, Retired Jack turned to his double, “Wanna buzz the White House?”
“Stargate Command to the Phantom Cruiser, do you read?” the radio interrupted.
“Damn,” Retired Jack replied before activating his radio link. “Phantom Cruiser here, Go ahead.”
“This is General O’Neill. What is this urgent message?” the distinct voice of another Jack O’Neill echoed through the radio.
The two Jacks looked at each other, “Do we really sound like that grumpy on the radio?”
“I guess,” Retired Jack replied before turning back to the radio. “Ba’al is dead.”
General Jack’s voice, sounding snippy, quipped back, “I know. I was just at his execution. So what?”
Retired Jack couldn’t help but yank the man’s chain, “Not that Ba’al, the other Ba’al. Ya know, the one that went back in time and futzed with Earth’s history. He’s dead now, so ya don’t hav’ta worry anymore.”
“What? Just who is this anyway?” the general’s voice grated through the link.
Retired Jack shot a grin at Colonel Jack, “Told you he wouldn’t guess.”
Colonel Jack quipped back, “Hey, I gave you even odds.”
“You are SO buying the beer,” he replied, then turned back to the radio, “Come on, Jack. I know that you aren’t that clueless.”
“Great, another alternate me. Joy!” the general’s voice replied blandly. “I’ll meet you with SG-1 at the ‘special’ landing pad on Cheyenne Mountain. Don’t keep me waiting. SGC out.”
Retired Jack turned and looked at the rest of the group, “Special landing pad?” he asked.
Sam grinned, “Yeah, Southeast corner of the parking lot. Look for the Earth Symbol and land on it.” Seeing his confused look, “Oh right, it looks like a big A with a circle on top.”
“Ah,” Retired Jack replied as he navigated the small craft down through the atmosphere towards Colorado. He spotted the designated spot and deftly landed the small craft.
--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG
---CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN, COLORADO (2008 AD)---
General O’Neill and SG-1 had no sooner returned from the Tok’ra homeworld then Walter had informed him that an unidentified spacecraft had hailed the SGC looking for him. And now he was standing in an empty parking lot, waiting for another copy of himself. Man, this was getting old.
They heard the whine of an unseen engine and a short blast of air let him know that the cloaked ship had landed in the designated spot. Then, just as suddenly, the cloaked dropped and he was faced with the ass-end of a Puddle Jumper.
Okay, that was unexpected. Truthfully, he had expected a goa’uld cargo ship. Not an ancient puddle jumper. Then the back opened and he had to contain his surprise as not one but two Daniel Jacksons exited the ship, followed by two Sam Carters, one Teal’c, one Cam Mitchell, a young man that looked vaguely familiar, and finally, two Jack O’Neills.
“Double the fun,” he snarked to himself. Then he noticed the inside of the Jumper. Shit! “Carter, isn’t that…”
“Yes, Sir. It’s the time ship,” she replied quickly.
“I can already feel the headache,” he quipped. He gave the newcomers a patently false smile, “Welcome, yada, yada, yada…now, what the hell are you doing here?”
One of the Carters stepped forward and eyed them critically, “Did you just return from the Tok’ra homeworld where you watched the execution of the last Ba’al clone?”
“Yes, I said that on the radio. Now, what…are…you…doing…here?” he repeated as if talking slower would make them understand.
But she continued to ignore him. She gave him a teary smile, before turning to the others, “It worked.”
“What worked?” the general asked, he was getting tired of being ignored.
One of the Jacks turned towards the other, “That’s it? I was expecting more. Ya know?”
“Ya, I know. Ra was harder to shove off. This Ba’al guy…pansy,” the other Jack replied, sagely.
“Sir,” his Carter said quietly next to him, “I think they came from an alternate timeline. Remember that mission we never had to go on? Where we sent ourselves a video tape from ancient Egypt? I think that’s them.”
“Yeah? Then how come they’re two of them? And how did Mitchell get involved? He was still recovering from the crash back then? And who is the kid? And, fer crying out loud, why come back NOW?!” the general shouted at her.
“I don’t know, Sir,” she replied, examining the group once more. “Hopefully, they will tell us everything in the debriefing.”
“Right,” he replied quietly. He took a deep breath, “Everybody, downstairs for debrief, now!”
In short order, the newcomers were herded down to the bowels of the mountain and ushered into the conference room. General Landry joined them in the conference room and the group began introductions and relayed each of their amazing adventures.
Finally, they were down to one Jack and the kid. The second Jack relayed his part in rescuing SG-1 from freezing to death in the arctic and that he removed himself from the investigation.
Finally, they finished up the part about how the old group had rescued the stranded SG-1. They explained how they ambushed Ba’al at the Stargate and eliminated his threat forever. Before making the final trip forward, to make sure that all the mistakes had been un-done.
And then they exchanged strange glances. They didn’t introduce the kid and they didn’t explain how or why he was with the group. He could tell that they were protecting the kid. But why or from what?
That’s it, I’ve had enough. I didn’t eat kids for breakfast. He had no idea why they seemed unwilling to tell him who the kid was. But this fragile tap dance of exchanged glances had to stop.
“What?” he prompted with a glare.
Then the kid spoke for the first time, “You really don’t recognize me, do you?”
“No, should I?” he asked sarcastically.
“Not really…I just hoped they were wrong,” the kid said softly. “I guess I did make the right choice after all.”
“Who? What choice?” the general demanded.
One of the Jacks went over to the kid and patted him on the back, “It’s okay. We knew it was a possibility.”
The kid laughed and turned a bright smile to that other Jack, “Yeah, but it was also a possibility that they were all hopped up on drugs.”
When the kid turned that bright smile back on him, the general froze and he paled significantly. “No…It can’t be…” he whispered to himself, trying to deny the truth.
The other Jack started speaking, “General O’Neill, I’d like to introduce you to my son, Charlie.”
Everyone in the room turned to look at the general, not the kid. Everyone in the room knew on some level exactly how this would affect him. They hadn’t been protecting the kid. They had been protecting him.
He couldn’t tear his eyes off of the kid’s face. Now that he knew, he could see the subtle changes that had transformed the nine year old face of his son, into the young man before him. Jack stared at the kid that was so like, and yet, so unlike his Charlie and knew that his mask was slipping.
He tore his gaze from the kid to his father. His voice almost sounded steady as he quietly stated, “You raised a fine son, Colonel.” But he knew that the other man could read his pain.
“Thank you, General,” the man replied, honestly.
But before he could break, Walter breezed in and quietly suggested to the group that a break was in order. The efficient Chief then informed the newcomers that they had been assigned visitors quarters. The general silently blessed the man and his impeccable timing.
“Right, thanks Walter,” he said, going through the motions. “Hank, I’ll expect a full report. You know where to find me if you need anything.” The general gave the room a jaunty wave and then he fled.
He couldn’t call it a retreat and it certainly wasn’t a graceful exit. No, he fled the room in damn near a panic. He didn’t even notice when his SG-1 closed ranks behind him. He didn’t see the Airmen jump out of his way as he fled the mountain.
When he finally felt the cool mountain air on his face, he also felt the cool lines where his tears had made tracks. He turned a followed a seldom used hiking trail and ended up stopping at the scenic overlook. It was only when he stopped that he realized he had been followed, that his careful mask hadn’t fooled his oldest friends. Even now, the others kept a careful distance, all except Daniel.
But surprisingly, Daniel didn’t say anything. He just sat next to him and waited. And it was only as he waited for Daniel to say something that Jack realized that even Daniel couldn’t find the words to help him past this…pain. All the languages in the universe couldn’t adequately express it.
But Jack surprised himself by speaking first, “I’m glad I met him.”
“Yeah?” Daniel asked.
“Yeah…It helps…knowing he’s out there…somewhere,” Jack continued.
“Good,” Daniel replied.
They lapsed back into silence. They watched the sunset and when the first of the star began to sprinkle the night sky, Jack was finally able to push aside his grief.
Jack turned to his friend and smiled, “So, Daniel, could you use a couple extra rock geeks? I just happened across a few extras…”
Daniel returned Jack’s smile, “Yeah? Do tell.”
Soon Jack was surrounded by the rest of SG-1 trading quips and joking at the newest adventure they had found themselves on. They worked their way back down the mountain and Jack insisted that they all meet at O’Malley’s for a celebratory dinner. All was right with the world once more.
And hopefully this time, it would stay that way.
END
--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG--SG
End Notes:
Timeline Breakout:
T-1 – Dr. Daniel Jackson SG-1
T-2 – Teal’c (full Jaffa mode), Colonel Jack O’Neill (retired), Dr. Samantha Carter-O’Neill (married in Egypt)
T-3 – Dr. Daniel Jackson (minus one leg), Col. Samantha Carter, LtCol Cameron Mitchell
T-4 – Colonel Jack O’Neill (not retired), Charlie O’Neill
T-5 (present timeline) – Major General Jack O’Neill, Col. Samantha Carter, LtCol Cameron Mitchell, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Teal’c (tretonin), Vala MalDoran.
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