The Other Side of the Looking Glass

Yeah I know I'm nuts for writing not one, not two, but three fics at once, but the plot fairies have been beating me with clubs for the past three weeks over these two Stargate fics so . . . anyway here's the first chapter.

No crossover, very AU, post Heroes not sure how far yet the plot fairies haven't told me.

I own nothing 'cept my ideas. I'm broke, so don't sue me.

Chapter I

How long had it been now? The question popped into her head with truly annoying timing. It was already hard enough to concentrate with a couple dozen staff blast flashing towards her at nearly mach two. Your own mind going all over inquisitive made that much worse. Six and a half months, or closer to seven? Forcing the rebellious part of her mind back into silence was difficult, but she couldn't run from an ambush, protect her teammates and break down crying at the same time. She fired off another short burst from her P-90 and one of the Jaffa chasing them fell, three holes in a neat row from his left eye to just below his chin.

Suddenly, the Jaffa stopped advancing. This again? Sure enough a trio of Death Gliders popped over the hill to the east and swept down on them. When will they learn? Of course we haven't handed them their heads yet here but- sure enough he'd spotted them. Before she could even finish the thought two of them were down and the third followed in close proximity. Ah the sound of Death Gliders eating plasma rounds in the morning!

XXXXX

Poor dumb snake-heads. He thinks as his Particle Acceleration Rifle picks off the last Glider. His capacitors are somewhat diminished, but not critically so. Still, no need to be wasteful. He deactivates the targeting systems and goes back to passive scan mode. Nothing like killing Jaffa in the morning. He smiles and goes back to looking for more targets worthy of his weapons' awesome power.

XXXXX

She was uncomfortable; this had almost been easy. She didn't like easy. Easy led to surprises which got people got killed, and they really didn't have the people to spare anymore. So the question of the day: was there another ambush, or was she being paranoid? Before she could decide, staff blasts started to impact on the ground around them. Well I guess that rules out paranoid.

She turns and throws up a shield as quickly as she can, but it's not fast enough.

The man to her left goes down.

She immediately hands the shield over to her second before flipping the Goa'uld healing device over her hand and kneeling beside the injured man to-

Do nothing. A direct shot to his vitals. There are things not even she can heal and this is one of them. A quick neural command goes out and the team quickly moves on, leaving their casualty behind.

But this time there is no slow careful retreat. This time they take to their heels, and they're almost to the building from which they had exited before the tiny anti-matter device goes off. And it truly is tiny. It only vaporizes everything within twenty yards or so of it.

However, this accomplishes its designed mission. The body is gone, and its technology will not fall into enemy hands. It also, by pure coincidence knocks the second prong of the Jaffa ambush back. Only the first prong manages to get to the structure.

XXXXX

Damned stupid Jaffa! Can't they let us offworld in peace? Of course not! They're Jaffa! God wills it and all that! He knew what he was doing, but he couldn't stop himself. He wasn't even sure anymore if he wanted to, and a very small part of his soul shrank from that. The death gliders had come, and gone even more spectacularly. Yep the PAR still works. But he doesn't have time to worry about his remaining partner's situation; he's too busy keeping his shield between the charging Jaffa and the others. Almost close enough now. He smiles hungrily.

"On the count of three," He says. He knows that he doesn't even need to count. They know exactly when they need to be touching absolutely nothing. He lifts his hands, concentrates, and slams his palms onto the ground. Of course all of his teammates are in mid-air when it happens.

And his bare hands are off the ground before they land.

And the four of them are the only living things within a hundred yards. Grass, trees, and all the members of the second ambush squad lie on the ground looking like they've been dead for months, maybe years. He turned his head away from the field of death before him and stepped back into the structure.

On my right shoulder sits death, and on my left sits decay. They cannot touch me, and I can touch no one. Perhaps I did die all those years ago, and this is my own personal hell.

He swallows his sadness as she activates the mirror yet again.

Another trip to another universe. And another after that. And another.

How many more until we are all dead?

The mirror settles on a reality. No people in evidence. No obvious battle damage. Just boxes and tables and shelves.

Once more through the looking glass.