Title: Meridian
Summary: AU: What if it had happened to Sam? Most likely an S/D friendship
Spoilers: Meridian, (minor) Crystal Skull, (blink and you'll miss it) In the Line of Duty, Maternal Instinct, a sixth season episode (I'll let you know), and obviously Fallen and Homecoming
Disclaimer: I. Own. Nada. Not even lil Doctor Fisher; he's real...sort of; Mr. Fisher is my very annoying teacher.
This was just something I could more or less write. I'll probably just do alternate versions to "Meridian", "Fallen", and "Homecoming". And no, it's not like my complete failure that is also based on those three episodes.
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General Hammond knew something was wrong the moment the Stargate began to spin. He further felt dread when he found out that it was SG-1 returning home early. If there was one thing he had learned in the five years he had headed this project, it was that whenever a team--namely SG-1--returned early, something had happened and trouble would usually follow.
"Open the iris," he ordered to the sergeant at the controls. The sergeant nodded and immediately complied.
Major Samantha Carter came through first, followed by Doctor Daniel Jackson, and then Colonel Jack O'Neill and Teal'c. Sam was holding her hands up as if she had something on them that she was trying not to get anyone else with. One hand had a bandage on it. Daniel looked like he was trying to maintain a distance of at least four feet while still staying close; and Jack and Teal'c hung back awkwardly as if they couldn't comprehend something.
"We need to get her to the infirmary!" Daniel shouted. "She's been exposed to radiation!"
Hammond's heart froze as his fear was confirmed. Hopefully this was another situation SG-1 would pull through, like when they were exposed to radiation after coming in to contact with the crystal skull the first time.
"Have a medical team, meet us on the way," he said to the sergeant as he went to meet the team.
He heard the sergeant calling the medical team as he descended the stairs only to find Sam and Daniel hurrying past.
Speeding up to even out with Jack and Teal'c, he asked, "Colonel, what happened?"
"Eh, the details are a little sketchy, sir," Jack replied, his voice shaky.
Hammond heard a shout from ahead of them and saw Sam jump away from two technitians and into the wall. "Don't touch me!" she said, her voice harsh from apparent fear. "I may still be radioactive."
Janet rounded the corner. "Let's get her scrubbed down," she ordered and the technitians followed Sam as she, Daniel, and Janet disappeared around the corner.
When General Hammond and the second half of SG-1 followed, they saw Janet and Daniel waiting at a door.
"Do any of you know what kind and how much?" Janet demanded.
The remaining members of SG-1 shook their heads.
"Damn," she muttered angrily. "Is there a chance Sam would know?" Not waiting for an answer, she went into the room. The other four followed. They caught Janet asking Sam the same question she had just asked them.
"Uh," said Sam around the technitians, who were "scrubbing her down". "There was a device housing an unstable radioactive variation of--" She winced as she was given a shot. "Of naquadah. If I'm right, my right hand was exposed to the equivalent of over eight to nine grays of neutron radiation resulting from direct contact." She paused as if unsure she should go on. "Full body expose of over seven."
Janet's eyes widened. "Oh my god," she whispered.
Hammond glanced at Janet. "Doctor?"
Pure terror flashed through Sam's eyes and she looked like she was trying to hold back tears. "It's a lethal dose, sir," she said.
"Doctor Fraiser," said Hammond. Janet looked at him intently. "Do what you can for Major Carter. SG-1 and I will meet for an emergency briefing."
"Yes, sir," she replied and began issuing orders to her subordinates.
Hammond turned and saw the helplessness on the guys' faces. "Come on. There's nothing more you can do for her. Wash up and get in the briefing room."
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A half an hour later, General Hammond wasn't surprised to find himself the last person to enter the briefing room.
"As you were," he said out of habit, even though the others were to preoccupied to think about standing. "Doctor Fraiser tells me there's nothing more we can do for Major Carter at the moment. In the meantime, I want to know what happened."
Jack gestured to Daniel, who glared at Jack in response.
Jack ignored him and Daniel began. "Well, sir, as you know from the initial reports, Kelowna is one of three major countries on 4C3. What we've learned since then is that they appear to be in a similar stage of development to that of the U.S. in the 1940's. Geopolitically, there is an obvious amount of growing tension between the nations."
"Sort of like a cold war. Sir," Jack put in.
Daniel shot him another glare and continued. "Their Stargate was discovered approximately fifteen years ago, unearthing it along with a number of Goa'uld artifacts in what I suspect to be an ancient temple."
"Their knowledge of the gate is still limited," Teal'c added.
"But they are extremely interested. When we told them what we could offer, they were quite eager to share any technology that could potentially offered in exchange."
Daniel explained what happened after SG-1 exited the wormhole:
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SG-1 walked through a door and was met by a young man in maroon and white robes.
The man smiled widely. "This is incredible. It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jonas Quinn, special advisor to our High Minister."
"Security's a little tight in here, I noticed," said Jack, gesturing to a couple of nearby guards.
Mood undiminished, Jonas replied, "As you have undoubtedly been told, this is one of our most secret and important research operations.
He looked curiously at Teal'c and pointed to his own forehead then pointed to Teal'c's. Daniel quickly held out his hand. He had wondered how these people would react to Teal'c; Teal'c was, after all...different.
"Daniel Jackson," he introduced himself. Jonas took his hand and shook it.
Jack stepped forward. "Colonel Jack O'Neill." He motioned to Sam and Teal'c. "Major Sam Carter"--Sam smiled and nodded in acknowledgement--"and the tall, silent one is Teal'c." Teal'c dipped his head.
Jonas grinned widely again. "Teal'c," he repeated. "Well, your arrival on our planet is an extrordinary event. It's my honor to show you around this facility. Please, follow me."
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"He's an, uh, advisor to the high minister," explained Daniel.
"Their equivalent to our president," said Jack.
Daniel wished Jack would stop interrupting. It was grinding his nerves more than usual.
Seeing it was his turn to start speaking, he gave a quick cough. "Uh, as we understand it, Jonas was responsible for overseeing the research from an...ethical prespective."
"Yeah, whatever," muttered Jack.
They all glanced at him, but Daniel didn't mind this interruption so much.
"He," continued Daniel, "has several degrees from their most honored educational institution. Social studies, ancient Kelownan history--"
"He was a nerd, sir," said Jack. "He and Daniel got along great." Daniel glared at him and finished his report.
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Jonas led them into anotther room.
"If we could have access to the site where the gate was found and see the artifacts, we have this process called carbon dating," Daniel was saying. "If I could determine the age of the temple, maybe even figure out how it was destroyed..."
Jonas glanced back at him. "I'm sure that can be arranged. Our archaeologists believe they've only begun to uncover the full extent of what may be buried. There were extensive alien writings."
"Teal'c and I could help with the translation," Daniel offered. He was actually quite eager to find out what the writings said. They might have some useful information about an alien race SG-1 didn't know much about, like the Ancients, or even something useful against the Goa'uld.
"Daniel?" asked Jack. Daniel knew he probably should have checked with Jack first.
Jonas saved him from having to speak. "I understand from our leaders that your knowledge and expertise comes at a price, colonel. That is why you're here, right?"
"Well don't get me wrong," said Jack, "we want to help out as much as we can, it's just that we've been burned a little bit in the past."
Daniel picked up the train of thought: "We're not questioning so much what you have in return."
Sam followed suit, too, for which Daniel was somewhat grateful. "We just want to get to know you better first."
"That's it." Jack flashed his oh-so-innocent smile.
Daniel saw that Jonas wasn't amused.
"Still," Jonas said, "hopefully we'll have much of value to offer in exchange." He gestured down a different hall. "This way."
They walked into an observation room overlooking a lab where several men in Kelownan haz-mat suits were working. Daniel saw a light switch from red to blue. He figured that meant it was safe to enter.
It was.
"We can go in now," said Jonas.
They entered and Jonas walked over to one of the men taking his helmet off. "This is Tomis Leed. He is the chief physicist overseeing the development of our most critical project. Tomis, this is SG-1, of the planet Earth."
Tomis smiled slightly. "My pleasure."
Sam noticed the device Tomis was standing next to. "What is this?"
Tomis replied, "The core of this device was uncovered in an ancient temple of a race of people we believe were called the Guld." He mulled over the new word.
"Goa'uld," Teal'c corrected.
Jonas quickly glanced at him in interest. "Really?"
"It's a mineral substance found to have highly unstable radioactive properties. This experiment seems to indicate the potential for great bursts of energy," said Tomis.
"Our translation of the writings in the temple indicate that the alien element is called 'naquadria'," continued Jonas.
Daniel, thinking they had merely mispronounced another word, said, "Naquadah."
Jonas and Tomis exchanged a glance. "No," said Jonas, "we also translated that word in that same text. This is definitely naquadria."
Sam looked interested. Very interested. "So this is some sort of power generating device?" she asked.
"Not exactly," answered Jonas uneasily.
She and Daniel exchanged a quick, worried glance.
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"They were making a bomb, sir," Jack interrupted again, much to Daniel's annoyance.
Daniel picked up again. "They were far from actually achieving a deliverable weapon, but if they were successful, it would probably have been as powerful as a naquadah-enhanced weapon."
"The Kelownans claimed they were under the threat of oppression from their neighboring nations and the weapon would only be used to ensure freedom," Teal'c added.
"Sounds like a situation we would have to be very careful about getting involved in," observed Hammond.
"Oh, I'm not sure we need to worry about that anymore, General," said Jack. He gave Hammond a false smile.
Hammond looked slightly worried. "How so?"
"I don't think they want our help any longer," Jack replied simply.
Hammond didn't look very impressed, in Daniel's opinion. "Something to do with how Major Carter was exposed to so much radiation?"
"Wh-we were touring the city," said Daniel. "Sam was at the research facility with Jonas. She was trying to help me convince him that building a bomb wasn't going to be the answer to their problems."
"Still, we don't know," said Jack.
"Colonel, what do you know?" Hammond asked impatiently.
Jack shot a glance at Daniel.
"They're claiming Sam tried to sabotage their experiment," answered Daniel, looking down at his folded hands and up again.
"They're lying, General," Jack said adamantly.
"I also do not believe this to be true," Teal'c said firmly.
"They let us bring her home on compassionate grounds," stated Daniel, forcefully controlling his anger.
"The fact is, they just didn't want us around anymore," said Jack.
"But they are demanding she be brought back to face the charges," he paused, not wanting to finish the sentence but having to anyway. "If she survives."
"What does Major Carter say happened?" Hammond asked.
"She didn't," answered Jack. "Understandably, she was quite pressed to return home. I suggest, sir, that you talk to her if you want an answer."
"How 'bout you talk to Major Carter and find out her side of the story," Hammond suggested, subtly hiding an order.
Jack sighed, taking the hint and headed down to the infirmary while the rest of SG-1 dispersed.
Sam was lying on the bed in Observation Room 7.
"So what's up?" Jack asked, figuring he knew the answer.
She glanced over at him. He wanted to wince at the depair in her eyes but didn't want her to see him affected by her condition.
"Nothing," she answered. "Just thinking."
"How ya doin'?" Jack intoned, knowing the answer to this question as well.
Sam sat up and faced him. She had changed into the sterile, white infirmary clothes. "Well, I would be better if I didn't know what was going to happen." At his questioning glance, she continued with a sigh. "My first symptom will be nausea. The nausea will be followed by tremors, convulsions, and ataxia. My surface tissue and internal organs will inflame and degrade, something called necrosis. Now, based on the dose of radiation I got, that will happen in the next ten to fifteen hours. And, if I don't drown in my own blood and body fluids first, I will bleed to death, and there is no medical treatment for that." She could easily see that the idea any of that would happen disturbed him.
"Maybe not that we know of," Jack said lamely.
Sam smiled without any glimer of happiness behind it. "Sir, we both know that's not true. Janet's one of the best. If she can't find a solution, no one can."
She noted the gears in his head switching. "What happened?" he finally asked.
Sam looked down at the floor. She really didn't want to go through this again. "It doesn't matter," she murmured.
"Yes it does. You didn't try to sabotage anything." Jack said so fiercely, Sam looked back up.
She sighed. "There was an accident. I guess the scientists thought the government would blame me and thought I was the perfect excuse."
"And you're okay with this?" he asked in disbelief.
"No, sir. But It's not like there's much we can do about it now anyway."
"Yes there is," he argued.
Sam looked away, trying to somehow avoid the hopelessness of the problem. "If they really want to blame me, then denying it won't change a thing. According to Daniel, ten thousand years ago, the Goa'uld tried the exact same experiments at they're trying and nearly blew up the entire planet in the process. Daniel and I tried to tell them that and they wouldn't listen. They're going to build that bomb and nothing we say can stop them."
"Carter--"
"Sir," Sam said gently, her eyes pleading him to drop the subject.
"Okay, okay," Jack said, backing off. "I'll go talk to General Hammond."
"For what?" Sam called as he left.
"Your medical treatment," he called back over his shoulder.
Sam sighed and layed back down on her bed. She was dying. There was nothing left for her or the rest of SG-1 to do. She didn't understand why Colonel O'Neill was so insistent on saving her. Even she had admitted to herself by now that she would die. There was no other way to look at her situation.
Tears came unbidden to her eyes at the hopelessness. She curled up into a fetal position, turned away from the door.
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Jack headed to the science department, something he never thought he'd willingly do.
The general had pretty much shot down all of Jack's ideas on how to save Carter, so he was going to check and see if any of Carter's people had found anything of value.
The only person in Carter's office was a tall, thin man who, if Jack remembered right, was called Doctor Fisher.
"Hey, doc," Jack greeted.
"Who--Wha? Oh, hi, uh, uh, Colonel O'Neill. I was just uh, checkin' some of, uh, Major Carter's research and comments on the, uh, na-naquadria," said Fisher with a grin.
Jack swallowed his apprehension. Carter's life was in the not-so-capable hands of this moron? God, the man was so annoying. "Got anything?" he asked.
"Uh. well, I, uh, I've been doing some calculations," Fisher answered, looking down at his papers.
"Anything to help Carter?" Jack tried again.
"Uh, well...no. Based on the amount, amount of radiation the, uh...Kelownans say Major Carter was exposed to, I've estimated the, the uh, amount of energy that would of been generated by the experiment." He paused and stared off into space, apparently either thinking or zoned out.
"And?" Jack prodded.
"Oh, uh, the po-potential's ast-astronomical. Even a little, tiny amount of the element they're working with emitted a pulse of, uh, energy far, far greater than anything I ever thought possible. Golly, it's much more than the weapon's grade naquadah would have. It'd require a massive nuclear reaction to even approach this level."
Jack, who had started to zone out, caught Fisher's pause. "So?" he asked.
"Uh, well, uh, this could be the missing link in terms of generating the kind of energy I believe is necessary to create a, uh, a yperspace window. Or, to generate and sustain the kind of shield the Goa'uld have been using to protect their ships. We have to get some of this stuff."
Jack decided he'd better leave before he fell asleep. The man was worse than Carter and Daniel put together could ever have been!
As he walked away, he could have sworn he heard Fisher muttering "Good stuff" but didn't think any more on the subject.
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Daniel was the last to arrive back in the briefing room. He only got back in time to hear Jack's response to something General Hammond had said.
"It's a lie. They're using Carter as a scapegoat," Jack told him sharply.
"Still, you said she was vocal in her disapproval of their project before the accident. None of this bodes well for diplomatic relations," replied Hammond.
"Well, actually, General--" began Daniel. He had been trying to say that it had been his idea for Sam to even show her disapproval at their project.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Jack, holding a hand up to silence Daniel but still watching Hammond intensely. "Why are you talking about diplomatic relations?" he demanded. "This is Carter's life."
"Actually, Jack, sir," Daniel interrupted before Jack or Hammond could make another comment. "Sam stressed to me before...all of this, how valuable the naquadria is."
Hammond turned to him. "I will draft a letter to the Kelownan leader..."
"General," Jack said loudly, "you cannot capitulate with these people. They are lying bastards."
"Their government doesn't know the truth," Hammond argued. His point was weak and they all knew it.
Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose as Jack said, "So, we tell them."
He saw Hammond giving Jack a very impatient look that said he was on his last nerve. "They will have little reason to believe us over their own people, especially when what we're forcing them to admit would be a major embarrassment. It will put them at too great a disadvantage in further negotiations."
"Sir, you cannot admit Carter is guilty," Jack growled.
"Give me some credit, Jack." Daniel could tell how close Hammond was to snapping. It unnerved him to see Hammond so close to loosing self-control. "I will tell them that we did not order any such action and do not condone its obvious intentions, both of which are true. Hopefully, we can lay the groundwork for further diplomatic relations, which will eventually result in an amicable trade for the naquadria. I'm ordering you to deliver the letter."
Jack, seeing that he had finally crossed a line, reluctantly agreed, "Fine, sir."
Barely an hour later, Jack was standing in the gateroom, waiting for the wormhole to Kelowna to connect.
When the tech announced the wormhole stable, Jack stepped through and walked down the corridor, the same way he had taken the day before, until he saw Jonas an a lady scientist speaking quietly about something.
"Hey," said Jack, announcing his presence.
Jonas turned, startled. "Colonel O'Neill. I'm surprised to see you."
Jack didn't want to spend much time playing pleasant with the man who was using Carter as an excuse for his peoples' own incompetence. "I brought a letter from my superior to your leaders."
"Ah. Is it an apology?"
Jack had to prevent himself from giving the son of a bitch something worth apologizing about. Instead, he handed the letter to Jonas who passed it on to the scientist. She walked away, to where, Jack didn't care.
"Yeah, hardly," he responded. "You see, we know you're lying through the skin of your teeth." Careful, O'Neill, he reminded himself. Don't get carried away.
"How is Major Carter?" Jonas asked, throwing Jack--who had expected some sort of defensive phrase--slightly off balance
He quickly regained it and answered tightly, "Not good."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Jack scowled. If this person felt so bad, why was he damaging Carter's name? "Two of the scientists in the room are already dead"--That was it. Just because his own people were dead was reason enough empathize with Earth.-- "the other two will be shortly. Their deaths were horrific." Great. Just the kind of detail Jack needed to hear.
"My superior thinks that denying the allegations against Carter would be a waste of time," he replied, showing no sympathy on his part.
Jonas's own reply was enough to make Jack rethink rethinking hitting him. "He's a wise man. What I don't understand is why your goverment is even trying to maintain a relationship with us."
"Because we want some of that stuff you're experienting with. My goverment still thinks they can negotiate for it." Jack's eyes glittered dangerously at the other man.
"The naquadria is very spare and extremely valuable to us. I doubt that my goverment would agree to that," said Jonas, alomst sounding sorry.
"Yeah I figured." Jack shrugged. "That's why I'm here."
Jonas's expression turned puzzled. "I don't understand."
Finally Jack could get to the heart of his coming. General Hammond's order only made this even more possible. "I only agreed to bring this letter so I could see you."
"Why?"
"Because Carter is dying," Jack choked out, still managing to keep some neutrality in his voice.
"And you're looking for someone to blame?" Jonas said incredulously.
"I'm not going to let you tarnish her name," Jack snarled. "See, I don't give a damn what that stuff is worth to anyone. My government will admit Carter is dead over my dead body."
Suspicion had entered Jonas's gaze. "What do you want from me?"
"Just to tell the truth," Jack replied as if a complete idiot could have figured it out.
"I can't." A raw edge had crept into Jonas's voice. "Even if I wanted to, without the support of the other scientists--"
Ah, scientists, thought Jack, his mind returning to a conversation he had just had with one of Carter's scientists. About the non-offensive ways to use naquadria. He just couldn't quite think of how to put the scientist's ideas into words, so he said instead, "Look, we're only in this mess because you and your buddies are lying cowards trying to cover your own incompetence."
"Colonel," said Jonas. Though he still looked suspicious, his voice took on a desperate tone. "We really, truly need the weapon we're developing. Without it, the Kelownan people could easily fall to our rival nations who are developing weapons of their own, just a powerful, as we speak." His voice was befoming stonger the more ticked he became. "Now, we're willing to do whatever's necessary to ensure our freedom and a lasting peace on this planet."
Jack was trying to hide his exasperation. Hadn't these people ever heard of a peaceful talk? "All right, let me be clear about something. I think this is the point Carter and Daniel were trying to make. A weapon of mass destruction can only be used for one thing. Now, you think it will ensure peace and freedom, but I guarantee you it'll never have the effect you're hoping for unless you use it, at least once." Something clicked in Jack's mind. He hoped his "plan" would at least have some effect. "Now, just for the record, the reason we want this stuff is because we think it could be used to creat defense shields. But you guys just go ahead; blow yourselves to hell with it." He turned angrily away and stalked back to the gate. He wasn't going to stand here and deal with anymore crap Jonas thought he could lay on him.
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Sam coughed. Her throat was so dry. So was her mouth, and her lips were beginning to chap.
She tried not to hiss as a nurse changed her bandages. It had been six hours since she had become infected by the radiation and she could feel its effects. Her blood felt like it was on fire and her skin was beginning to develop lacerations, which burned with a cold fire every time her bandages needed changed.
Finally, her torture was over until another hour. She bit her lip to keep from crying. Never had she felt so helpless for her own condition, even more so than when she had been host to Jolinar. She had no idea what she had done to cause such a punishment.
"Hey Sam." Daniel's voice brought her back from self pity.
She smiled weakly. "Hey," she croaked. She coughed again. "Water," she begged. Because her eyes were closed, she couldn't see if Daniel had something or not. Either way, she felt intense relief when a straw was pressed against her lips and cool water poured down her throat. "Thanks."
"Yep." Daniel was unnaturally silent. "Uh...Sam?"
"Mmm?"
"I'm so sorry."
Sam opened her eyes a crack. Daniel himself looked close to tears. "For what?" Her voice sounded raspy and unusually low.
"You stayed behind to convince Jonas for me. If I had stayed behind--"
"I would have had a hard time coping," said Sam. "Daniel, I stayed behind because I was interested in the mechanics of their 'experiment.' Not because you forced me to do anything. You have nothing to feel guilty for." For some reason, she suddenly asked, "What convinced you to go for 'enlightenment' on Kehb?"
Daniel, who had been avoiding her gaze, looked at her sharply. He was silent before answering. "It gave me hope," he said finally.
He gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder as what felt like millions of little volts of electricity shot through Sam's body.
She didn't hear Daniels worried "Sam?" as she began to convulse.
When Sam opened her eyes again, she was dressed in her blue BDUs and was completely free of bandages and pain. There was a doorway filled with light before her. A fleeting thought of her being dead passed through her head as she took a step forward. And another. And another. And emerged into the gateroom. This time, though, the control room was empty and so was the gateroom, save for a woman with long red hair and white robes.
"Your fate is in your hands," the woman said and Sam fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep, pondering who the strange woman could possibly be.
Sam was brought back to wakefulness by more pain, though not nearly as bad as before, due to the morphine Janet probably injected. She was covered in even more bandages and she felt weaker than ever.
She squinted and saw Colonel O'Neill sitting to her right.
"Hey, sir," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Hey. I uh...I just wanted to... You know, I'm really not good at this," he said gently.
She tried to smile but it came out more as a grimace. "I hear my ideas on the naquadria are being taken into consideration."
"Yeah, apparently. If we can get some." His voice became bitter. "For what it's worth, I tried to get your's and Daniel's point across to Jonas."
"He's under tough circumstances."
"You are not going to take the fall for this. I don't care what's at stake."
Sam tried to shake her head but decided it wasn't the best idea. "Why do you care?" she asked. Would he say for sure if he still cared about her?
"Because," said Jack. Sam's heart beat painfully in anticipation. "Despite the fact we've had our share of squabbles in the past five years, I may have...grown to admire your value as a scientist."
A weight dropped into the pit of Sam's stomach. Her value as a scientist? What was that supposed to mean? "Thank you, sir," she said, a touch sarcastic.
"This will not be your last act on official record," Jack promised.
Sam might have responded, but she had started to drift back into the dream she had had before, with the woman. Suddenly, some of Jolinar's memories of Kehb and Ancients along with things Daniel had said passed through her head.
The woman was still looking at her, though it felt more like looking through her. Sam remembered the name now.
"Oma," she whispered.
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This was something I could write and use to take a mini break from all my other stories. If people hate it, I'll kill it. Otherwise, I'll keep posting.
R&R