Sam slowly regained consciousness and rubbed the back of her head, where she could feel she had injured herself badly. She reached for her flashlight and shone it around her, lighting up the cave walls. "Daniel, Teal'c," she cried out. Ouch, she thought to herself. She must have really injured herself this time. The back of her head throbbed like she had never felt it throb before.
"Sam!" she heard someone cry.
"Here," Sam called out, and then winced because of the pain.
Colonel Jack O'Neal appeared in the dim light of the flashlight in front of Carter. "Sam! Thank goodness! We have been looking for you everywhere!"
"Who are you?" asked Sam, pulling back cautiously against the cave wall, and pointing a finger towards Jack. Here was an airman, dressed in battle fatigues, with the patch of the SGC on his uniform, but she had never seen him before.
"What do you mean, who am I?" asked Jack. "What's wrong with you?"
Sam thought quickly. This could be some sort of alien takeover. In the past, Sam had seen aliens use technology to take on the appearance of humans. Maybe this alien knocked out Daniel and took his uniform. No, it definitely said "Colonel" on his fatigues. Who in the world was this guy?
Right at that moment, Daniel appeared. "Daniel!" Sam said with relief.
"Jack, you found her. Good job!" said Daniel.
Daniel was addressing the alien imposter. "Daniel, do you know this guy?" asked Sam.
"Excuse me?" said Daniel, with a puzzled look on his face.
"She doesn't seem to know who I am," complained Jack. He turned to Sam. "You must have really gotten a knock on the head."
"Am I supposed to know you?" asked Sam. She was still puzzled at how friendly Daniel seemed to be with this guy she had never met before.
"Sam," said Daniel very patiently. "This is Jack. Of course you know him."
"I've never seen him before in my life," said Sam, still eyeballing Jack suspiciously. She was almost sure he would reveal his true alien colors any moment now. If his eyes glowed, she was going to shoot him with her zat, with no questions asked.
"Let's get her back to the SGC," said Jack. He reached over to help Carter up, but she shrunk back from him. He sighed with exasperation and looked at Daniel. Daniel reached out a hand, and she took it, as he helped her up from the cave floor. The back of her head throbbed unmercilessly as she went from a sitting to a standing position. The three SGC members left the cave together. Sam made sure she kept a safe distance from this supposed Colonel.
At the entrance of the cave, Sam saw Teal'c approaching. "Teal'c!" shouted Daniel. "We found her."
"Excellent, Daniel Jackson," smiled Teal'c.
"Yeah, but apparently she has no idea who I am," said Jack.
"You do not remember this man?" Teal'c asked Sam.
"No, I've never seen him before in my life," said Sam.
"And do you know me?" asked Teal'c.
"Yes, of course I know you, Teal'c. I've worked with you and Daniel for years. Doesn't it worry you that our team suddenly has a new member? I think he may be an alien who has meddled with your mind."
"Sam," said Daniel patiently "I'm afraid it is your mind that has the problem. Jack has been on our team for as many years as you have. In fact, you two are rather close."
Sam felt shock and disbelief wash over her body. She wished the throbbing in her head would let up for just a minute, so that she could think clearly. Daniel was telling her that she was having amnesia, and that she actually knew this Jack person. And yet, she seriously had no recollection of him at all.
She stared at Jack's face, willing herself to recall him, and yet absolutely nothing came to her. All she felt was a great deal of distrust. There was something about him that made her feel very unsettled.
"Sam," said Daniel. "How many members are on each SGC team?"
"Four, usually," replied Sam. She understood what Daniel was getting at. If she and Teal'c and Daniel were on an SG team, then who was their fourth team member? She strained hard to remember, but her brain was still kind of fuzzy. "Well, I can't say for sure. I mean, we have had several fourth members of our team. But they often get killed or they quit and have to be transferred. The last guy… what was his name? I think our last 4th person was Sargent Siler."
Jack gave a snort. "Or maybe Felger? Come on Carter. Let's get you home and let Doc Frasier check you out. Maybe she can talk some sense in you."
They walked back to the Stargate. Sam dialed up the gate device. See?, she thought. How could she have amnesia when she could remember something as complicated as Earth's Stargate address?
As they got ready to go through the gate, Sam was still seriously concerned that this Jack guy might be an alien poser, and she was trying to think quickly about what to do about it. The Stargate wooshed. If this Jack alien had muddled Daniel and Teal'c's brains, he could be dangerous. She should not let this Jack alien return to the SGC. It was up to her to protect Earth.
"Daniel, Teal'c, could you guys go on ahead?" Sam asked. "I want to talk to Jack privately."
Daniel smiled, and he and Teal'c willingly stepped into the event horizon. Maybe Sam was starting to remember.
Jack looked at Carter expectantly. Maybe she was about to confess that she remembered him, apologize even, for forgetting his wonderful self. Maybe…Suddenly a jolt of electricity ran through his body. Sam had zatted him! He fell to the ground. "Sorry buddy," said Sam, "But I can't let you go through. I need to find out what is going on, and I don't want you deceiving the whole SGC." And with that, Sam stepped through the event horizon, and then she yelled, "Close the iris."
As Walter reached for the controls, Daniel yelled, "Wait! Don't close it!" General Hammond motioned for Walter to wait.
"Where is Colonel O'Neal?" asked General Hammond.
"What?" Sam asked. Now she really was puzzled. General Hammond knew this Jack guy, too? And if Jack were an alien, there was no way he could have done anything to General Hammond's brain, since he was on another world. Could it really be her that wasn't thinking straight? She just couldn't believe it.
Walter called out, "Receiving SG1's signal."
"That must be Jack," said General Hammond. The Stargate wooshed into action again, and out of the wormhole stepped Jack O'Neal.
"What in ## !% were you thinking, Carter!" he barked at her.
"Sorry, sir, I just was afraid you were an alien." Sir? Carter had called him sir without even thinking.
"If that kind of thing ever happens again, I'm going to have your head! Do you understand?" Jack looked about as livid as the rest of the team had ever seen him.
"Jack," said Daniel, "I think she really doesn't remember you. She must have some sort of selective amnesia. Why don't we get her to the clinic?"
Jack glowered, and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. He didn't want to admit it, but he wasn't just mad that he got zatted. He was made because she remembered Daniel and Teal'c and not him. Jack had always thought that he took up a great deal of space inside of Sam's brain, even if neither one of them wanted to admit it.
In the infirmary, Doctor Frasier gave Sam a thorough examination. "Well, you definitely got a major bump on the back of your head, but your vital signs are all good, and your pupils are showing no sign of a concussion at this time. You say you don't remember Jack?"
"Everyone here seems to know who he is, but I have no idea. I don't remember anything about him at all. I just feel a great feeling of mistrust when I'm around him, like I have strong emotions about him, but I don't know what those emotions are. So he's really a part of the SGC?"
"Not only is he a real part of the SGC, he's a very important person in your life, Sam," said Doctor Frasier.
"What do you mean?" asked Sam. She was not liking this at all.
"What I mean is…" Doctor Frasier paused. "Never mind. Just get some rest. It may all come back to you sometime soon."
The next two days were very boring for Sam. She found herself confined in the infirmary, and she found that staring at the blank walls was starting to drive her crazy. When General Hammond came in to visit her, she pounced on the opportunity.
"General Hammond, sir," said Sam. "I was really hoping to get back to active duty soon."
"I'm sorry, Sam," said General Hammond. "Doctor Frasier has given you a good review, but until you remember who Jack is, I don't think your mind is ready to be back in active duty."
Sam found this absolutely infuriating. It was bad enough that she didn't remember this Jack guy, but to be forced to remain off the active duty roster until she remembered him was just the limit.
"But General Hammond…" protested Sam.
"I agree with General Hammond," Doctor Frasier commented. "But I have an idea. Why don't you and Jack spend some time getting to know each other? Go out for lunch. Talk. I think it will help you to remember him."
General Hammond nodded. "I agree. I will let Jack know."
He turned quickly and left the room.
Janet said, "Now, why don't we get you washed up and looking nice."
Sam saw the smirk Janet was trying to hide. "You think I have feelings for this guy, don't you? Well you are dead wrong. Not only do I not know who he is, I just have the feeling that I don't want anything to do with him. But I will go out to lunch with him, if it will get me back on active duty."
Janet smiled. Sometimes Sam protested too much.
An hour later, Jack showed up at the infirmary door. He looked like he had actually shaved and Janet noticed the smell of after shave following him.
"Carter?" said Jack. "Are you ready?" He held out a hand to help her off the stretcher bed. Sam looked wary at first, but when she saw Doctor Frasier watching her, she allowed Jack to help her off. Anything to get back to active duty.
They went out to a steak house that she had visited before with the team, and the steak was excellent, but she still could not remember Jack at all. She still did not trust him. Earlier, when he had offered to drive, she had insisted that one of the military personnel drive and drop them off. Doctor Frasier still wasn't letting her drive yet.
"So I really know you?" Sam asked Jack.
"Yes, Carter," said Jack, "We know each other really well. I've always been there for you, and you have always been there for me. We have gone on hundreds of missions together, and honestly, I think it is rude of you to have forgotten me."
Sam smiled. He was actually being funny. "Sorry, sir." There is was again. She called him sir without thinking about it. Maybe she did actually know this guy. "Doctor Frasier says that sometimes people can get amnesia about one part of their life, when they can remember everything else."
"So why do you suppose you would forget me?" asked Jack. "You seem to remember everyone else."
"I have no idea," said Sam. "Do you have an idea?"
"I do have an idea, but I am not sharing it with you," said Jack. "Janet told me not to, because she thought you might get upset."
"I might get upset?" asked Carter. "But wouldn't knowing as much as I can be helpful?"
"Not in this case," said Jack. "Finish your steak, and I will tell you about some of our missions."
As Jack regaled Sam with descriptions of some of their escapades, Sam struggled to follow. Everything Jack attributed to himself, Sam remembered was actually something that Daniel or Teal'c did. Some of the things she didn't remember at all. Some of the things she remembered a faceless airman doing, or sometimes Sargent Siler. It didn't make sense. It was like her brain simply would not remember Jack, no matter how she tried.
And some of the missions didn't sound like missions she had been on at all. Apparently, she had forgotten more than just who Jack O'Neal was.
But something did happen as he talked. Sam started to feel like she trusted him more. She started to relax. Maybe he wasn't a bad guy after all.
Jack smiled inside as he could see Sam starting to relax. He was doing exactly what Doctor Frasier recommended. Any minute now, Sam would remember who Jack was, and everything would back to normal again.
Days passed, and then a month and still Sam could not remember who Jack was. They had been out to dinner now numerous times, and had spent time together hanging out, and she was beginning to trust him and feel comfortable around him, but still no memory appeared. Sam was starting to think she should lie to General Hammond, and say she remembered Jack, just so she could get back to active duty. It wouldn't really matter if she didn't remember him from before. She knew him now, and she was becoming extremely fond of him.
Sam's days passed pretty uneventfully. She found that her amnesia was sometimes a problem in other areas. Sometimes she couldn't remember where she had put things. And she sometimes had vivid dreams. In one recurring dream, she was fighting with herself. Her dream always ended with herself being pushed backwards through a sheet of liquid ice.
General Hammond did let Sam get back to her research. He just wouldn't let her off the planet. Then about two months after Sam had forgotten who Jack was, an announcement came over the loud speaker. "Unexpected off world activation."
"Close the iris," yelled General Hammond. The iris closed.
"Receiving incoming code," said Walter. "It's SG1's code!"
"SG1?" said General Hammond? "But SG1 is all here."
"Should I let them through?" asked Walter
"Send them a radio message," said General Hammond. "Ask who they are."
A message came back. "This is Carter." Sam looked up at General Hammond in surprise.
General Hammond thought and made a decision. "Open the iris, but soldiers, be prepared to fire."
Through the event horizon stepped…Sam Carter. She looked around at the soldiers who were pointing their weapons at her. "Stand down! It's me!"
Then Sam Carter looked beyond the soldiers and spotted….Sam Carter.
The two women stared at each other.
The new Sam Carter said "Restrain her!" and pointed directly at Sam.
General Hammond said, "Oh boy. Call Dr. Frasier."
Both Sam Carters were escorted down the hallway towards the infirmary. They kept silent, each one throwing the other glances.
In the infirmary, Janet tested their DNA. "Well, ladies," she said. "You are apparently both Sam Carter."
How can that be? Thought Sam.
"She's an imposter," said the new Sam Carter.
Sam felt irritated. "You are the imposter. Where did you come from?"
At that moment, Jack entered the infirmary, sent there by General Hammond.
"Jack!" said the new Sam Carter.
"Jack?" thought Sam. How can she know him? A wave of jealously swept over her. He was her Jack, not this new Sam's Jack. She had spent all this time getting to know him, willing herself to remember him. Now some stranger was coming and trying to take her place, and she remembered Jack? It was just too much.
Jack stood before the two women and looked back and forth. He looked confused.
"Jack, it's me!" said the new Carter.
"I'm Sam Carter!" said Sam. "You have to believe me!"
Jack rubbed his forehead, as if he was getting a headache.
"How do we figure out which Sam is the right one?" he asked Janet.
"Beats me, Colonel. They both have Sam's DNA," said Janet.
The new Carter spoke up. "Let me tell you what happened two months ago."
"Let me call the rest of SGC and General Hammond," said Jack, "And then we will hear your story."
The group sat in a circle in the infirmary and the new Carter told her story. Jack sat next to the new Carter, and Sam felt tears prick her eyes. He already thinks she is the real me, she thought. But I know who I am. I know I am the real me. How can she come and just take over my world? How can she remember Jack?
The new Carter spoke. "You remember two months ago we were on planet PS-492. I was exploring a cave, while the rest of you were off doing different things."
The first Sam spoke up. "I am the one who was exploring that cave. That is where I got hurt."
Daniel nodded.
The new Carter talked again. "Anyway, I was exploring the cave, when I saw a device lying on the ground. I picked it up, and just as I picked it up, I tripped on the rocky floor of the cave, and I fell. Instead of hitting the cave wall, I fell through the wall. But it wasn't a wall. I had actually fallen through a mirror."
"A quantum mirror!" said Daniel. "You were in a different reality."
The new Carter nodded. "On the other side of the mirror, just as I stood up, I was attacked by someone. But that someone was me! At least, it was someone who looked just like me! It was her." She pointed at the first Carter.
The first Carter gasped. Something triggered her dream. She was fighting with herself…
The new Carter continued, "We wrestled, spinning around in what looked like a lab. As we wrestled, she pulled the mirror control device I had been holding out of my hands. I gave her a giant shove and she fell backwards through the quantum mirror."
"As she fell through the mirror, she and I had basically traded places. I was in her reality, and she was in mine. When I shoved Sam through the mirror, she was holding the mirror control device. Because both devices were now on the cave side of the mirror, I was stuck in the lab in the alternate reality. I was hoping she would figure out what happened and come back through the mirror with one of the devices, but she never did. It took me two months to rig up a control that would work on the mirror. Meanwhile the other me was here with you."
The first Carter felt like her head was spinning. Then her dream wasn't actually a dream. It was a memory. Now she saw it all clearly. She had been working in her lab, examining a new quantum mirror they had picked up on another planet. When all of a sudden, another Carter had come through the mirror. The new Carter was telling the truth.
Sam spoke out loud, "Then I don't have amnesia. This is a different reality. I never forgot you, Jack! I just didn't know you!"
Jack smiled. At least he knew who the real Carter was now.
Daniel spoke up. "I think you probably did have amnesia. But it didn't make you forget Jack."
Sam nodded, "Instead, the amnesia made me forget what happened right before I hit my head. I didn't know I had fallen through the mirror, because I had amnesia. Then later, I saw what had happened in my dreams, but I didn't realize that my dreams were actually my real memories."
General Hammond looked satisfied. "Good, I'm glad we worked this all out. SG1, you will take this Carter," he pointed at Sam, "Back to PS-492 and get her back to where she is supposed to be. Everyone else back to work."
Sam felt happy and sad at the same time. She had not forgotten Jack. In her reality, she had never even met him. Her memories were intact. Soon she would be back in her own world. But at the same time, she had gotten to know Jack while she was here, and honestly, as she realized her own feelings, she had started to really really care for him. She felt so jealous of the new Carter. The new Carter got to stay here. She got to be friends with Jack. She got to someday…who knew what would happen. It seemed very unfair.
SG1 traveled back to the cave on the planet. As they walked into the cave, they were able to find the place where Sam had hit her head, and lying on the ground nearby were two mirror control devices, one from this side, and the one that had fallen through with Sam.
The Sams nodded goodbye to each other. They still felt some animosity towards each other, even though they both realized now that the other one was not a threat.
Sam went to hug Jack goodbye. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered, "My life has been completely changed by knowing you."
Jack whispered back, "I'm going to miss you, too. But I have a feeling there is a Jack on your side, who just can't wait to hear from you."
Sam's eyes widened. Why, that had never occurred to her. If there was a Jack in this reality, there was bound to be a Jack her own reality.
Sam gave Daniel and Teal'c a hug goodbye, and in a moment of generosity, she gave the new Carter a hug as well.
She started dialing the control. "How will I know which reality is mine?" she asked.
"After I pushed you through the mirror, I knew you might try to get back" said the "new" Carter, "So I wrote a note on a large piece of posterboard, hanging in plain view, so you could be sure which reality was the correct one when you went back."
"Thank you!" said Sam. "That was a great idea!" She dialed the device until the other Carter's large poster board note appeared. Then she waved goodbye to the others, and stepped through the mirror.
On the other side, Sam found her SGC family waiting for her. Everyone cheered.
"It worked!" said General Hammond. "Ever since the other Carter left, we have been waiting for you."
"So what has happened since I was gone?" asked Sam.
"Well," said Daniel. "Unfortunately, we have lost our fourth team member again. We just can't seem to find the right person for our team."
"Oh," said Sam. "General Hammond, could you pull up the database of air force officers? I think I know exactly the right person to make the fourth member of our team."
General Hammond said, "Really?"
"Yes," said Sam, "Could you pull up all the servicemen whose names start with O?"
As General Hammond pulled up the list of O's on the computer, Sam's face lit up when she saw a familiar name. "There," she pointed, "Jack O'Neill. Call him up. And let him know we have the most amazing job in the world waiting here for him."