Alternate Means to an End
By Ael L. Bolt
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama/Supernatural
Spoilers: 9x09 Prototype
Summary: A slightly different ending to Prototype. Daniel rediscovers something he misplaced.
Author's Notes: Okay, while I was quite pleased with how the end of this episode happened, there are far too many questions unanswered, like how Daniel got into the Gateroom so fast (note, it took Mitchell, four SFs, and Teal'c with a crowbar to get one door open over a span of a few minutes, whereas Daniel only took seconds BY HIMSELF), without Kalec seeing him standing at the base of the ramp in plain sight. Also, Daniel and Mitchell fired multiple times at pointblank range and only about half of them seemed to hit, starting with Daniel's single shot. I'm starting to think the guy has a Holy Handgun or something. So anyway, this is how the episode would've happened if I'd been writing it.
Kalec disappeared into the wormhole and the Gate shut down. Daniel shuddered as he thought of what the son of Anubis would do now that he was unleashed upon the galaxy, and cursed inwardly.
Suddenly the Gate began dialing, and Harriman announced an incoming wormhole. Daniel looked down at Sam in sudden comprehension of what she had done, and swiftly turned and ran out of the control room as the Gate activated. He knew Teal'c, Cameron, and some guards were attempting to pry open one of the blast doors, but he knew what had to be done, and headed for the door on the other side of the Gateroom. Two guards were standing there, trying to pull the door open with their hands and not making any progress at all.
"MOVE!" Daniel bellowed as he ran forward, and the two guards sprang away from the door in surprise. The Ancient knowledge that RepliCarter had pulled from his mind sprang into his conscious thoughts, and his eyes narrowed as he focused on the tiny gap between the door and the wall. Gathering all his strength of will, he reached out a hand towards it and mentally pulled.
The door jolted violently on its tracks, but soundlessly slid partially open. Tendrils of power snapped around his body, but Daniel barely noticed, squeezing through the gap with ease. The guards exchanged bewildered glances behind the man's back, but Daniel's focus was solely on the hybrid standing on the ramp, hand stretched out to deflect Mitchell's bullets.
Daniel's hand came up, and with deadly intent he squeezed the trigger of his Beretta only once. His mind caught the bullet in its grasp and accelerated it far past how fast it was designed to go, tearing through Kalec's chest right next to the heart.
Mitchell looked over at Daniel in surprise. "Nice shot!"
Daniel only glanced at him, then dismissed the Human as inconsequential. "Kalec!" he called out to the near-Other. The hybrid slowly raised his head to look at Daniel, fear coming into those evil eyes for the first time as he beheld the one who had wounded him.
"So you remember your true power," Kalec attempted bravado. "Tell me, Daniel, what do you think of having the power of God Himself?"
Daniel was vaguely aware of everyone else staring at the pair, but he paid no attention to them. "Surrender now or die," he warned, drawing upon all his knowledge and power. Unbeknownst to Daniel, he had begun to glow with a brilliant white corona that only strengthened by the moment.
"You cannot stop me!" Kalec shrieked, hands coming up to telekinetically push Daniel away. "I am invincible!"
He had been warned. "Hardly," Daniel scoffed, and threw his weapon aside before charging up the ramp.
Kalec shouted something, but Daniel knew only Purpose. The Evil must be stopped. He brushed aside Its pitiful attempts to stop him, and slammed the full force of Power into the Evil.
Mitchell dove out of the Gateroom as a blinding fireball exploded into being at the top of the ramp, surrounding Jackson and Kalec in a firestorm that enveloped the entire room. A single scream of pain could be heard, and then nothing.
Those up in the control room had to shield their eyes from the inferno, and Harriman blindly hit the control to lower the blast shield. Even that began to glow red-hot from the intense heat on the other side
The fire finally died down after nearly fifteen minutes, and Harriman pressed the control to make the blast shield rise. The walls of the Gateroom were charred black, the ramp merely a smoking puddle on the floor, but the Gate itself and the entry platform in the middle were untouched. A scattering of fine white ash floated through the air. In the midst of it all stood Daniel Jackson, completely untouched by the flame, with no sign of Kalec. The formerly Ascended man turned to face his observers, blue eyes intense with an awareness Sam had only seen once in her life.
"Dear God," she whispered.
"What?" Landry asked nervously, eyeing the archaeologist like one would look at a particularly dangerous animal. "What the hell just happened here?"
"He remembers," Sam forced out. "Sir, I think he's completely accessed the knowledge he had while he was Ascended. Including how to use powers like Kalec's."
"Correct."
They all jumped at the sound of Daniel's voice, which somehow came through clearly despite the barriers between them and the lack of working microphones in the Gateroom. The linguist stepped off the edge of the entry platform, landing on the floor several feet below as easily as if he had stepped off the curb into the street. Mitchell and the guards jumped back as Daniel easily opened the door and prowled past them, heading for the control room. Even Teal'c looked unnerved.
"General," Daniel said once he reached the control room, "Kalec's use of his powers somehow managed to spark off the memory of once having them in myself. Since I was actually Ascended on two separate occasions, I believe I was better able to make use of such abilities to stop the threat to all life in this galaxy." The deep gaze had faded from his eyes somewhat, but it was still there under the usual face of the man. "With your permission, sir, I'd like to begin finding a process to contact the Ori. Immediately." He smirked faintly. "They've got a rude awakening coming."