Friends for Life
Friends for Life
by Vertigo
TITLE: Friends for Life
AUTHOR: Vertigo
EMAIL: vertigo13_98@yahoo.com
DATE: March 2, 2000
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis (I would be honoured), anyone else please ask. This may get to my site one day if I ever put my site up. I'll tell if it happens!
CATEGORY: Adventure, Angst, Jack/other romance
SEASON/SPOILERS: Current season. Can be placed after any episode.
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: As a new team is massacred, an ancient and insane evil approaches Earth. Will the efforts of SG-1 and the dead team's sole survivor be enough to stop this menace?
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of SHowtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this sory for entertainment purposes only and no copyright infringement is intended. However, Bacchus, Kate Nelson, and SG-13 are mine! mine! mine! Ahem. Not to be archived without permission of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is my very first fanfic! Though I will endeavour to make the posts as small as possible, my story is separated into chapters, and I would like to keep the chapters as intact as possible. So please bear with me if some are a bit long. Toodles!
Colonel O'Neill and General Hammond arrived simultaneously at the SGC control room as the alarms rang perpetually through the compound. The all-too-familiar mechanical voice repeated its message, "Warning! Offworld activation in progress. Warning! Unauthorized incoming traveller."
The technician looked up as the colonel and general entered. O'Neill rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What's wrong now?" he asked in his most sarcastic, annoyed voice. Hammond shot him a look then turned questioningly to the somewhat unnerved technician.
"Well?" he asked impatiently. He glanced at Stargate as the wormhole began to form. He sighed. Standard procedure wasn't being followed. The iris should be closed.
"Uh, unauthorized incoming traveller, sir. No signal has been received yet," the technician's voice wavered slightly. O'Neill reflected that he'd never seen this technician before. Of course, it wasn't that often that he was called down to the Gate Room at 3 a.m. At least, he didn't think so.
The general was all business. "Who do we have out there?" The technician looked down at his console to find the answer to Hammond's question.
"SG-2, SG-3, and SG-13." The three men looked up to see the rest of SG-1- Major Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c- converge on the control room. It was Carter who'd spoken, yawning. Carter and Daniel's appearance mirrored that of their leaders, both looking as if they'd rather be in bed. Teal'c, as usual, was composed and showed no signs of weariness.
A light flashed on the tech's console. "Sir, we're getting an SGC signal now; it's from SG-13," the tech spoke up. Everyone turned apprehensively to observe the now fully established wormhole.
"Why only now?" Hammond mused, his tone cautious.
"Maybe they're hurt, sir," Carter suggested, shrugging.
"Well, we'll certainly find out," he grasped the microphone attached to the console and issued orders. A phalanx of armed airmen surrounded the gate and behind them emerged ready med teams. Jack O'Neill left the control room and took up a position among the medics.
"SG-13. They're new, aren't they, Sam?" Daniel asked. She absently pushed a piece of hair behind her ear before answering him, her face a mask of concern.
"Yeah, Daniel. They just transferred in last week. There's Colonel Mike Davis, the leader, Dr. Melissa Owens, an astrophysicist, Captain Wilson Miller, a linguistics expert, and Lieut. Kate Nelson, a weapons engineer," she looked down at the gate room,"I hope they're okay. They're good people."
"Speaking of which, shouldn't they have come through yet?" Everyone shrugged in dismay. Daniel had put words to their greatest concern.
As if on cue, the soldiers and medics jumped back 10 paces as the wormhole exploded out towards them then returned to its original state. Everyone, in the gate room and control room alike, looked down in shock at the body left behind. O'Neill approached the body slowly and turned it over. "It's Lieut. Nelson!" he shouted up at the control room as medics crowded around Nelson. He swiveled and pounced on one of the medics. "What's her condition?" he demanded. The doctor stood, giving his colleagues more room to lift the lieutenant on to a gurney. He conferred quietly with O'Neill for a moment, obviously in a hurry to end the conversation.
"What's the verdict, Colonel?" General Hammond called down from the control room.
Jack looked up at the expectant faces watching from above. "She's in shock. They think she might have a concussion," he replied. Jack turned suddenly as a crash sounded behind him. Shocked, he stared up at the Stargate as the gate room shook. He could only whisper, "What the...?", as the SGC was engulfed in chaos.
The gate room was bathed in pinkish light as the stargate's wormhole changed from its usual clear blue to a bright fuchsia. Bolts of fuchsia crackled around the chevrons of the stargate's ring as the glyphs turned of their own accord. Tremors shook the floor, flinging soldiers and medics against the walls and slamming them into the ground. Swiftly, mechanically, Jack fell to his knees and assessed the situation. The medics that had previously been watching over Kate Nelson were either lying unconscious by her side or no longer there, having been flung at the nearest wall or pieces of them were missing in the open gate. The gurney with Kate still strapped in, closest to the gate, was on its side and rhythmically rocking back and forth, shaking its passenger with each strike on the pavement. He drew in a deep, shaky breath.
Up in the control room, its occupants sprang into action as the computers took on a life of their own. Lights flashed and scores of characters raced up the monitor screens. Suddenly, alarms began blaring loud and endlessly on every speaker. "What the hell is going on?" Daniel yelled over the alarms to Sam.
Her fingers flew over one of the consoles but her efforts yielded no results. "I don't know!" she shouted back. She yelped as she leapt back from the console in pain, clutching her hands. Daniel hurried to her side, a concerned expression on his face. She smiled weakly to reassure him she was ok. The console glowed hot pink.
"Oh boy..," Daniel muttered.
Jack's mind raced. Slowly, painfully so, he crawled towards the gurney, stopping occasionally as a tremor shook the concrete floor. Startled, he jumped as the tarmac grew hot under him. He looked down to see fuchsia streams of light running across the concrete from the Gate. His eyes followed the path of the bands of light up to the control room. Tentatively, he stretched out a hand to touch one of the energy streams and swiftly recoiled. He thought a moment, then continued on, this time pursuing a course that avoided the bands of heat.
Finally, he reached the gurney. Carefully, he undid the restraints. Kate never stirred. Anxiously, Jack gathered her in his arms and checked her pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief. Her pulse wasn't strong, but it was there. He looked around, getting his bearings. Gently, Jack wrapped his arms around Kate and held her tight as another tremor shook the tarmac beneath them. He waited it out, taking care to keep her limp head from falling. Taking his chance, he tucked her tight next to him and rolled them over to a corner. He winced as his back narrowly missed landing on a light beam. Relatively safe in the corner of the gate room, he sat up and clutched her protectively to his chest, waiting for the Stargate to shut off.
In the control room, its denizens had resigned themselves to their utter powerlessness, and had sought shelter from the sparks that flew from the computer consoles. Daniel Jackson and Sam Carter watched in awe as the numbers and letters continued to run across the computer screens. "How long has the Stargate been open, Major?" Hammond asked.
Carter glanced at her watch. "30 minutes, sir. Hopefully, the wormhole will collapse soon," she replied.
"What about the iris?" Hammond inquired.
She looked longingly at the controls for the Stargate's iris. The controls glowed and spit sparks. "Even if we could get to the controls, the iris is unresponsive. It's as if some outside force is controlling all our technology," she answered.
"It's just as well. We can't be sure even the titanium-trinium alloy of the iris could withstand the strange energy from the Gate,"Daniel added.
"We'll just have to wait this out. Let's get through this and then ask questions," Hammond assured them.
Suddenly, as quickly as it began, the chaos ended. The lights returned to normal. The alarms shut off. The computer consoles cooled to a normal steel gray and the monitors returned to displaying whatever they were displaying before the disaster. The streams of energy retreated back into the Stargate and with a final tremor, the Gate's wormhole collaspsed. The only evidence the chaos had even occurred was the gradual awakening of the unconscious soldiers and medics. "I think it's time for those questions now, General,"Daniel said, getting out from under a chair.
Hammond got up and looked out at the now calm stargate. "Later. I want casualty and damage reports, stat! I'll be in my office," he commanded as he walked off towards the door.
"What about SG-13?" Daniel asked.
Hammond paused in the doorway. "What about them?"
Daniel looked out at the groups of people amassing at the great, empty ring of the Stargate. He replied softly, "Looks like they won't be coming home.'
***
Jack O'Neill looked in at the now sleeping form of Kate Nelson through the window of her room in the Extended Care Unit of the SGC's infirmary. He wasn't sure how long he'd been there; he hadn't had much sleep since Kate had been brought to the infirmary. He remembered Dr. Janet Frazier showing up after the tremors and general weirdness had ended. She and a couple other doctors came to take Kate from him. It was the first time he'd realized he was still holding her. He'd followed them to the infirmary and stayed there, keeping vigil by her bedside. It had turned out her injuries were worse than previously thought; she was in a coma for several days. He hadn't left her longer than a few hours since then. Travel through the Stargate had been suspended until the techs could figure out what happened although O'Neill was sure the moratorium would be lifted soon since SG-2 and SG-3 had returned without a hitch. Dr. Frazier had attempted to chase Jack out several times for some rest, but he'd always managed to slip back. He hadn't left the room until after she'd woken. The night before, Kate woke from her coma in a seizure. She'd thrashed and screamed; it had taken O'Neill and three orderlies to hold her down until Frazier could sedate her. She'd slept soundly since then, her vital signs growing stronger.
Daniel and Carter had brought some flowers. They didn't say much to him. Talking to him about why he was there was treading on dangerous ground. He wasn't sure why he'd expended so much energy on the young, brunette lieutenant. It wasn't as if they were involved or could be, since they were both officers. He couldn't even consider himself really close to her; he'd only met her the day before she left on SG-13's first mission. But he knew they'd made a connection. He still remembered the day they'd met.
***
He'd been in high spirits that day. SG-1 had just returned from a routine mission; Daniel had found some artifacts, Carter had found a thingamajigger to play with, Teal'c...was Teal'c, as usual, and Jack had been happy to report that the natives hadn't decided to shoot at them that trip. It was a relief for things to go right for once. SG-1 had been allotted 3 days of downtime, and he knew just how to use it. If, of course, he could finnagle out a way to get his hands on some hockey tickets. In fact, he was just on his way to drag Danny away from his rocks to join him.
He turned a corner and his heart skipped a beat. A tall, athletic brunette stood a few feet ahead of him, completely oblivious to his approach. She was dressed in civilian clothing, an attractive blue tanktop and formfitting stonewash jeans. She looked to be about Carter's age, maybe a year or two older. He watched her toss her soft, chestnut hair back in annoyance as she rotated the map she was holding. He put on his sexiest half-smile and approached her from behind, tappiong her shoulder. The next thing he knew, he was sprawled on his back in front of her.
She fell to her knees, a concerned expression on her face. "Oh! Sorry! Are you okay?" she exclaimed. He nodded. She flashed him a wry smile as his eyes travelled up her body to her face. "You really shouldn't sneak up on people," she extended a hand," Here. Let me help you up."
He took her hand and they succeeded in levering each other up. "Thanks." He dusted himself off. "In any case, I happen to like being flipped by beautiful women," he assured her with one of his prizewinning cocky smiles. She laughed, a pleasant, lilting laugh. "What, are you a blackbelt in karate or something?" he asked, massaging his aching back.
"Third dan."
"Cool." He watched her pick up her map and resume staring at it." "Lost?" he asked.
She blushed. "Well, yeah. I'm supposed to be at a meeting in the "Gate Room" but... I seem to have lost my way," she admitted.
He sprang to her side and offered his arm. "Well, you're in luck. I'll gladly escort you there."
She playfully pushed his arm away as he led her down the corridor. "Thanks. I was beginning to think I'd never get there. I feel foolish," she smiled at him.
"It's nothing. This place is a maze. Seriously, the first time I came here, I got lost stepping off the elevator. And I'd seen the schematics," he said.
She laughed. "By the way, may I have the name of my gallant saviour?" she asked.
"Colonel Jack O'Neill, SG-1," he replied. Something in her face fell. Thinking back, it was obvious to see but he'd been so head over heels at the time that he hadn't noticed.
"Oh really? Well, I guess I'm in the presence of grandeur then. Your team is famous," she smiled as he blushed, "I'm on the new team, SG-13."
His eyes glittered with interest. "Welcome to the SGC, then. It's a great job. Dangerous, but great," he pretended to lean closer to her, "And believe it or not, we actually do get downtime."
They turned a corner. "Is that what you're doing now?" He nodded. "What've you got planned?" she asked innocently.
"Oh, I'm going to see if I can get into an Avalanche game up in Denver. You know, use my connections," he replied.
She took in his words thoughtfully as they turned another corner. "Avalanche, huh? I'm more of a Canadiens fan, myself," she said. Ping! A light flashed in Jack's mind. 'See ya, Danny boy.'
"Canadiens?" he puzzled.
"I'm from Plattsburgh. My dad used to drive us up to Montreal to watch hockey games at the Forum. Ironically, it was closer and cheaper to cross the border than going to New York or Buffalo. 'Course, things have been tough what with all the injuries now, but I'm sticking it out," she explained.
"Got to support the underdog, eh?" they came to the entrance of the Gate Room and he stopped her, "Say, there's this great sports bar downtown near the rink. Would you be interested in joining me for a drink there tonight? We could go to the game after," he offered, mentally crossing his fingers.
She hesitated, slightly uncomfortable. "Um, well..." she began and was saved by the sudden appearance of a tall, dark-haired man with slim Gucci glasses pushed high on his nose. The new arrival sneezed. Sighing, she whipped out a handkerchief. He accepted it gratefully. "Geez, Wil. We haven't even left yet," she admonished him. Jack grimaced. 'Oh, great. Here's the boyfriend. Figures.'
The man mock stuck his tongue out at her. "That's Captain Wilson Miller to you, Lieutenant," he pivoted on his heel and walked off to the control room, "Come on. The General's waiting." Jack stood rigid with shock. 'Lieutenant?! Ohhhh shit. Lieutenant!' He looked at the lieutenant he'd just asked out. She glanced at him sheepishly.
"I...I'm not on duty till tomorrow," she explained feebly. She turned to leave.
"Oh." He mentally kicked himself as he watched her leave. He really liked her and he was letting her get away, for unfair regulations. He was tired of regulations. Drinks were pefectly platonic. "Lieutenant." She stopped and turned to face him. He took a deep breath. "So, are we on for those drinks?"
She smiled softly. "Sure, why not? Meet me here at eight?" she replied.
"It's a date." He winced as he said the words. She looked at him thoughtfully then turned to go. "Hey Lieutenant!" he called and she stopped, "What's your name?"
She didn't turn, but he could tell she was smiling. "Kate. Kate Nelson." She continued on to the control room. He smiled, watching her hips sway as she walked.
Jack and Kate went to the sports bar that night. They never made the hockey game, though. They spent the entire night talking. They talked about anything and everything; he told her about Charlie and she told him about her foster family and the accident that had taken her blood family from her. He couldn't remember the last time he'd shared so much with another person. At times, they laughed and there were times when they were silent, contemplating each other's pain. He was recounting humourous anecdotes from Abydos when he noticed the bartender gesturing at them and pointing at his watch. It was way after Midnight and the bar was empty. They laughed.
Jack walked Kate to the front door of her apartment building. They stood in the doorway, neither wanting to take their eyes off the other. Suddenly, Kate's landlady stuck her head out the window and yelled at them. Their faces reddened simultaneously. Kate waved at the landlady and turned to make her goodbyes to Jack. They smiled and time stood still around them. He edged closer to her. She recognized his body language and reciprocated. They leaned in closer and closer and their eyes closed...
***
"Jack!"
Jack woke from his reverie to find Daniel standing next to him."Jack, what are you doing here?"
Jack glared at him. "I was wondering when you'd say something," he said. Daniel's face was creased with concern. Jack sighed, "I don't know."
"Jack..."
He continued watching Kate through the window. "What?"
Daniel hesitated, searching for words. "She *is* a lieutenant, you know."
"I know."
"I mean, it's not as if you two can be involved or anything."
"I know."
"You really shouldn't be this attached to her."
"I know."
"You just met her, anyway."
"I know."
"You're not involved with her, are you?"
"Ye...No...I don't know!" Jack threw up his hands in frustration and turned to his friend. "I don't understand the motivation for any of my actions, Daniel! I'm attracted to her, but I can't be, and I hate that, but I can't do anything about it. All I know is that I care deeply about what happens to her, and so I'm here. Okay?!"
Daniel squinted at his friend. "As long as you know what you're doing," he conceded, fighting to contain a laugh.
Jack smiled. "You know me." Suddenly, the beeping from Kate's heart rate monitor became louder and quicker. The men turned and Jack sprang into the room. Daniel ran for Dr. Frazier.
Jack bolted to Kate's side. She was moving slowly, dreamily. He grasped her feeble hand and smoothed her wispy hair off her troubled brow. Her eyes fluttered open. The heart rate monitor slowed to a normal cadence. Jack smiled. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Lieutenant Nelson," he greeted her.
She tried to sit up, but fell back, exhausted. "Jack?" He nodded. "Jack, where am I?" she asked, looking bewildered around her.
He caressed her hand to reassure her. "It's okay, Kate. You're at the SGC, in the Extended Care Unit of the Infirmary," he replied.
This time, she succeeded in sitting up. "Extended...Why?" she puzzled.
She smiled at him weakly as he delicately brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "You came back through the Stargate in a coma," he answered.
"How long?"
He took a deep breath and his fingers dropped from her cheek to rest near her on the bed. "A week," he replied.
She straightened abruptly and grabbed fistfuls of the sheets. "A week! But...," her eyes darted to his, a fierceness in them,"Where's my team? Shouldn't they be here?"
Jack suddenly became very uncomfortable. "Umm.."
He was saved by the timely arrival of Daniel and Dr.Frazier. "Well, Lieutenant, you certainly gave us a scare for a while," she announced in her usual stern cheerfulness.
"Why, what happened?" Kate asked. Everyone in the room stared at her, stunned. She gazed back quizzically. "What?" she asked self-consciously.
"You don't remember?" Frazier asked, a mixture of shock and concern written all over her face.
Kate shook her head, and realized why they were all amazed. She rubbed her temples. No. She didn't remember. She couldn't remember. Anything. After SG-13 entered the Stargate, her mind was a blank slate. She closed her eyes. What had happened? Why couldn't she remember? She felt Jack covertly entwine his fingers with hers, and opened her eyes, the panic in her heart easing. "No. No, I don't remember," she replied, and Dr.Frazier frowned.
Frazier sat next to her on the bed and took out her stethoscope, beginning to use it to check Kate's breathing. "Well, whatever happened, you appear to have had quite an adventure. Breathe in," she instructed, and Kate took in a deep breath. "Breathe out. Let's see, well, you came in a coma after sustaining a severe concussion, you had cuts, bruises, three cracked ribs, and a bullet wound in your shoulder. Oh, and you received an intense electric shock." She stood and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, looks like you're quickly on the mend. I'll have to keep you here a few days for observation, but then you can go home, and rest up on your own," she smiled.
Kate rested her head on her knees. "Thank you, Doctor. But what about my memory?" she asked.
Kate noticed the brief glance the doctor shared with the two men. "Well, I'm sure it'll come back to you eventually," she replied.
"I can't wait that long! I'd really like to know what happened," she said.
Jack let go of her fingers. "Well, we were hoping you would know what happened, so we can't help you there," he mentioned.
"We could try bringing a hypnotherapist," Jackson suggested, finally revealing his presence. Kate brightened at the idea, but Dr. Frazier frowned.
"I don't know. I don't think you're strong enough for something like that yet," she cautioned.
"I am! I feel fine! Nothing even hurts! I want to get my memory back," Kate pressed. Frazier looked to reluctantly reconsider, and Kate took her advantage. "Please, Doctor."
Janet Frazier nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I'll see what I can do. But I'm not scheduling anything for another 48 hours," she relented. She arranged Kate's bed sheets and gently pushed her patient back down onto the pillow. "For now, get some more rest. You still need it, you know," she turned to the men,"And you two, get out and get some rest of your own." Jack began to protest, but Frazier insisted, pushing them out the door.
Kate sat up again. "Actually, Doctor, I'd like to speak to Colonel O'Neill for a moment," she said.
Frazier looked a O'Neill warningly, and he threw up his hands. "I swear, Janet, I'll keep it short," he assured her.
She sighed. "Fine. Come on, Daniel," she said, leaving the room with Daniel in tow. Jack turned to Kate.
She tapped a spot next to her on the bed. He sat down next to her. He leaned into her hand as it stroked his cheek. "Jack, have you been here the *whole* time?" she asked.
He smiled ruefully. "Well, Janet booted me out a couple of times," he replied.
She smiled, but there was regret behind her grin. Her fingers slipped to his chin and hung there. "Jack, I...We can't," she said sadly.
He took her hands in his. "I know. But I can't not care, you know?" he agreed grimly. He released her hands, but continued staring at them.
She lifted his chin with a finger, and looked him in the eye, her face serious and impassive. "Jack, where's my team?" she asked, praying he couldn't hear the tremble in her voice.
"Um, I don't think we should talk about that right now. You need you rest," he evaded. The sensation of foreboding within Kate grew tenfold. Something *was* wrong. He got up to leave, but she grabbed his arm, forcing him back down.
"Tell me, Jack," she ordered, her voice as hard as she could force it.
"Not now," he pressed.
Her resolve crumbled. "Please," she pleaded, her voice breaking.
He sighed. "You're the only one who came through the Gate. And judging from the condition you came in, it can be assumed that..that they didn't make it," he faltered as her expression became one of utter despair.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. "No!" she exclaimed. She buried her head in her lap.
He rubbed her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said softly. He adjusted himself on the bed, and wrapped his arms around her sobbing form. They rocked back and forth as one.
"They were all I had," she sobbed.
"I know," he soothed, stroking her hair.
***
Samantha Carter rubbed her temples wearily. SG-1 had been stuck at the SGC for over a week. Sure, there was plenty of work to do, but paperwork did get monotonous after a while. After all, that was why she'd been so eager to leave the Pentagon.
She'd spent the week with the science boys in the lab. They'd analyzed everything in the control room and gate room, and pored over every bit of data they could coax out of the computers about the strange event that had occurred. So far, all studies had turned up inconclusive. They knew that some sort of electrical energy had come through the Stargate, and had been conducted to the control room. They surmised that it had traveled along the power lines in the gate room floor. But, aside from a few melted wires and a ton of confusion, the event didn't appear to have had any lasting effects on the SGC. The techs were beginning to wonder if it had ever really happened. They still couldn't figure out what the electrical energy had done, or even if it had done anything. They attempted a dial-out from the Gate that day, and there hadn't been any visible problems. Now, she sat in her office examining all the data they'd recorded from the Stargate during the experiment.
She sighed. It was after midnight and the science lab, except for her office, was dark and deserted. She looked at her computer screen. She was on page 126 of 350. The numbers on the bright screen began to blur as she felt her eyes droop. She crossed her arms and rested her head on her desk, closing her eyes. 'Couldn't hurt to just rest my eyes,' she thought.
She was woken a few moments later by a tap on her shoulder. "Major Carter?" a familiar voice asked. She sat up. It was Lieutenant Simmons. She yawned. He smiled shyly and stepped back. Daniel and Jack were always bugging her about how Simmons had a crush on her. She thought he was cute, but way too sweet. She smiled politely at him.
"Yes, Lieutenant? What are you doing awake?" she asked. He tensed.
"Well, I...I was doing some work in the lab, Major," he answered nervously. She grinned sympathetically.
"S'Okay, Lieutenant. I have no room to judge. So, what's up?" she soothed.
He relaxed. "Well, I was leaving for the night and I saw you in your office and...Um, made any progress on the data?" he finished. She sighed wistfully.
"Does being on pg. 126 of 350 mean I'm making progress? You know, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd swear nothing had ever happened," she replied.
He sat down next to her. "Yeah, I know. Most of the techs have given up, moved to other things. Lockleed filed it under *unexplained*, and submitted a recommendation to the General to lift the suspension on gate travel," he informed her.
She sat up and stretched. "Well, I guess that's a relief. Now I can get back to the fun stuff. No offense," she said.
"None taken. But," he began.
"But what?"
"Well, sir, ma'am, umm..."
"Sam."
"Oh, I can't call you that."
"Sure you can. I don't mind."
"Well, okay...Sam, it's been a pleasure working with you this week," he said.
She patted his shoulder. "It's been great working with you, too," she replied.
"Thanks, well, you know, you're always welcome to stay at the lab. You know, permanently," he cleared his throat,"You, um, you'd be a great asset to the team here."
She smiled and crossed her arms behind her neck. "Thanks for the offer, Lieutenant, but I don't think I was cut out to be a lab-rat," she replied.
"Oh. Well, I guess." He was interrupted by the beeping of the fax machine, signaling that a message was coming through. Two sheets of paper were spit out one after the other. "What's that?" Simmons asked as he handed Sam on of the sheets.
Sam glanced at the paper he'd handed her. "It's from an old friend of mine working at NASA. We used to work on the Stargate project together at the Pentagon. This is a cover letter," she indicated the paper she was holding,"It's nothing special. She still has the necessary clearance so we have this sort of contest. Each week we send each other a picture, and we agree on who's is the best. The one with the least wins buys the other dinner." She smiled proudly. "That footage of the black hole we got a while ago won me a spaghetti dinner."
Simmons smiled vaguely at her and rotated the other paper slowly. "Well, unless she explains her entry in the cover letter, I'd say you've got a shot at winning this week. I don't get this picture. What are we supposed to be looking at?" he asked, puzzled.
She looked down at her paper with renewed interest. "I don't know. Let me see. Wait, here, I'll read it aloud. "Dear Sam: I bet you can't top this. This is better than your black hole. This footage was taken by the Hubble telescope three hours ago. What you're seeing is a picture of the Eastern Sky. I've highlighted the stars Vega, Deneb and Altair, and their constellations: Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila. The stars form a triangle in the sky. But, of course you already knew all that. That's not why I sent you this picture. Observe the sky at about the middle of the triangle. You should see a large object about 5 cm wide and 7 cm long. It's weird, all right. The computers haven't yet been able to crunch out an idea about what it is. We've checked back; the Hubble telescope saw the object six hours ago and the object was smaller. It's getting closer at incredible speed. So, have I won?" Weird. I wonder what it is," Carter said, awestruck by the image.
"Who knows. Say, did she say it was getting closer, as in coming towards Earth?" Simmons asked. Sam looked at him.
"Uh, yeah. She did. Could be nothing," she answered hopefully.
Simmons was serious. He handed the picture to Sam. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this," he said.
***
"Ready?"
Kate Nelson looked up at the balding, pudgy therapist sitting in front of her. He sat straight, patiently awaiting her reply. Her eyes shifted to the other people in the room: General Hammond, Dr. Jackson, Major Carter, Dr. Frazier, Colonel Jack O'Neill, and the strange quiet alien, Teal'c. The General stood to the side, his hands folded across his abdomen. He watched her expectantly. Jackson and Carter conversed quietly. She wasn't quite sure why they were there. Teal'c stood passively in a corner, looking to be a million light-years away. Dr.Fraizer sat to her left, frowning worriedly. Jack stood to Kate's right, smiling reassuringly. She smiled back.
She knew why they were all there. She may have needed to reclaim her memories for herself, but this was also important to the SGC. Her team had been snuffed out, and she was the only witness. The SGC had to know what had happened. Kate took a deep breath, and settled into the couch. "Ready."
The therapist spoke to her in a soft and gentle voice, almost monotone. She diligently followed his instructions: she relaxed, focused on his voice, and took deep breaths. She felt calm, at peace. The room and people disappeared in a haze of mist. The mist cleared a bit, and she settled down in the warmth. She felt like she was between worlds, between consciousness and unconsciousness. She was enthralled by the beauty of it all.
A voice, the therapist, cut through the fog around her. "Kate? Kate, can you hear me?"
The interruption brought her back to her mission. She answered, and felt her lips and vocal cords form the words. She could everything that was going on in her body.
His voice cut through again, clean and sharp. "Good, Kate. Now try to think back to the day your team went through the stargate," he instructed.
The mist around her coalesced into images of the Gate Room and her friends gathered at the stargate, waiting for the final chevrons to lock. She saw herself, or rather her self-image, standing with them. "I see it, doctor," she said.
His voice was soothing now. "All right, Kate. Now try to imagine your memories as a sort of narrative. Describe everything, no matter how painful it may be. Don't worry. If it's too bad, I'll terminate the session," he explained.
Dreamily, she nodded. She reached out tentatively to touch the image of herself, and was surprised as she found herself in its place, wearing the uniform, and carrying the same equipment. None of her pseudo-teammates registered the change. She looked around.
Jack watched Kate on the couch. She looked like she was asleep, but that she was talking in her sleep. She looked more peaceful than she'd been in the days since she had recovered from her coma. He had been with her as often as he could, most of the time holding her as she cried, and was astonished at the speedy healing of her wounds. Frazier had scheduled her therapy session a day earlier because of it. He reflected at how beautiful she was when she slept.
She stirred silently. "We're all here in front of this huge metal ring that takes people to other worlds. I still can't believe it. It's like something out of science-fiction. But I trust Mike and Mel. The countdown finishes, but I don't really notice. The circuitry of this device is amazing. How did the aliens think up this thing? I could work on this for ages.
"Will nudges me. I follow his gaze and get my first view of the stargate's wormhole. Wow. That's all I can think. Wow. We step into the gate one by one. The trip is incredible, just like Jack described. Like every roller coaster in the world in one. I'm coughing and frozen when I catapult onto P4X 949, but it was so worth it.
"P4X 949 looks a lot like Death Valley. It's a desert, but not a sandy one like the Sahara. It's rocky and bare. There are absolutely no signs of life. It's really eerie, not a sound to be heard. The MALP lies a few feet away, shut down. Prelim analysis indicates equipment failure-short circuit. Wil lets out a good curse behind me. Our instruments don't work. It's no surprise. The air smells of ozone, like before a thunderstorm. The atmosphere fairly hums with electricity, but there aren't really any clouds. Mike sights some rock formations, and pulls us along.
"We arrive and there is an entrance to a cavern nestled in the rock. About a mile in, we reach a giantic chamber. There are stalactites and stalsgmites everywhere, dripping ancient water. There's no need for flashlights; the whole room is covered in phosphorescent rock. There's no other exit, and the room is empty save for a weird globular device on a pedestal in the center.
"I have to touch it. I pick it up; it's made of an opaque sheer glass. Something's happening inside the globe. It's glowing hot. There's a huge flash of light; we all duck and cover. The light is gone. Mel stands rigidly over Mike and me, holding the device. Something's weird though. The hair on the back of my neck is standing on end. She's just standing there, her eyes glazed over. What is she doing? She's going to break the globe! It's smashed into a hundred pieces. She looks up at us, but - My God!- it's not her looking at us. She's raising her arms, and I can't keep my feet on the ground. It's like a gale carrying me and Mike into a wall. I don't know where Wil is; I think he's behind Mel somewhere. A few of my ribs crack as I fall to the ground. I think I'm going to sick. Mike has his gun pointed at Mel, but he can't shoot. It's plain in his eyes. She raises her hands again, and they crackle. Nothing happens. What...? Oh God, she's convulsing. Mike and I get up to go to her, but there's a loud sound, a gunshot, and -No- Mel crumples to the floor, a hole in her forehead. She's dead, my God, she's dead. And...Her body just erupts into ashes. Mike crawls, weeping, to her, but stops. Wil's standing above her ashes, holding a smoking gun. His eyes glow, like Gou'ald, but pink. His face, my God, his face. He's smiling! Why? My God, this isn't Wilson Miller, this is evil. Mike sees it too, and lunges for him. Wil whips his gun square at his forehead before Mike can blink. They're just staring at each other. The moments are agonizing. Oh God, Wil implodes into ashes! No! My best friend....
"Suddenly, there's light everywhere. I don't understand. Everything's pink. There's a man holding me gently, caressing my hair. He's beautiful, like a greek god. He speaks so softly. He says his name is Bacchus, and he wants me to come with him. He's so warm. I want to listen, do everything he says. Nothing else matters. Everything is forgotten. I just want to stay in the light, in this trance.
"Ow! My shoulder hurts! The haze lifts, and Mike stands with his gun at the ready. My shoulder is bleeding. He shot me! Why? Bacchus is still next to me, but he's not as enticing. His beautiful features contort in rage. I scream as he lunges for Mike. I'm too late: it's like the thing just leaps into his body. He falls, holding his head. I try to approach, but he pushes me away. He tells me to leave, but I refuse. He orders me again. Oh God, I don't want to go, but the look in his eyes...he means it. I turn and run. I run as fast as I can, weeping. There's a bang when I get to the cave entrance, and I know he's dead. My God, my brother's dead.
"I run and run. I nearly run into the DHD, and speed-dial it. I look back before I take out the code transmitter. There's a sound of rushing wind behind me. I know Bacchus is with me now. A bolt of lightning shoots past my nose. He gears up for another shot. I punch in the code and leap through the wormhole as something sharp and hot hits me squarely in the back. Everything turns black," Kate finished. Her cheeks were wet from tears she'd shed under hypnosis.
Everyone was quiet. Daniel and Sam long ago stopped whispering. Hammond and Frazier stared wide-eyed at Kate. Jack's heart was breaking for her. The hypnotherapist, visibly shaken, spoke his commands for Kate to wake, his voice wavering only slightly. Her eyes flew open.
They all watched her silently. She sat up and buried her face in her knees, her muffled sobs barely audible. Jack moved to hold her but she shrugged him off. She looked at him. "They're really dead, aren't they?" she finally whispered in a childlike voice, her eyes red with tears.
"Looks like." He reached out to her, but she slapped his hand away. She stood, and walked to the door. She paused.
"I'll be in a closet."
***
She huddled in the comforting darkness, her cheeks dry and her eyes long past crying. She huddled in stunned silence, staring out at the shadows that enveloped her. She was safe here in the dark, her sanctuary inviolable. She stared out at the dark, her mind forcibly, intentionally blank. She was proud of her strength of will. If she didn't think, she couldn't think about...well, that stuff. She was safe, her mind was safe, everything was safe, and it was dark. She liked the dark.
She squinted as, unexpectedly, her sanctuary was violated by a rude, vile beam of light. She looked up at the source of the annoyance. The door opened slowly. It opened all the way, and a dark figure stood in the entranceway. It hesitated before entering. She watched him suspiciously.
"I can't believe you're really in a closet, Kate," Jack O'Neill observed, crouching down in front of her.
She only frowned and turned away. He looked at her with a frown of his own. Gone was the bright-eyed, confident woman he had come to know. What was left was a toss-up between a cornered cat and a frightened child. He'd seen the transformation slowly begin during the time since Kate had woken from her coma. But, now that she'd recovered her lost memories, the transformation had run its course. She flinched under his hand as he reached out to touch her cheek.
She looked at him, her eyes twin balls of ice. "Leave me alone, Jack," she pulled his hand off,"I don't want to wake up tomorrow," The last words were quiet, almost to herself.
His fingers clenched hers. "What are you talking about?" She could feel the panic rising in his voice.
She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "They said I couldn't get away. They warned me but I didn't listen," she muttered.
"What? Who?" Jack questioned. Kate ignored him.
"But they let me go! Said I wouldn't be useful to them until I could get over my problems," she exclaimed suddenly.
Jack gripped her shoulders. She languidly looked at him. "I don't understand. Who? What problems?"
She pulled away. "The Committee, of course. Who did you think?" she replied. Kate frowned. "They said I had a breakdown. They brought me so many doctors! I couldn't do the job anymore. Couldn't kill," she admitted.
He sat back, surprised by her last words. "What? Kill?"
She grabbed his collar suddenly, her eyes feverish. "But they didn't understand! I'm not the killer! *She* is! And she won't leave me alone!" she declared.
"Kate, honey, who's after you? What are you talking about?" Jack demanded.
"Falcon! Falcon...Falcon...Falcon..." she repeated, falling back against the wall of the closet.
"Falcon? But Falcon's some top-secret, psychopathic vigilante," Jack's eyes narrowed, "How..?" A look of understanding passed over his face. "Oh." Then a look of disgust did the same. "Oh." He shifted uncomfortably. "You..."
She nodded distractedly. "She is me, and I am her. It doesn't matter. I can't do it anymore. I went crazy," she conceded.
"I...but what are you doing here?" he inquired shakily.
"When I started out as Falcon, I was given a commission in the Air Force as my cover. So when I told them to go to hell, I just took up my commission when I left," she explained.
"Oh."
"Mike pulled some strings to get me in the SGC and on his team. Well, I guess that was a bad decision. Now they're dead, and it's all my fault," Kate reflected.
Jack placed a hand on Kate's shoulder. "It's not your fault."
"Yes, it is!"
Jack was quiet for a moment. He drew in a deep breath. "Kate, I understand that you made some mistakes and did a lot of bad things, but you've put that all in the past now. Your past as Falcon has no bearing on who you are now," he explained slowly and carefully.
She sighed heavily. "You don't understand!" she exclaimed. He looked at her quizzically. Her face became very serious all of a sudden, and her eyes were sharp and clear. "You can't watch me twenty-four hours a day, you know," she said, her voice cold and unwavering.
Suddenly he caught on. He could feel a dark mood settle over him. He regarded her with the same expression she gave him. "I can have you watched," he answered.
She stood abruptly, and stalked him out of the closet. "No, really! What are you going to do? I know 50 ways to commit suicide without making a sound. I was trained well. Are you going to strip me naked and lock me in an empty cell with just my dog tags?!" she punctuated her last words by grabbing two sides of the chain around her neck. Carefully, though, she began to tug and twist the chain in a manner that Jack wouldn't immediately notice.
He frowned testily. God help him, she was beginning to scare him. "If necessary," he bit out. Suddenly, a drop of blood emerged from under the chain around her neck. Horrified, he reacted without thinking. Lightning-quick, he grasped her wrists, and pulled them towards him, breaking her tight control of the chain and the chain's clasp. She cried out, and tried to struggle out of grip, but he held fast. Her eyes blazed. "No! Stop! I won't let you do this, Kate!" he exclaimed, fury and panic roiling in his voice.
She said nothing. With the swiftness and grace of a cat, she suddenly twisted his arms and flipped him onto the floor. She fell with him, and landed on his abdomen, effectively pinning him. Her hands, free of his, held his arms against the floor. Her hair streamed down over her shoulders, and tickled his chin. She was close enough that he could feel her breath as she spoke. "Do you really think that you can stop me, Jack?" she said, her voice laced with ice. Jack understood why she had been called 'Falcon'.
They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed an eternity to each. Then the moment ended, and Kate let go of his arms. "I don't want to hurt you, Jack. Damn it," she said. Slowly, she stood and he followed. "Just leave me the hell alone," she said, turning and moving towards the cot not far away.
Suddenly, he slammed his elbow into the small of her back, felling her with one blow. Swiftly, he pinned her against the cot. His eyes smoldered with unbridled rage. "Fine. I don't give a damn what you do with yourself. Just do it quietly," he stated coldly. He stood, and walked to the door in two strides. He paused in the doorway. "By the way, you might want to know that the Hubble telescope has picked up an object coming towards Earth from the direction of P4X-949. It has the same energy signature as whatever attacked your team and the SGC. Just in case you care," he said, and stalked out, slamming the door behind him.
She didn't see the tears he wiped from his eyes as he leaned against the door of her room. And he didn't see the look of horror on her face as she realized what his last words meant.
***
"Where are we going? Tell me!" the girl demanded of her boyfriend, who'd playfully insisted on blindfolding and leading her to the special lookout place outside their small town in the Sawtooth Mountains of Minnesota. She knew they'd left the town limits; even the sound of tanker trucks was missing. And she knew they were going up; she could feel it.
Suddenly, they stopped. He removed her blindfold, and let her drink in the breathtaking sight before her before he spoke. "Well, what do you think?" he said at last, fairly hopping with excitement.
She turned and embraced her boyfriend in a long, tender hug. "Oh, honey, it's beautiful! I love it!" she replied. He had brought her halfway up a mountain that was on the edge of the lake. In front of them lay Lake Superior in all its majesty. They were surrounded by evergreens and beside them stood an especially ancient pine. She bent down to examine an indentation in the trunk. "Hey, honey, I think there's an inscription on this tree. Let me see..." Suddenly, her boyfriend pulled her up, and pointed at the sky.
"Look! A shooting star!" he exclaimed. They watched a pink streak travel across the night sky. "It's coming this way!" he announced in wonder.
The shooting star stopped in orbit over the ancient pine, and hovered miles up high in the sky. The couple stared up in wonder. "It's not a shooting star! It's a UFO! Cool!" the girl exclaimed. The two of them gawked as the UFO began to glow bright pink.
Suddenly, the ancient pine exploded into flaming shrapnel. The surrounding trees caught fire as the shrapnel blew in their direction. The beam of light from the UFO retreated back inside it. The UFO was dark and quiet once more. Amongst the ashes of the young lovers lay a flat piece of wood from the pine tree.
Inscribed on it were the words: I AM HERE.
***
Colonel Jack O'Neill was the last to arrive at the the briefing room that Monday morning. He was still tired. He hadn't slept well all weekend. And now SG-1 had been called in for a briefing by General Hammond at 0700 hours.
He looked around. Carter sat at the table looking over what looked like star charts. Teal'c sat across from her, waiting patiently for the meeting to begin. The General stood at the back of the room, looking over some papers. Daniel was off to the side, conferring with a dark-haired woman who had her back to Jack.
Now that Jack had arrived, Hammond called the meeting to order. Jack and Daniel took their usual places at the table, but Hammond and the woman remained standing, she still with her back to Jack.
"Well, I'm assuming you all know why I've called this meeting. So let's get down to business. Major Carter, have you come up with the calculations of when the object will arrive here on Earth?" Hammond began.
Carter nodded, shuffling the papers in front of her. "Uh, yes, sir. Rough calculations say within two to three days the object will come into orbit or will make planet fall," she replied.
"Well, that should give us some time," Kate Nelson said, turning from the desk she was standing at. Jack did a double take. The dark-haired woman was Kate! He looked around. No one else seemed surprised to see her there. She looked at him and their eyes met. She turned away. He refocused his attention on the meeting. Daniel was talking.
"This Bacchus thing is interesting. I've been doing some research with Lt. Nelson, trying to figure out who or what attacked her on P4X-949," Daniel began.
"Is Bacchus a Gou'auld?" Jack interrupted.
Daniel shrugged. "Well, I don't know. Bacchus is the Roman name for the Greek god, Dionysus," he replied.
"Dionysus?" Teal'c interrupted.
All looked at the until-then silent Jaffa. "Uh, yeah. Dionysus. He was the god of wine and ecstasy. And he was one of the most important gods of the Classical Age," Daniel replied,"Why?"
Teal'c shifted, settling himself more comfortably in his chair. "I believe Dr.Jackson, that the events of the past weeks are becoming clearer. It was not until you mentioned the name 'Dionysus' that I remembered when I heard that name. Bacchus is indeed a Gou'auld, and if he is indeed Dionysus, then he is a force to be reckoned with," Teal'c answered.
Hammond stroked his chin. "What can you tell us about this Gou'auld, Teal'c?" he asked.
"When I was younger, I met an old man. At first, I thought him slightly unbalanced. He was very strange, and smelled of alcohol. But I could not get away from him, so I was obliged to hear his story. He told me of a Gou'auld who lived many millenia ago named Dionysus. It is said that Dionysus was born very ill and, though he could take a host, was obliged to sleep in his sarcophagus for the equivalent of four Earth months each year to convalesce. Even so, he was constantly in tremendous pain," Teal'c explained.
Daniel nodded. "The suffering god."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Daniel explained,"Part of what made Dionysus so popular was that the people felt they could identify with him. It was believed that Dionysus died every winter, and was reborn every spring. He was a tragic god, who wandered the Ancient World and suffered endless heartache."
Jack crossed his arms in front of him. "Well, my heart bleeds for him."
Teal'c grew impatient with Jackson and O'Neill's banter. "Yes, but at the time I am speaking of, Dionysus was a minor Gou'auld, virtually unknown. It was not until later that he gained a following," he jumped in.
"What happened later?" Kate piped up, intrigued.
"The old man said that after a while, Dionysus became weary of his time in the sarcophagus. I have also heard that the sarcophagus was no longer enough to sustain his life. He began strange secret experiments. And he succeeded. The old man claimed that Dionysus liberated his consciousness from his body, transforming himself into a tangible energy field," Teal'c explained.
He paused to let his words sink in. "Is that possible?" Hammond asked, stumbling over his words.
Sam was inspired. "Theoretically, yes. After all, what are our thoughts but electrical impulses traveling from neuron to neuron in our cerebral cortex? But, it would take incredibly advanced technology, like Machello's body-switching machine. And even then, the consciousness would need some sort of containment vessel," she explained.
Teal'c continued,"He did construct a sort of spaceship. Apparently, he could not exist outside of it for longer than a few hours."
Kate took her turn for a scientific explanation. "Makes sense. If he is indeed some sort of energy being, staying out of confinement for a long period of time would cause him to dissipate until his atoms were scattered over the cosmos. Diffusion," she shrugged,"But what happened to Bacchus?"
Teal'c paused, his eyebrow arched toward Kate. He was slightly puzzled by the human's sudden interest in his story. "The old man revealed that after Bacchus' transformation, he decided to gather worshipers. He traveled the galaxy and many were drawn to him. At first, the other Gou'auld thought nothing of it. It is not uncommon for minor Gou'auld to have a human following. But soon, Bacchus grew in power. And his followers were vastly different from those of other Gou'auld. His worshipers consisted mainly of crazed women who followed his every whim."
"Sounds like the Maenads, Daniel," Kate interrupted.
Jack gave the two a puzzled look."Maenads?"
Daniel pressed his fingertips to his chin, a gesture often associated when he was about to begin a lecture. "Maenads. They were the female worshipers of Dionysus. They were crazed, wild, drunk women who worshiped Dionysus by running into the forest and tearing apart animals and eating the raw flesh. They followed Dionysus everywhere, and there is even a legend of Dionysus sending them to murder a king who mocked him," he finished.
"Yes, Daniel Jackson, but it was a System Lord, not a king. He was condemned and Thoth himself devised a way to stop him. It is said that the zat'n'ktel was first built to destroy him. Unfortunately, they were only able to trap him on his spaceship. There is an electrical field surrounding it so that he cannot escape," Teal'c explained.
Kate frowned deeply. "Or there was. I have a sinking feeling that that globe was some sort of control mechanism for the field. The zats must function on a similar polarity as Bacchus. The like charges would repel each other on contact, causing Bacchus to disperse," she mused.
Carter caught on. "But that could mean that Bacchus could indeed be coming here himself. That the object is his spaceship. Why?"
Jack folded his arms, and looked squarely at Kate. "He's coming for you, isn't he? He's followed you over thousands of light-years. Why?" he demanded.
Kate shrugged. "How the hell should I know?"
"Perhaps he has chosen you for his host, Lieut. Nelson," Teal'c suggested.
Kate was taken aback. "What?Why?"
Teal'c replied,"You have survived a direct blast of his power. Perhaps he believes you will be able to contain him."
She snorted in disgust. "Well, I don't care what he thinks or believes. I'm not giving up my body to some disembodied body-snatcher."
Suddenly, an officer burst into the briefing room, and hastily saluted. "General Hammond, there's something on the television you all should see. It's about the object," he announced.
Hammond nodded. "Certainly. Come on, people."
The group exited to find three technicians watching a television that was seated on a trolley. They were watching the news. A reporter was standing in front of a wooded area. She spoke, "I'm here in the Sawtooth Mountains where a centuries old pine has apparently been vapourised by a UFO. Two local teenagers are apparently also missing and may be dead. NASA has cordoned off the area, but have not provided any explanations. However, a strange UFO is visible high in the sky," the camera panned up where a dark mass of metal was a large spot on the cloudless blue sky,"More developments as they arise. For now, I'm Kathy Sherwood, in Grand Marais, Minnesota."
Jack shook his head angrily. "Oh shit. How did the press get there before NASA?"
Kate's eyes were wide with fear. "I know that place. Our families vacationed there when I was 13."
Jack looked at Sam. "I thought it wasn't supposed to be here for a couple more days, Major," he said.
She looked back at him, surprise in her eyes. "There must have been a miscalculation," she replied.
"We've got to get there. If Bacchus is there, that disaster is SGC jurisdiction," Jack stated.
"I know, Colonel. I'll get on the horn with the President right away. You all should prepare," Hammond said.
"But why would he hit a tree in Minnesota?" Daniel asked, perplexed.
Teal'c answered gravely, looking pointedly at Kate, "Perhaps he is sending a message."
***
Jack and Kate hung back as the others left the briefing room. Hammond was the last to leave. Kate touched his arm lightly to stay him. "Sir, have you processed those papers I gave you yet?" she asked.
Hammond sighed, noting O'Neill's covert surveillance. He frowned sadly. "Yes, Ms.Nelson, I have. I'm sorry to see you go, but I understand."
Kate smiled wistfully. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate that."
Hammond nodded and left. Kate began gathering documents, distractedly avoiding Jack's gaze.
He finally spoke up. "So you've been here all weekend?"
She nodded. "Yeah, well, I figure I'm already going to Hell, there's no reason to rush it," she replied sardonically.
His voice grew softer, more earnest. "Why didn't you tell me?"
She arched an eyebrow. "Why? Disappointed?"
"No. Relieved."
They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment. "Oh," was all she could say.
He cleared his throat. "So, you're leaving?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I gave in my walking papers yesterday," she answered.
Jack's heart skipped a beat, but his voice was calm. "Where are you going to go? Plattsburgh?" he asked, his mind in turmoil.
She shook her head gravely. "No. Too many memories. I don't know. Somewhere else," she replied.
He felt the plea slip out before he could stop it. "Please don't go."
She gazed at him, her eyes challenging. "Why, Jack? Why should I stay?"
He stumbled on his words. "I...I..."
She sighed and turned away. "Whatever."
"Oh, for crying out loud..." In one step, he closed the gap between them and wrapped his fingers around her neck, drawing her lips to his in a passionate kiss. She reciprocated immediately, enveloping him in her arms.
The emotions finally released, their lips separated, and Jack's hands slipped to Kate's lower back, holding her close. "You can't leave because I love you, Kate," he said at last, fairly panting from the effort of the kiss.
She smiled, a little breathless herself. "You? Love a soulless wretch like me?"
He smiled back. "You have a beautiful soul, Kate. You just don't realize it." She began to speak, but he placed a finger on her lips to stop her. "He's not getting you, Kate. I'll make sure of that," he assured her.
She frowned. "How could you possibly be sure of that, Jack?"
He kissed her lightly on the forehead and again on the lips. "Because I'm not losing you. Not now." He stroked her cheek lovingly. "Nobody leaves. Got that?"
She grinned. "Nobody leaves."
***
The sun shone bright and innocent as the SGC crews converged on the sleepy hamlet of Grand Marais, Minnesota. As the crews converged on Grand Marais, so too did Grand Marais converge on the crews. Nearly a thousand civilians had gathered to gawk at the strange Air Force personnel. Reporters flocked to SG-1, who were leading the crews. Jack never paused to talk, brushing off the journalists with a brusque "no comment" and leading them through the throng.
Kate shuddered as she gazed up at the dark, cold mass of metal hovering directly above her, thousands of miles high. It was a curious object-most of it looked to be huge, black metal girders with a large fuschia stone in the center. It looked like a gigantic eye: the girders were the body of the eye, and the stone, the pupil and iris. She looked down as she felt Jack squeeze her hand reassuringly. She smiled and squeezed his hand in return.
They stopped at the foot of the mountain, and the research crews spread out around SG-1. The five of them studied the mountain thoughtfully. Kate turned to her companions. "When I was 13, the Davises, Millers, and Owens spent two weeks camping on this mountain. The summit is accessible only by bike or on foot. It's pretty primitive compared to the other mountains around here. We can't take the jeeps up-the road is too narrow," she informed them.
Jack shrugged. "We'll be OK. How long a hike?"
Kate thought a moment."About an hour. You all can bike, right?"
They gave her quizzical looks, and nodded. "Sure. Why?" Daniel asked.
Kate gestured towards a dirt-bike stand. "This mountain has officially sanctioned dirt-bike tracks. We can rent some bikes, and use one of the tracks up. It's faster, and we won't be as exhausted," she explained.
Jack looked in the direction she was pointing. "Yeah, I guess so. Let's go," he decided.
Kate took point on the rough ride up the mountain. She was followed closely by Jack and Sam. Teal'c, unsteady at first, was a few meters behind. Daniel protected the rear.
She never looked back. Kate was always conscious of their presence, but didn't much care. She was wrapped up in her thoughts. This place meant more than she'd let on. This was *their* place, the four friends' refuge from the Hicksville, Minnesota their parents had dragged them. They'd been bored to tears that summer, so many years ago- until they'd found this rocky trail up the mountain. It hadn't even been a real dirt bike track yet, but it suited their purposes. Now, she was back, without the others, and with their murderer looming above her. She shuddered to imagine the possibilities of how he had found, and violated her most sacred sanctuary.
She stopped suddenly as the front tire of her bike encountered a taut strip of police tape. She looked ahead. She was at least 10 feet from her destination. SG-1, behind her by at least 2 feet, nearly crashed into each other as they realized she'd stopped. Jack was about to comment on her sense of timing when he noticed the look on her face. She wouldn't even have heard the context of his words if he'd shouted at her. Kate was a million miles away.
Suddenly, she ditched her bike and hopped over the police barrier, landing amidst the rubble. He called to her, but she didn't notice. Sighing, he led the team across the barrier, and hurried to join Kate. She stood among the largest pieces of burnt wood, closest to the cliff, examining the ground beneath her.
He touched her shoulder, and she looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's all gone," she whispered.
He looked around. "What?"
Before she could answer, Carter, kneeling among the ashes and rubble with a Geiger counter in her hand, spoke up. "There's a great deal of residual radiation here, but not enough to be harmful," she reported.
"Good. Get to work analyzing the debris," Jack ordered, turning to Kate,"Kate, honey, what is it?"
She frowned dejectedly at the particularly large wood fragment she held. Her tone was almost a whisper. "Nothing. Everything. Jack, this...this was our tree. Mine and the others. We even carved our names in the trunk," he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled close,"Mike carved the inscription 'Friends for Life' under our names." She broke from him, and settled on the edge of the cliff, her head in her hands. "God, Jack, I'm all alone."
He watched her a moment, then settled down near her, holding her hands in his. "You're not alone, Kate. You have all of us. And you have me," he comforted.
She reached over, and kissed him lightly. "I know, Jack," she said, turning the piece of wood around in her hands. On the third rotation, she suddenly stopped, and her face flew up to the sky. Abruptly, she stood, and flung the wood over the side of the cliff. "I don't believe this!" she raged, her eyes still on the sky.
"What?" her four companions chorused.
She turned to them, her eyes blazing, and her hands on her hips. She pointed at the sky. "Look! He's right above us! He's moving with us!"
Together, they looked up to see the huge, metal monstrosity hovering high above them. "Oh," Jack said, drawing in a breath.
Carter frowned at the other woman incredulously. "Don't be ridiculous. He's probably just matched the speed of his orbit to the rotation of the Earth. We're just perceiving him following us because his orbit has brought him near us," she explained.
Kate was quick to contradict her. "Maybe so, but the Earth rotates from West to East. We've been traveling *North*. We should see him as south of us."
"Yeah, but are you sure he hasn't just been here all along? I don't remember him being directly above us when we were at the bottom of the mountain," Sam shot back.
Kate sighed, exasperated. "Yes. He was directly above me when we were at the bottom of the mountain, and he's right above me now."
Kate's head began to throb. She frowned. It was hard to think, hard to focus. Her vision swam before her, and her knees began to buckle. Her hearing was funny too- like when you try to use your cell-phone, and you're out of range. Dimly, she heard Jack cry out as she hit the ground.
"Kate!" Jack exclaimed as she fell. He kneeled to hold her, but she didn't respond. She lay curled in a ball, clutching her head.
Carter pulled on Jack's sleeve. He looked up to see her pointing at the sky. "Colonel! Is that glowing?" she asked worriedly. The four gazed up at the metal colossus as the huge pink jewel pulsated steadily.
"Oh shit," Daniel whispered.
Kate could feel herself losing consciousness, but she held on fiercely. A sharp voice sliced though the haze of her conscious mind. 'Katherine...' Something inside her screamed. She struggled to look up at her friends, and saw them staring transfixed at the sky. Bacchus' ship glowed menacingly, and she was positive it was coming closer.
The same *something* within her that had screamed now snapped, and her confusion suddenly lifted in a mad rush of adrenaline. Kate leapt to her feet, and snatched the sleeves of the people closest to her. "Zats! Now!" she commanded. The others looked at her numbly for a split second then pulled out the zat'n'ktels they had brought with them. There was a refreshing whine as the zats opened, and Kate smiled as the sound of four zat'n'ktels' energy blasts resounded in the clearing.
Suddenly, she gasped as Jack pushed her into the trees. A blast of fuschia lightning narrowly missed his heels. She reacted immediately. Grabbing Jack's zat gun, she pointed and shot at the beam of fuschia light. the beam shivered a moment, and shrank back into the jewel of the ship. Kate aimed again, and shot the jewel. A loud crack filled the area. The ship desperately shrank back into the upper atmosphere.
Kate breathed a sigh of relief, and winced with fatigue, her adrenaline rush finally over. She turned and smiled weakly as Jack touched her shoulder. He smiled back. They held each other close, both relieved the other was OK.
"You have excellent aim, Kate Nelson." The couple turned to a spot a little ways off, where teal'c stood over a groggy Sam and Daniel. It was Tea'c who'd spoken.
"Thanks, I guess," Kate replied.
"You guys OK?" Jack asked, regaining his command composure. The other three nodded. SG-1 collected themselves, and gathered in the clearing.
"What now?" Daniel asked, brushing off his pants.
Kate looked to Jack and he nodded. "We head back to base. I think I have an idea how to take care of Bacchus..."
***
"Well, what do you think?" Kate asked, holding a complicated arrangement of wires and electrodes for Sam Carter to inspect.
Carter frowned. "I don't know. Isn't it just a little too risky?" she replied worriedly.
Kate shook her head emphatically. "Don't worry. I won't set the charge too high."
"This thing of yours has a higher charge than the shock ear plugs I created to kill the Nishta."
"Well, Bacchus isn't some kind of microscopic organism. I need a bigger electric shock for what I'm planning."
"It's still too dangerous."
"Hello? Have you been listening to anything I've been saying?"
"The rat died."
"It's a rat!"
"So?"
"So I *think* I have a tad more body mass!"
Sam folded her arms, and leaned against a desk, still frowning but not as much. "Well, I guess. Just don't set the charge too high," she warned.
Kate sighed. "I know what I'm doing."
Sam fingered the blueprints on the desk. "It's your funeral," she said.
Kate smiled grimly. "No kidding." She picked up the blueprints, and began folding them. "Listen, Sam. Don't tell Jack about this, OK? He can't know?" she requested calmly.
Carter raise an eyebrow. "Shouldn't he know?" she asked.
"Certainly not. He might try to stop me. I can't let him," Kate replied with a determined air.
Sam shrugged. "Fine. You're the one who should be telling him anyway, not me," she said.
"Tell me what?" Both women jumped as Jack O'Neill entered the room. Kate deftly snatched up the wire contraption and blueprints, and stuffed them in a drawer. She turned to Jack with an innocent smile.
"Nothing," she replied. Jack eyed her suspiciously, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She betrayed nothing. He looked at Carter.
"Yeah, nothing," Carter concurred. He regarded them both for a moment then settled his attention on Kate, gently massaging her back. They smiled at each other.
Carter cleared her throat. The couple snapped to attention. "Well, I guess I should go prepare the probe. Remember, we're launching it at 0800 hours tomorrow," she reminded them. She shot Kate a look as she left.
Jack watched her go then turned to Kate. he kissed her gently, and she melted into his arms. "Thought she'd never leave," he smirked.
She playfully smacked him on the arm. "Jack!" she admonished, but she was smiling too.
He reached around her to pick up a set of blueprints on the desk. "What're you working on?" he asked, holding the papers for her to see.
Kate glanced at it briefly. "Oh, that. It's a modified remote detonator for the C-4," she replied distractedly.
"No kidding?"
Kate nodded. "I figure with this detonator we can destroy Bacchus's ship quicker than with the other," she explained.
Jack was impressed. "You really are a genius engineer, aren't you?" he smiled, stroking her neck gently with his lips.
She leaned into his kisses, reveling in their closeness. "Flattery will get you anywhere," she said. She ran her fingers through his graying yet handsome hair, and pulled him closer.
'Katherine....'
"Don't call me that," she smirked.
Jack didn't look up. "Call you what?"
'Katherine, come to me...'
Kate eyed her lover incredulously. "Katherine. You called me Katherine."
This time, Jack looked up. "No, I didn't."
'Katherine, we belong together...'
She scanned the room nervously. They were the only ones there. She let go of him, and began to slowly back away. "Yes, you did," she countered anxiously.
He extended a hand to her, but she shrank away. "Kate, honey, I didn't. What's wrong?" Jack asked cautiously, his worry growing.
'Katherine, we are one. Join me....'
Again, Kate looked around, backing to the door. She had that same same *caged animal* look as before, and was on the verge of tears. "Nothing! You did!" she exclaimed.
'Hear me, Katherine, Hear me...'
Kate's hands flew to her ears, and she backed away even more. "Oh God, can't you hear him? Can't you?" she demanded desperately.
Jack shook his head. "Hear what?"
"Him! Him!" She backed out the door. "I have to leave, Jack. Not long. Just now. Later, Jack."
She made to leave, but he caught her arm. "What is it? What's wrong?"
She pulled her arm from his grip. "Nothing. I just gotta go." She ran down the hall.
"Kate!!" Jack called, but she had already disappeared round the bend. "Kate..."
***
"Input the coordinates." The sergeant nodded, his fingers flying over the keyboard. Kate looked out at the Stargate, the first chevrons beginning to light up.
She purposely avoided the gazes of her companions in the control room, Jack's in particular. She could sense what he was thinking, and she was still kicking herself for the display she'd given the other day. She felt like a fool. 'Now he thinks I'm nuts,' Kate thought bitterly. She rubbed her temples frustratedly, the strange voice she'd heard still ringing in her brain. 'Maybe I am,' she mused.
She gazed down at the awkward-looking yet agile MALP probe. The robot squatted lonely at the edge of the Stargate's ramp. Advancements in technology would seem to have made the MALP obsolete, but the sturdy piece of equipment had remained essential to the SGC's work.
The technician's monotonous announcements brought her back to the task at hand. Kate focused on the diagnostic displays that had been assigned to her. She glanced at the technician, wondering how many times he'd droned the same words.
"Chevron 4 locked.....Chevron 5 locked....Chevron 6 locked....Chevron 7 locked in place," he looked up at Kate and Sam, standing on either side of him,"Wormhole engaged."
Carter nodded. "Send the probe through, Sergeant," she ordered calmly. The sergeant's fingers sped across the controls, and the MALP advanced up the ramp to the Stargate.
Kate barely jumped in surprise as Jack appeared behind her, touching her shoulder reassuringly. She smiled sadly at him. They turned to watch the MALP begin entering the Stargate.
Suddenly, the wormhole disappeared, leaving the MALP probe gutted in half. The SGC control room was drowned in shocked silence. Soldiers and scientists alike turned to each other, their mouths open in surprise.
"What the hell just happened?" Jack asked, breaking the stunned quiet.
"It just shut off!" Daniel exclaimed.
"Brilliant deduction, Holmes. Any idea why? Kate? Carter?" Jack replied.
Sam put her hands on her hips. "Well, we now can safely guess what Bacchus did to our computers and the Gate."
O'Neill gestured to the Gate and demanded,"Can we still go through?"
"Jack, the Stargate was open for maybe five seconds. Our *hands* wouldn't have time to go through!" Kate answered incredulously.
"That's not what I meant. Can we still use the Stargate?" Jack shrugged defensively.
Kate frowned. "Well..."
"None of this happened when we were testing the Gate," Carter interrupted.
The brunette scientist shot a look at her blond counterpart. "Yes, but that was to other worlds," she said, and a light went on in her head.
The light shone in Sam's eyes too. "So we could find an empty planet and..."
"And go to P4X-949 from there," Kate finished, grinning proudly.
Carter's face fell. "But that means no MALP."
Nelson shrugged. "Should be clear anyway."
O'Neill stared in bewilderment at the two women. "Uh, Ladies...?"
Pleased with themselves, they laughed. "The mission is still a go, Colonel," Kate replied with a mock salute.
Jack threw his arms up in the air. "Good. All I wanted to know." He looked at Kate. "Do you know the coordinates?"
She sighed grimly. "How can I forget?"
***
The desert ground was ossified under Kate's feet as she emerged from the Stargate. She shuddered in recognition of an all-too-familiar sight. Very little had changed on the arid, desolate planet. Black rock protruded out of the packed sand like the fossilized spine of an enormous dinosaur. The air reeked of ozone, but the clouds hung in the sky, grey and heavy. Menacing as they were, Kate knew the clouds had nothing to do with the smell, and were unlikely to dump their load anytime soon. He was here. She could feel his malignant presence in her bones.
A flicker of dread shot coolly down her back, and she grasped Jack's arm as the others ventured past them. She turned to him, pleading in her eyes. "Jack, if something happens to me..."
Jack sighed and interrupted,"Nothing will happen, Kate!"
She frowned. "But if something does, don't take my body back to Earth. Leave me here."
"What are you talking about? I'm not going to do that!" he protested.
"Just listen and do it, Jack! Please," she insisted.
He opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it at the stern set of her jaw. "Fine, Kate," he conceded at last.
"You swear? On your love for me, promise it," she pressed.
He regarded her silently for a long moment. "I swear, Kate, on my love for you."
Thunder crashed behind them. The members of SG-1 looked at each other worriedly.
"I have tried enticement, force, coercion, even madness...and still, you resist. You will be a formidable host, indeed, Katherine," a malevolent, snake-like voice said.
SG-1 tensed and turned around. Before them stood a deceptively beautiful man bathed in fuschia light. With his form-fitting toga and long golden hair framing a perfect visage, he looked like he'd just stepped off Mount Olympus. Just past his shoulder hovered the metal colossus, its jewel dark.
Jack made a covert signal and Jackson, Carter, and Teal'c fanned out, leaving O'Neill and Kate to stand before the entity. They each had their own roles to perform. "Bacchus, I presume?" Jack observed coolly.
The spirit's flawless features contorted into a grimace. "I have no quarrel with you, human. My concern is Katherine. I will send you to Lethe in good time, fear not," he warned.
Kate stepped forward menacingly. "I don't care what you want. Come on. One way or another, this ends now," she challenged.
Bacchus floated closer, smirking. "Mmm...very true," he affirmed. He turned to Jack, and raised a luminescent hand. "As for minor annoyances...," Bacchus's hand crackled, and Jack was flung across the dessicated plain. Kate tried to go to him, but discovered herself halted by Bacchus' tight grip on her shoulder. "Not now, love. We'll deal with them later," Bacchus promised.
Bacchus' eyes rolled back as his hands began to dissolve into Kate's shoulders. In a swift moment, he was gone, melted inside her. Suddenly, Kate began to convulse, and fell to her knees. Excruciating pain coursed through her veins. She screamed a bloodcurdling scream, and beams of light shot out of her eyes, nose, and gaping mouth. Moaning, she collapsed on the ground.
Jack approached her carefully, and turned her over. "Kate? Kate?" he called tentatively. She was silent a moment then suddenly her eyes flew open, but they shone with an unearthly glow. Apathetically, she stood and brushed him away. Simpering, she stretched casually, her eyes and hands crackling.
"So this is what it's like to be a woman," an inhuman voice said from Kate's mouth. It looked up at the startled faces of SG-1. "Well, who shall we test this new body on first?"
Bacchus/Kate doubled over as bolts of blue lightning sprang up from their joints. A strangled cry erupted from their throat, and their eyes went dark, as if the lights inside had been switched off. Bacchus screamed and rushed from Kate in a burst of frenzied luminescence. His host crumpled into a senseless heap.
Jack reacted immediately, sending off a whistle to Carter. Bacchus' ship disappeared in a fiery explosion. Bits of debris flew over their heads. Bacchus stared at the holocaust in horror. Desperately, he turned back to his fallen vessel. Sparks of electricity still spit from her limbs. He had nowhere to go.
Furiously, Bacchus spun to Jack, his eyes blazing. "I'll kill you..." Bacchus' threats stopped short at the whine of four zat'n'ktels opening. He looked around. The humans, the four insignificant humans (Well, three and a Jaffa), stood in a circle around him, those infernal weapons pointed at him. The grey-haired one smiled ironically.
"This does end now, Bacchus-boy. See ya," he mocked as the four of them pulled the trigger as one. Turquoise lightning shot out of the zats at the entity, tearing it apart at the molecular level. With a final scream, Bacchus' energy dissipated into the atmosphere. SG-1 cheered, and gasped in relief.
A soft moan woke them from their celebration. Jack rushed to Kate's side, and cradled her in his arms, the others flanking him. She looked up at him listlessly, her eyes glassy. "Did we win? Is he gone?" she croaked, her voice barely audible.
Jack smiled anxiously. "Yeah, we got him. And we're going to get you back to Doc Fraizer and you're going to be fine. OK?" he assured her.
She shook her head weakly. "No, Jack. Too late...dying...not going to make it," she replied though strangled gasps.
He stroked her forehead, tears welling up in his eyes. "Don't talk like that. That's not true. You're going to be OK," he reasoned, almost pleadingly.
Kate extended a feeble hand to brush his cheek. "I'm sorry...I...had to set the charge...that high...Knew...I'd probably...die. Don't...forget," she smiled sadly,"I'm so...sorry. I...have...to leave. I love you." Her last breath rushed from her lungs, and her eyes closed gratefully.
Jack O'Neill cried out in anguish as Kate Nelson went limp in his arms.
***
It watched. It was nothing, only stray consciousness, unable to feel anything above hunger, pain, hatred. It had no physical existence, whatever physical was. No thoughts, no memories, no intelligence, no knowledge.
But It watched. It watched the humans (was that what they were?) standing over the rocks. What were they doing? One chanted, no two were chanting, each in different words (what were words?). One stood in silence, staring at the ground. The last was hitting a wooden thing (two crossed pieces? why?) into the rocks (why?).
It watched the last human closest. For this one, It felt. Hatred (yes, that was it. Hatred!) welled up in Its (what? soul? No. It had no soul.). Hunger too. Hunger for what? Revenge! (Yes, but what is that?) Well, It would just have to find out.
***
THE END!!!! Foreshadowing of sequels to come....Hee Hee! Do give me your opinion, please. But remember, no flames.
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Vertigo
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