Do as I say, not as I do
Summary: What if all that button pushing did do something else? Episode tag for 'Arthur's Mantle'.
Author's Note: So I was in a very shippy mood the other day but couldn't find any eps that would satisfy it and I came across 'Arthur's Mantle' on my computer and just decided to watch that in an attempt to restore my fleeing sanity. Twenty minutes in and the bunnies attacked. Here's the result...
"... we don't know what pushing buttons randomly will do..." Daniel
Sam sat hovered over the bench, her mind wandering whilst Daniel passed his hand along the line of Ancient letters in his notebook. Cam had left pretty quickly, saying that she was far more suited to the job then he was and that he wanted to be there for Teal'c's check-in. Which meant here she was, stuck doing one of the most boring and time-consuming jobs she could ever think of. It had originally increased her respect for Daniel, with his patient ability to decipher and learn new languages, but the Sam remembered that he liked doing this and her respect fled, instead allowing the annoyance and utter boredom to sneak in.
She knew she was being slightly hypocritical, as her work would seem just as boring and slow to Daniel as his did to her but she reasoned, since she was the one stuck in an alternate dimension with no way home, that she was allowed to feel a little self-interested and resentful. Although part of her also knew that she didn't as Daniel had been through this before as well, though he had had a more effective way of communicating than 'yes' and 'no'. Sighing she slumped back over the lab counter and, not for the first time, thought what it must've been like for Daniel back then, when they had no idea of what was happening at all.
He could have done anything he wanted, she summarised, and after all he did say afterwards that he'd travelled off base with them, both on Earth and through the stargate. Sam wondered what she'd do if she had the guts to do that, to actually do something she wanted to, taking advantage of the situation, instead of just being goody-too-shoes officer Samantha Carter who always fixed the problem straight away and never lived. Sam wondered briefly what Cam would say if she suggested they take time out and do that instead of trying to find a way home.
And it wasn't as if she didn't know where she'd like to go. Nobody could see or hear her, so nobody would know she was there and then she could do something she hadn't been able to do in almost a year, something she missed terribly. She'd be able to see him, see him and watch him work, and without anybody to call her on it either. Now if only she had the courage to follow through...
Hitting the button for yes as Daniel finally reached the right symbol, Sam felt a slight surge and watched as the screen flickered. Freezing she waited for another reaction but when none came figured it had just been a fluke. That notion went out the window when Doctor Lee spoke up.
"Err, Doctor Jackson? I'm reading a fluctuation in the power levels of the device, coinciding with the last answer given."
"What? What d'you mean?" Daniel replied, turning around to face Bill.
"He means that when you said pushing buttons randomly might do something you were right." Sam sighed as Bill attempted to babble a response.
"Wait so you're saying the device could be powering up to do something else? And if we continue with the translation it could trigger that activation?"
"It's a possibility." Bill admitted.
Daniel closed his eyes and sighed and then turned back around to face the device and Sam. "Okay if you heard that guys then you know we have a slight problem. But considering that we don't have any other options I think the best thing we could do is just to carry on with the translation so we can figure out how to undo all this. If you agree, well you know what to-"
Sam pressed the yes button, hitting the one beside it accidently as well and felt the surge again. Almost as in slow motion she saw Daniel nod and then continue with moving his hand across the alphabet in his notebook, but the scene was fading slightly, as if Sam was being pulled away. Sam immediately panicked and moved to hit the 'no' button to tell them something was wrong but instead it caused another surge and a bright flash of light later and Sam was standing in the middle of a corridor bustling with people.
Jumping back instinctively as a young airman, his arms piled high with boxes, passed her Sam knew she was in even more trouble than before. Nobody in the corridor had reacted to her sudden appearance so she knew she was still in an alternate dimension, but otherwise she didn't have a clue as to where she was; she definitely wasn't in the SGC anymore.
"Mitchell?" She called out hopefully "Cameron?"
There was no reply, not that Sam really expected one, so far the device had only transported the people directly around it and Cam hadn't been near the lab when the device had activated. Meaning she was here alone and even more screwed than before.
Turning around and looking down each way of the corridor Sam tried to see if there was anything familiar about the place. As immature as it seemed she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to leave the spot she had been transported to, it might be the only thing that linked her back to the device and subsequently, getting her back to the SGC. Standing there and trying to make her mind up, weighing her options, Sam was startled when she heard a voice above all the noise around her that she recognised.
"Davis?" She thought aloud and before she had any chance to think further she had taken two steps in the direction his voice had sounded from.
Freezing again Sam then shook herself and strode in the direction of where his voice had sounded. She wasn't going to be able to do anything whilst standing still on the spot, at least this way she'd be able to find out where she was, and maybe why she'd been brought here.
Turning the corner ... Sam, as tall as she was, had to stand on tiptoes to see over the amount of people in the corridor. It was such an undignified thing she would've never dreamt of doing it in public but seeing as no one could see her she could do as she pleased. It didn't help much though as the corridor was still too crowded with people.
Sighing and slumping back down onto her feet Sam wasn't quite sure what she should do, she wanted to follow Davis, as she knew him and might be able to get some answers but she was also slightly afraid of getting those answers. The list of possible places that Davis could be with this many people around him was pretty short, and there was one place in particular that Sam really didn't want to have to deal with being. Placing her hands on her hips Sam was considering ways of getting through the crowd when the answer was handed to her on a plate, or rather thrust right in front of her eyes, as someone walked through her from behind. As disconcerting as the feeling was it didn't seem to do any harm to either party so Sam decided to go with fate for once and started walking, unconsciously still tensing as she was about to walk through someone, even though her rational mind knew that she wouldn't get hurt or hurt the person she was walking through.
With her new method of transportation it took less than a minute to navigate the busy corridors and Sam found herself in an office area, a large room which held partitioned areas that served as desks for the various personnel who were milling around. Walking to the nearest desk Sam's early suspicions were confirmed when she saw the logo that was painted onto the partition wall; she was in Washington, at the Pentagon.
Sam stopped there and just let herself think. In all truthfulness this is what she had thought of doing earlier, or rather she had entertained the notion that she would like to do this, if she had the guts to follow it through. Now that choice had been taken out of her hands, and she had no choice but to deal with it. She had literally just been picked up and dumped here without her doing anything to cause it.
It wasn't like when she'd activated the device, that had happened as she'd expected it to; she'd caused an action in the device which had given a related reaction. Exactly as the device was programmed to do and as the laws of physics stated. But this, she hadn't done anything she was aware of that would have initiated this. Apart from her wayward thought there had been nothing she had done. Daniel had been right, pushing buttons randomly had had a consequence, and now she was stuck here, trying to deal with it.
"Have you finished that report yet Hutchins? General O'Neill's office asked for it yesterday and you know how the General gets."
Sam started out of her reverie as a staffer near her spoke to his colleague, another staffer who just smiled back at him.
"Yeah, we all know how much he loves paperwork."
Sam ducked her head to hide her smile and then realised she didn't have to, nobody could see her reaction to the simple words, yet they held a much deeper meaning for her, or rather a connection to the man they were talking about.
It really wouldn't be out of the bounds of reason for her to see him. She was there after all, and with no viable way back to the SGC that she was aware of. She was stuck there, it wasn't as if she was shirking any work or figuring a way out of this situation. And he did have the ancient gene, maybe that was connected to this somehow.
It was a long-shot and part of Sam knew that she was just rationalising with herself to go do what she really wanted to, instead of standing there like an awkward, indecisive teenager. This wasn't her after all, and that finally made Sam's mind up for her; she'd go see him, put her mind at rest, and then she'd get herself out of this situation. She'd then get back to the SGC and get both her and Cam back to normal.
Taking a deep breath she walked back out into the corridor and looked around herself. So she'd decided she'd actually go but now she had to find the way there. In the ten months since he'd been transferred to Washington she'd never actually been to his office. She knew it was in the Pentagon, and seeing as he was Director of Homeland Security he was going to have a large office that was in a secure, restricted area. All of which meant he'd probably be based upstairs and with that thought in mind Sam started walking.
Making it up the first flight of stairs Sam paused, unsure whether to try this level or keep going up. As if the cosmos could hear her mental indecision it once again helped her make up her mind.
"Hey Davis, your helicopter is waiting on the tarmac, Ellison sys you're only got a few minutes." A man's voice drifted down to her and Sam looked up to where she saw the familiar figure of Paul Davis, two flights up.
"Good, tell her I'll be there in a few minutes, I just have to drop this off to General O'Neill."
"Will do sir."
Sam smile to herself and then quickly moved up the stairs, making good time as once again she didn't bother to try to avoid the flow of people around her, just walking straight through them instead. Reaching the third level, she entered another corridor just in time to see Davis disappear around a corner and she quickly followed. Turning the corner she saw him ushered into a room but this time Sam slowed her pace instead of speeding up. A shiny gold plaque was on the outside of the door, embossed with the words, 'Major General J. O'Neill'.
She was finally here.
Sam felt nervous, although she didn't know why. She was only going to be able to see him, and it wasn't as if he'd be able to see her. There was no reason for her trepidation as no-one would ever know she'd done this. They were never be any proof that she'd taken advantage of an alien situation for her own, personal reason; that she'd showed a complete lack of disregard in hiding the feelings she wasn't suppose to have for this man in coming here to see him, just for her own needs.
Taking a deep breath Sam slowly approached the door, slipping inside the room as, once again, fate came through for her and it opened to allow a staffer to exit. The room she entered was obviously a waiting room, meant to accommodate the amount of people that had to see the General and if his habits were anything like they were, and Sam was fairly certain he probably hadn't changed that much, then the room was put to good use. Sam smiled as she peered at the people around her, all responsible in some way or other for keeping the General's work moving. They all seemed an effective bunch from what she could see, although she doubted if you made it onto the Pentagon staff that you were a slacker, but still. These people looked after him now, and Sam hoped they were doing a good job. Watching them carefully, as if she was trying to get a fell for his work ethic now, Sam noticed that they all looked very nervous, and even though they were all still working, they kept shooting nervous glances at the main door of the room which Sam guessed was actually his office.
"How long's it been?" Someone whispered.
"Over half an hour." Somebody else replied and Sam got a sudden sense of foreboding.
The administrative staffs of the SGC use to get like this whenever the General had had budget meetings back at the SGC, or whenever a member of the IOA visited. Basically anytime when the General had to do things the General didn't like to do or his people were being called under the hammer and the admins walked around as if on eggshells. And they were all waiting for the same thing; the explosion.
Suddenly the door in front of them flew open and Sam was greeted with her first sight of General Jack O'Neill in just over ten months.
"I don' think so!" He hollered and strode out into the room, his eyes blazing and shoulders thrust back.
Sam let out a breath she didn't remember holding and just let herself watch him, her eyes roving over him and taking in every little detail as he raged. She'd never been able to do this before, always having to be the dutiful 2IC and try to soothe the situation, or having to be careful of who could be watching her, but right now she could just watch him. She could watch him without any worries or fears, just watch him being him, and he was fantastic. Sam had always loved him in his dress blues, she'd always had a weakness for men in uniform, but he'd taken it to a new extreme.
""Jackie, call security and get this man thrown out of the building." He ordered, stopping just in front of the secretary's – Jackie's – desk "Or find the nearest airmen with a working firearm and bring it back to me. Whichever one's quickest."
"Sir-"The woman began.
"General!" The man who had followed the General out of his office, ran forwards blustering "You cannot be serious!"
"Oh, but I am Harraway so I suggest either you start hauling ass or I get to do a little practise shooting today."
"You cannot simply disregard the IOA's opinion simply because you disagree with it!"
"Disagree with it? I don't just disagree with it - I call it a goddamn lie!"
"General-"
"The IOA seem to be under the impression they can do whatever the hell they like without any regard for the consequences the people around them have to face. They just want to drop their noses into business that doesn't concern them and then can't handle it when everything goes sour. You are not blaming their stupidity and mistakes on my people. I thought I had made the perfectly clear back in my office."
"If it hadn't had been for SG-1 then-"
"If it hadn't had been for SG-1 then your little IOA friends wouldn't be here to talk let alone complain about it!"
And Sam suddenly understood what was going on here; this was the political fallout of their trip to take the IOA representatives around the Gamma site. Yet that had been over three weeks ago and Woolsey had assured them that there would be no repercussions. Obviously he hadn't been able to hold his word or, more likely, others in the organisation outside of his control were vying for another shot at the SGC. But the SGC itself had heard none of this.
"As we have told you before General the actions of SG-1 in this matter-"
"Saved the lives of those IOA representatives involved, as has even been admitted to by said representatives. If you are suggesting anything else Harraway I'd be very careful as to how you word it, and to whom." The General's voice had taken on a very icy tone and everyone in the office had suddenly decided that being otherwise occupied was a very good idea; it was clear to everyone that the General really meant.
Sam couldn't help but grin as Harraway blustered again, turning red in the face as he attempted to regain his ability to speak. This was Jack O'Neill at his second best – Sam would say best but it was her personal opinion that his best was when he was yelling orders at her, Daniel and Teal'c in the field whilst firing a P-90. Here he had people hanging off his every word, just like then, but it was his words that were his bullets now, and for a man that wasn't big on talking, he could use them very well.
And Sam couldn't help but feel an immense swell of pride and well, giddiness wasn't too far from the truth, at the thought that he was doing this whilst protecting them. He was still fighting SG-1's battles for them, still watching their sixes, making sure no-one hurt them Earth-side. But it also sobered Sam's thoughts, as if he won his battles they would never know just what he was doing for them, they would never know what he went through to keep them as safe as he could. In a way he was fighting even more enemies than he had been before and he still found time to watch out for them personally.
"I believe that could be considered a threat General O'Neill." Harraway finally got his speech together.
"Really?" The General replied slowly and Sam smiled at how immature it made him sound "Well that's funny as I only meant it as a simple warning but if you think it sounded like a threat... I'll tell you what how 'bout we ask everyone here what they think it sounded like?"
Harraway looked around the room and seemed to shrink back into himself, he was about to reply when the General cut him off.
"Hey folks, listen up! Did any of you happen to hear me threaten this man here?"
The room stayed resolutely silent but in every direction people were shaking their heads. Harraway seemed to be deflating right in front of Sam's eyes and she could help but let her smile grow; the General often had the effect on people, hell even on aliens. He also instilled a fierce sense of loyalty and looking at the people around her Sam was glad that he seemed to have good people surrounding him here. Anyone at the SGC would have done anything he asked of them, and it looked like the same could be said of his inferiors here.
"Right well that seems to have cleared that up. Jackie," he turned back tot he woman behind the desk "Forget calling security just make sure that airman with the loaded gun escorts him out. And tell him if Harraway says anything from leaving this office to the front door that he can use whatever digression he pleases to shut the idiot up."
"Yes sir."
"General! You cannot-"
"Oh but I can and I am Mr Harraway. Have a good day." And off he strode back to his office, leaving the poor bumbling IOA official in his wake.
Sam shook her head and followed after him not missing the smiles the people in the office were trying to cover up as Harraway was shown out of the outer office. Stepping through the doorway just as a junior officer pulled it closed she moved towards the front of his desk, repression a stupid notion to stand at attention. He couldn't see her and even if he could he'd probably yell at her for doing so; he hated it when she stood at attention. It had been one of the first things to go at the SGC when he'd been made base commander, nobody stood to attention around him unless it was in an official capacity, such as meetings or ceremonies, or a delegation of Air Force, Presidential or alien representatives were visiting. Even then he hated it.
Watching him Sam could see just how tired he was, how much of a strain this job must be for him. She wished now more than ever that she could provide him some respite, give him that comfort he so desperately deserved. And it wasn't like she'd be an unwilling participant; there was nothing more in the world that she'd like than the possibility to return from a day of work at the SGC and go home to him.
When he'd been first reassigned Sam hadn't been able to hold back the hope that maybe this was what needed to change between them for there to be a 'them'. They wouldn't be in the same chain of command anymore, there was no big bad guy to fight, she'd have been in a stable work environment at Area 51 and there was a month before he had to move to D.C.; it had been such an opportunity. But just like everything else, work got in the way and he was ordered to Washington just three days into his month break. Sam knew she hadn't imagined the disappointed look they had shared at his hastily-thrown last minute goodbye party; he'd wanted this chance for them as well. But, like always, they'd done their duty and now they were further apart than ever.
Moving forwards she circled his desk, looking over his shoulder as he worked, writing up a report on his recommendation for the IOA concerning SG-1's latest mission. There was quite a bit of colourful language used and Sam guessed that that was his secretary's main job; make sure his reports were actually fit to be released. She smiled again as she remembered Walter in a panic once, rushing round trying to find a memo that the General had sent out without letting him know first. Sam had found it funny at the time but now she knew why he'd been in such a stress; Walter hadn't known what the report was about and knew what the General was usually like in writing his reports.
Glancing up from his writing Sam noticed a few photo frames scattered around his desk and moved to get a better look at them. Not surprisingly the first one she recognised was Charlie, grinning at the camera whilst holding a baseball bat and dressed in a player's uniform. The second picture was one of Cassie, taken only a few months ago at a friend's birthday party, where she was smiling and laughing, her hair swept back from her face and her arms flung wide. She looked every bit the college girl she was, with no hint of the horrors and sorrow of her life. Sam supposed that was partly why he had that picture. The third and final picture was of the four of them, off-world somewhere although you'd never guess it from just looking at the picture. They were all grinning at the camera, probably at a joke he'd just told. Daniel was sitting on the ground, his smile almost splitting his face in two as he peered upwards. She was next to him, perched on a boulder, her hands holding her P-90 loosely as she grinned at the camera. He stood just behind her and off to the side slightly, half leaning on the boulder she was perched on, his sunglasses off for once so she could see the sparkle in his eyes. Finally Teal'c stood next to him, tall and commanding with his hand on his staff weapon, a small smile playing on his lips which spoke volumes to anyone who knew him. The picture couldn't be more than a year old, and Sam had a copy of it herself, standing in an ornate photo frame in pride of place on her mantle-place at home. She knew that both Daniel and Teal'c had the picture as well, and Sam liked to think that it was another way that they were all bound together.
Moving back to the front of the desk Sam just allowed herself to watch him, without thinking or worrying, she just let her eyes go where they pleased for once. He didn't look any different, as much as her mind told her that was impossible as he would have aged, but he just didn't. His hair was still that shade of grey-silver that somehow made him look sexier than when he had had a full head of brown hair, his tan was still glowering, even though she knew he hadn't had a holiday in over a year, and his physique still looked as fit as if he was a field officer even though that hadn't been true for almost two years.
"I miss you Jack." She whispered softly.
Sam froze as Jack looked up suddenly, his eyes meeting hers for a second before he scanned the rest of the room. Sam let out her breath as he went back to his report, still looking up every few seconds as he continued to scan the room. Had he somehow felt her there? Had he somehow felt her presence?
"Jack..." She whispered, loving the sound of his name as she spoke it, but there was no reaction again and Sam sighed, ignoring the fact that she'd really been hoping he'd be able to see her.
Suddenly Sam felt a surge, exactly the same one as she'd felt back in her lab. Looking up she felt another surge and watched as Jack's actions seem to slow down.
"Sir!" Sam called out in a panic, trying to move towards him but the next second there was another bright flash of light and she was back in her lab, Daniel in front of her moving his hand over his notebook as before.
Walking forwards, she leant back over the lab counter again and pressed the yes button when Daniel got to the right symbol. Twenty minutes later Cam came strolling into the room.
"How's it going?"
"Fantastic. We've almost completed the first sentence." Sam replied her voice dull and mood matching it. She'd much rather be somewhere else right now…
So whatcha think? I decided to finish it here but wasn't sure about doing a follow-up or not. Please review and give me your opinions, feedback is much appreciated. I hope you liked!