Charlie O'Neill
In the gate room at Home World Security, the great stargate at the SGC turned, triggering the irritating claxon of alarms.
Sgt. Eric Lewis spoke into a microphone, which piped through every speaker in the complex, deep underground Cheyenne Mountain, "Unscheduled off-world activation. Security detail to gate room."
1st Lieutenant Cassie Fraiser sat at the desk where she kept an eye through the picture window overlooking the gate room while she worked at her computer console. The code flashed on her screen and surprise registered in her voice as she read aloud, to no one in particular, "It's an old Tok'Ra code." Her hand closed around her microphone switch and squeezed. "General O'Neill to the Gate room."
In no time, O'Neill poked his head over the balcony, and peered down into the gate room command center. "Fraiser? Turn that alarm off and please tell me this is not going to make me late for my favorite TV show."
Cassie tapped her keyboard, placed her hand on the security bio-reader and the alarm stopped.
Cassandra Fraiser, the adopted alien daughter of the late Dr. Janet Fraiser, answered her commanding officer and God-father, "Don't know, Sir. Inbound code shows old Tok'Ra IDC. Do you wish to answer?"
O'Neill smiled slowly, "I suppose we can answer, but don't open the iris."
Fraiser typed into computer and spoke into her mike: "SGC/HWS does not recognize Tok'Ra code. Please use updated code. Over."
An unfamiliar voice erupted over the intercom, "Sorry. I recently located the old code and hoped it still worked. Name is Charlie. Charlie O'Neill. I want to speak to Colonel Jack O'Neill, if possible."
Fraiser turned to her associates at the console and mouthed the words, "Colonel O'Neill? How outdated can you get?" then, spoke into the mike: "No Colonel O'Neill available. Unable to assist."
Before she could shut the gate, the voice of Charlie O'Neill came back with a plaintive tone, "Please. Can you advise me how to reach the former Colonel O'Neill? He and the Tok'Ra saved my life and I took his son's name. I'm half Re'tu, on my mother's side."
General O'Neill appeared beside Cassie, having come down the metal ladder leading to the control room. He plugged his microphone into the console, "Charlie?... What's your Tok'Ra name?"
The excitement and relief in Charlie's voice was palpable, "O'Neill! It's great to hear your voice! My symbiote is Sor'ank. I have important information for you."
General O'Neill, as cautious as ever, queried again, "Charlie. How old are you now?"
The voice of Charlie responded quickly, "Twenty-four earth years; thirty-four in Retalia's years. I've been on Fantazy-Gardenira for the last twelve years. It's there I uncovered an archaeological discovery that you and Dr. Jackson will find significant."
Gen. O'Neill's voice sounded unhurried but those who knew him recognized his disbelief. "We can't let you through, but we can meet up at…"
His aide, Chief Master Sergeant Harriman, handed him a piece of paper.
"…P3C-117, tomorrow at this same time." O'Neill finished.
Charlie's response was upbeat and it was easy to sense a smile on the faceless voice, "Thank you, Sir. Over and out."
With that, the Stargate event horizon closed.
General O'Neill looked upon his God-child fondly, "Fraiser, organize an advance Marine detail to the planet to secure the gate tonight. Notify SG-5 that they'll accompany me tomorrow, and Dr. Jackson, too." A pang hit him as he turned to leave. Not a day passed that he didn't feel regret at the loss of Cassie's mother. She'd been an outstanding physician, a good soldier and a personal friend. His own injury was minor by comparison the day that the Goa'uld ambushed them.
Cassie smiled at his back, certain that he'd selected her unit, SG-5 so she would be able to go on what promised to be a trip down memory lane.
O'Neill walked back to his office and punched the phone buzzer connecting to Chief Master Sgt. Harriman. When the chief responded, O'Neill said, "Chief, clear my calendar for tomorrow evening and the following day. Also, get Jackson on the phone."
Harriman, his adept assistant, replied, "Already done, Sir."
O'Neill looked in the direction of his outer office with a glimmer of a smile, or maybe it was a grimace. The maverick three-star general didn't know what he would do without the efficient Harriman, whose particular adeptness at anticipating O'Neill had saved them embarrassment more than once.
The following day, the Marine security unit, led by Sgt. Beitlemeyer, had secured the gate and notified the SGC of the all clear. SG-5, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel John Frakes, Dr. Jackson and General O'Neill waited in the gate room, dressed in forest green camouflage uniforms, outfitted with backpacks and weapons.
O'Neill gave a nod to the sergeant at the computer console, "Sgt. Lewis, dial P3C-117."
Jackson commented to O'Neill while they waited for what the latter referred to as the sideways-toilet-flush of the gate, "Amazed it took this long before Charlie contacted you. I figured he was killed in the last attack that wiped out most of the Tok'Ra."
Over the intercom, Sergeant Lewis' voice announced each chevron as it locked in the dialing sequence.
O'Neill checked his weapon again, snapping the clip in place, "It's me. You know I'm not great about keeping in touch. Don't like writing."
Jackson raised his eyebrows and peered over his glasses at his long-time friend, "That's why I never get a birthday card from you."
O'Neill retorted with his understated humor, "Birthdays? I stopped celebrating those when the knees gave out."
The gate activated and he gave a thumbs-up to Colonel Frakes to lead SG-5 and head through to Planet P3C-117. O'Neill exited the stargate and squinted into the light of two bright suns. His voice carried over the chatter, as the teams stood in the heat; his distinctive sing-song garnering attention, "Good morning, campers. Welcome to Swelter Planet."
By the DHD, a tall young man chatted with the loitering Marines, but his eyes were on O'Neill. When O'Neill turned towards him, he broke into a large grin and strode on long, powerful legs to face the man who had saved his life. O'Neill opened his eyes wider as he looked up into Charlie's eyes—the only sign that he recognized Charlie was an inch or two taller than he was. The murmurs of the women in the units demonstrated that the young man's striking looks had been noted. "Hunky." "Hubba hubba, my mom would say." "He's even better looking than the old man." "He'd do in a pinch." Their saucy words and laughter floated towards O'Neill, as he sized up his dead son's name sake. His own son might have grown so tall and handsome.
Charlie carried a roll of papers under his left arm, and reached out with his right hand to warmly greet the human, "Jack!" He voice cracked a little when O'Neill shook his hand. Charlie turned politely to Daniel and proffered his hand, "Dr. Jackson!"
Jackson looked up at the young Tok'Ra, amazed at the change in twelve years, "Hi…uh…uh…uh…Charlie." He looked over at O'Neill's reaction to his use of O'Neill's son's name on the Tok'Ra/Re'tu. Daniel hadn't been sure if O'Neill was accepting of Charlie's electing to use his dead son's name. Jack ignored Daniel's looks.
O'Neill used his nose in a quick gesture, indicating the rolls of paper that Charlie was carrying, "So…what's with the wrapping paper?"
Charlie grinned and unrolled the charts over the DHD.
Pointing to quadrants that were familiar to both O'Neill and Jackson he remarked, "These are planetary charts showing a planet in the Antares system." He looked over at O'Neill and Jackson. They were frowning as they viewed the charts, but he continued, "The Tok'Ra had sent me there a number of years ago. We discovered the planet had great educational opportunities."
"Didn't you stay with the Tok'Ra that Anubis attacked?" Daniel asked.
"I went back there to escape the impending threats. I needed to attend school anyway. I've an advanced degree, now. It's comparable to a Ph.D. like yours, Dr. Jackson."
"Charlie, call me Daniel." Jackson smiled fondly at the enthusiasm the young protégé was showing.
"Well…Daniel, I was then sent to lead an Archaeological team on their moon. It's a developed culture and full of opportunities. I uncovered evidence of a moon-earth connection there." Charlie pointed to a spot on the chart. "Here."
Jackson moved closer. "When was this 'connection' supposed to have happened?"
Charlie's mouth twisted as he thought, "Could have been around twenty-five years to thirty earth years ago."
O'Neill looked between Daniel and Charlie, rolled his eyes and interrupted: "This is important, why?"
Jackson gritted his teeth, "Jack."
O'Neill bounced back to his friend's irritation with his customary, "Daniel."
Daniel sighed before adding, "Jack. We need to investigate where they might have settled on earth. This opens another world…"
O'Neill scrunched his face and interrupted Daniel with his fake whine, "Don't go soap-opera on me."
Charlie floundered, "Soapera?"
Sgt. Beitlemeyer appeared to the left of his CO, cleared his throat and snapped a salute, holding it until he had O'Neill's eye, "General, the perimeter is secure."
O'Neill grimaced a little and saluted back. Even after all these years, he was uncomfortable with the formalities his rank required. "Thanks, Sgt."
Jackson turned to Charlie and smiled, encouragingly, "Don't mind Jack. Show us what else you found."
"Let me take you there." He pointed to the planet, the SGC designated as P5X-240. "It's easier to see it than explain it." He waited until Jack nodded.
Charlie dialed the gate and spoke into a small communication device, and then he led the way. O'Neill followed Charlie through to another well manicured entrance that was being monitored by a group of young men in casual uniforms, not like the military's functional cammies, more akin to a hotel uniform.
"These are greeters." Charlie explained as he waved to the young mix of smiling youth. Surrounding the paver stone greeting area was a lush green grassy garden with two modern structures, similar to guard shacks nestled next to a forest. The sun was low in the sky, almost ready to set.
O'Neill directed his marines to dial the earth and report their new location to Stargate Command. Then he walked to where Charlie stood beside an open compact vehicle that seated four. "This whole area is a part of our archaeological dig. We discovered the gate and made it operational before we continued. We uncovered an ancient village with substantial records about a half a kilometer from here in that direction. The current development had put a garden that turned out to be on top of the old storage facilities and library."
Jackson looked toward the setting sun, but could not see much but the encroaching darkness, "Is there much in the way of current inhabitants?"
Charlie looked back and nodded, as he got into the vehicle, "Yes. Not far from the dig. It's a fairly developed town." He pointed beyond some trees which blocked most of the view, towards flickering lights that were beginning to illuminate.
The sound of another vehicle approaching set everyone on alert. It arrived without incident and two normal looking men got out and approached the SG teams. Charlie and the other youth waved greetings. The taller, Hispanic looking one, wearing a white suit and dark tie, waved back. His companion was a small man, also of dark complexion.
The taller alien moved easily through the group and presented himself to O'Neill with unerring assurance, "Welcome. Welcome to Fantazy-Gardenira." He held out his hand. "What dreams do you want to realize today? My name is Rourkardian."
Jack ignored him, but Daniel reached across with his hand and shook it: "Daniel, Daniel Jackson."
The shorter man called to the taller alien, "De gate. De gate!"
Rourkardian turned his bright smile on his associate, "Thank you, Tatusema." They moved in tandem to wait safely near the stargate.
The sound of the gate's turning was followed by points on the circle lighting up. An incoming wormhole established with a swish.
O'Neill gave a nod to the security detail and they closed ranks and took protective stances.
O'Neill turned to Jackson, "Daniel?"
Jackson retorted, expanding the single syllable, "Ja-ack?"
O'Neill arched his eyebrow, "Is this feeling like a 1980s retrospective?"
Jackson thought for a moment, and then added, "1980s. Hmmm. I was on a dig through the eighties."
O'Neill turned to his young friend, "Charlie, not to belabor the point, but is there a point to all this?" They watched Mr. Rourkardian and Mr. Tatusema greet the people who exited the gate, all of whom ignored the security detail and departed in vehicles that appeared out of the shacks or garages, as it were.
Charlie watched the group drive off before adding, "Jack, I also hoped you could meet Mr. Rourkardian."
O'Neill looked at the disappearing vehicles, "The John Travolta dance wannabe?" Rourkardian, Tatusema and guests were swallowed up in the shadows.
Charlie looked at him, confused, but turned the key in his vehicle and waited for them to buckle in. O'Neill called to Sgt. Beitlemeyer and Lieutenant Colonel Frakes, who hustled over to his side, "Set up camp."
Charlie quickly interjected, "Oh, no. I have wonderful accommodations for you all."
O'Neill frowned and looked at the gate, "Close by? We need to keep in touch with the command."
Charlie smiled graciously, "Very close. We can communicate with the gate from the hotel."
O'Neill shrugged, "Very well, Colonel, Sgt., have your troops follow us." They settled into the vehicle and the troops fell into marching formation. Charlie drove slowly in the direction of the lights.
Charlie kept turning his head and looking at O'Neill and Jackson, "It's only a kilometer. You'll like the Dream Inn.
O'Neill parroted, "Dreamin'?"
Charlie said it again, slowly, "Dream …Inn." and grinned at O'Neill's pretend faux-pas, enjoying the humor. "Anyway, it's because of Rourkardian that I received my education. We came here in a ship, escaping the onslaught of Anubis and Ba'al. There was no gate access at the time, so we were safe. I met Mr. Rourkardian. He invited me to visit his dream establishment—Fantasy Salon."
Jackson grunted, "This is sounding familiar."
O'Neill spoke under his breath, "Ya think?"
Charlie continued ignoring their remarks, "I wanted to get a degree, so I could attend an earth school some day."
O'Neill turned to Charlie sharply, "Why didn't you call us?"
Charlie, ignored the harshness and replied, "All we had was the ship. It would have taken too long to reach you. Without a gate, there was no opportunity. On the other hand, being without the gate kept us safe."
Jackson interjected, "It seems that you're very well educated."
Charlie's grin widened, "I know. I attended the Air Force Academy at Fantasy Salon."
O'Neill wrinkled his brow again, "Air…Force? Sounds bogus."
Charlie continued, "I thought so, at first. But every day, I learned more and more. Four years later, I graduated in the top 10% of my class. I also enjoyed living on campus. I believe that it must be very much like your earth academy."
O'Neill shot back, "There's a campus?"
They pulled up to a gracious building, like a Victorian Bed and Breakfast. Charlie parked and walked around to open O'Neill's door.
"We're here."
O'Neill scanned the elegant accommodations, "Nice digs. Uh, we can camp. We're not footing the bill for this place."
Charlie countered, "It's all arranged. Paid in full. My treat."
Jackson registered shock, "Charlie, you must be doing well for yourself. I couldn't have afforded this on my early archaeological salaries."
"It's part of my fantasy. I wanted you to visit me." They walked up the steps to the porch.
O'Neill stretched his shoulders, looked around at the innocuous surroundings and acquiesced, "I'll try to manage. Too bad Teal'c couldn't make it."
As if on cue, the door opened and Teal'c stepped out.
Teal'c bowed his head formally, "O'Neill! Welcome to Fantazy-Gardenira."
O'Neill grabbed his old friend around the neck in a bear hug, "Teal'c, you old codger. What are you doing here?"
Teal'c arched his eyebrow and indicated Charlie: "I arrived only two hours ago. This was his plan." He turned and led the group up into the hotel lobby.
Inside the hotel, as evening darkened around them, they received keys to the pre-registered rooms. O'Neill whistled at the spacious beauty in the lobby. A host walked towards them followed by attendants.
O'Neill turned to Charlie: "Now, you've got some xplaining to do, Lucy."
"It's hard to explain how it works. It just does. You define your dream for Mr. Rourkardian and report back. The next day, Mr. Rourkardian or Tatusema directs you to a door. When you go through it, you begin to live your dream."
Jackson chirped up, "Like magic?"
O'Neill scoffed, "Oh, please." Taking a deep breath, "Did he put you in a trance? Did you dream it?"
"It all seems real." The attendants indicated they should follow up the grand stairs.
O'Neill stopped and looked at Daniel, "Sounds like an Ancient trick. Is Rourkardian an Ancient?"
Charlie pondered before answering, "I'm not sure. I haven't studied him. I only studied archaeology and ancient texts."
Jackson tapped Charlie's shoulder, "You said mentioned finding something important to us?"
Charlie nodded. "That's why I called you."
The attendants opened several doors to luxurious accommodations and gave them each keys, "Here is your suite," they each chorused.
O'Neill looked around, but turned back to Charlie: "You didn't bring us here for the great hotel. What did you find?"
Charlie puffed up with pride, "The location of the Ancient lab where they constructed the stargates and the zero point modules. I may have found the possibility of one located on earth."
O'Neill looked at Charlie in disbelief, "This is just a fantasy, though, isn't it?"
Jackson added, "It's not real, so they can't actually work."
Charlie shook his head. "It may seem like they are just dreams, but the ZPMs work. They can go off world."
O'Neill sneered: "This, I gotta see."
Teal'c, who had followed them quietly, stood in his suite doorway, "O'Neill, I too, found this difficult to believe. But I must tell you that Charlie provided me a ZPM to send to Dakara to use on the Ancient device we found."
"And it works?" Jackson asked.
"I am not certain. After our sacred temple had been destroyed by the replicators, we began to rebuild and uncovered an intact bunker with an ancient device. The ZPM was depleted, however, so we could not test it."
Jackson interjected, "Do you have any idea what it's supposed to do?"
Teal'c smiled at his friend's interest, "We do not know, yet. I sent the ZPM through the gate, just before you arrived. Its functions are yet to be determined."
Jackson responded hesitantly, "That would seem too good to be true."
O'Neill spoke, with an edge to his voice, "This all is way too convenient." He turned and headed back down the stairs to the lobby.
Charlie followed him down, but at the bottom of the stairs stopped, "Jack, if you will excuse me for a moment, I must speak with the attendants." He walked over to where the attendants gathered. His voice changed to a Tok'Ra rough guttural, and their exchange was in another language. The attendants listened attentively, occasionally glancing at O'Neill.
O'Neill eyed Charlie and the attendants, without expression. The noise at the door announced the rest of the troops had arrived. O'Neill waved them in where Charlie introduced them to the attendants. The awed service members were handed keys to their rooms and the chatter increased.
O'Neill singled out the team leaders, pausing to wink at Cassie, "Colonel Frakes? Sgt. Beitlemeyer? A moment, please." They broke away from the groups and walked with General O'Neill. He stopped by panoramic windows that overlooked a lake, reflecting the golden, orange tones of sunset.
The lieutenant colonel stood at attention, "General?"
O'Neill leaned toward him and whispered: "Charlie has arranged for all of us to stay here for the night. Let your troops to enjoy it, but set a watch throughout the night. Something is…"
The lieutenant colonel laughed nervously, "too good to be true?" His humor died quickly when he saw O'Neill's frown.
O'Neill's frown became a nod, "You get that too?"
The sergeant snapped a salute, "We've got the perimeter covered, Sir." He waited till O'Neill returned the salute, before he rejoined his Marines.
Charlie came up behind O'Neill, "Jack?"
O'Neill spun around, "Yes?"
Charlie touched his arm, "It's okay. We're safe here."
O'Neill shrugged, "Just making sure."
Charlie suggested, "How about dinner? There's a fabulous dining room overlooking the water."
O'Neill rubbed his stomach, "Why not? We're not in Kansas anymore. Do you have any idea what they're serving for dinner?"
"Anything you desire." Charlie lifted his arm, pointing the way.
Jackson strolled up behind, "Well, tin man, a little too Wizard of Oz for you?"
O'Neill growled under his breath, "Reminds me of the Aschen. You do remember what happened there, don't you, Daniel?"
Jackson cocked his head, "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts?"
O'Neill nodded, "Yeah."
Charlie turned to Daniel grabbing his arm in a friendly tug, "Dr. Jackson, wait till you see the dig with its library. The lab is at another site."
Jackson smiled at Charlie's enthusiasm that reminded him of his own early days as a struggling archaeologist, "First thing, tomorrow?"
Charlie grinned and bobbed his head, "Absolutely. Are you hungry? Let's eat." He led the way to where a scrumptious buffet was arranged in tiers around the dining room full of comfortable booths facing the lake.
The next day, they checked out of the hotel in the early morning, and Charlie showed Daniel, Jack and the teams a short cut to the site. They arrived to a meticulously laid out organized dig, cordoned off with stakes and ropes into neat squares to accommodate an accurate recording of the find. Several students supervised by archeologists were hard at work, but stopped to greet the newcomers.
Charlie walked beside Daniel, chatting congenially of their mutual interest about digs on the way to the Headquarters. O'Neill bored look never changed, but his eyes scanned and absorbed everything.
From a room in the HQ, Charlie led the group downstairs into a room full of books. Daniel's eyes glowed and he became absorbed in reading titles and flipping through texts.
Charlie beamed as he called to Daniel, "Dr. Jackson. Come this way." He led him to a stack of books neatly arranged on a desk. He tapped them, "These are for you to take with you. I've arranged it." Daniel, leaned over, picked the first one up and dropped it and sneezed several times.
Jackson grabbed his handkerchief, which he kept with him, "Excuse me, allergies."
Charlie grabbed a towel and tried dusting them but only stirred the motes and particles more, "I went through thousands of texts and culled these. I obtained permission for you to take them to earth. You should be able to examine them with your technology and compare them with your findings."
Jackson grimaced and sneezed into his handkerchief again: "I'll have to dust them first." He tried to laugh, but sneezed again.
O'Neill squinted through the haze of dust, "Charlie, I know this is exciting for some of us, but can we get to the part about the ZPM and the lab?"
Charlie pointed to a map on a wall at the back of the hut, "Sure, Jack."
Jackson sniffled, "It looks ancient, like a labyrinth. Are there clues?"
Charlie nodded, "When I first discovered this, I didn't think it would be that important. However, then I found the book" He held up a small leather bound book. "and when I realized it matched the inscriptions on the obelisk from Retalia, I was sure…"
Jackson spun around sharply, "Retalia? You went back there?"
Charlie explained, "After Sor'ank healed me, I returned to my mother's home in Retalia. The rubbings of the obelisk were among her things. I have carried them with me as a tribute to her. Since then, I discovered they are a part of the prophecy she left for me."
Jackson peered at the small book's inscriptions, "Prophecy? Your mother left a prophecy? She didn't mention anything. Are there special meanings in the obelisk rubbings?"
Charlie waited for Daniel to look up and pointed at a particular page in the table of contents. Daniel flipped to the page immediately, as Charlie continued, "I didn't know it at the time, but the book explains. It provides a code to interpret them." He unrolled the rubbing of the obelisk and Daniel opened the book to the code page."
Jackson perused and hummed, "umm…aah…hmmm."
O'Neill leaned toward Jackson, with a very bored expression, "Earth to Daniel."
Jackson looked up, a little disconcerted.
O'Neill suggested, "Can you provide the sound byte version or Cliff notes? I don't want to read the book."
Jackson ignored Jack's irritation, "We need to call Carter and McKay."
O'Neill whined, "Do we have to? Oil and water don't mix well. Carter's available, but I'll have to send a ship for McKay."
Jackson twisted his head around to Jack, "If what I'm seeing is correct, we'll need them for the final calculations."
Charlie grinned at Daniel's idea and enthusiasm: "I told you you'd want to see it."
O'Neill groaned impatiently, "What can we take to earth?"
"I have them here for Dr. Jackson." He held the pile of books for Daniel. "I've also made copies of my mother's rubbings, just in case you were interested. If you have questions, I'd be glad to help."
O'Neill turned and snapped an order to the soldiers hanging nearby, "Let's wrap it up and get back to the SGC." Cassie jumped up and ran over to O'Neill who was blocking her view of Charlie.
"Sir?" She grinned, expectantly, "How can I help?"
Charlie countered from behind Jack, "Can't you stay longer?"
"Not today," O'Neill shook his head: "Cassie, help Charlie pack up the gear and take it to the gate."
Cassie smiled broadly and looked around O'Neill at Charlie, seeing him up close for the first time. She stopped dead in her tracks when Charlie looked up from the stack of books he'd picked up for Daniel. Their eyes met and locked. He stared at her, not moving a step.
"Cassie?" O'Neill called. "Bring the gear."
Cassie's eyes never looked away from Charlie's as she answered. "Yes, Sir."
Charlie didn't turn away either, "I was hoping to work…with you…Jack." He stood mesmerized as he finished hurriedly, "and Dr. Jackson, even Dr. Carter."
Jackson blew his nose and called to Charlie, "Couldn't you come back with us?"
O'Neill flashed a look at Jackson and his jaw rippled briefly.
Jackson sniffled, wiped his nose and continued, "He's already been cleared and verified by the medical team. His DNA matches with what we had on record."
Cassie glanced briefly at O'Neill before returning her eyes to hold Charlie's again, "Sir, I'll be glad to stand escort duty."
O'Neill caught their look and frowned. "1st Lt. Fraiser, I expect you to follow the rules and keep Charlie from getting into trouble."
"Aye, aye, Sir." Cassie's grin grew wider.
O'Neill enunciated to Charlie, "You have to follow the rules."
Jackson snorted, "Yeah, Jack, we know how you're one for following the rules."
Charlie agreed emphatically, "Oh, I will. I will. Let me get packed." He dashed into the back and returned with a knapsack. "I'm ready." smiling broadly at Cassie, while directing his voice beyond her, "Please, Jack. Let me visit."
O'Neill chuckled, "You travel light."
Charlie sighed, "I learned to live simply when we fled the Goa'uld."
O'Neill called on his communicator: "Colonel, Sgt. Return to the gate. Meet you there. Notify SGC that we are returning with Charlie O'Neill."
Daniel looked at Jack carefully at the mention of the name. Jack's expression was neutral. It was the first time Daniel had heard Jack say the name of his son to describe the cloned young human, who had come to save the SGC and earth from the Re'tu rebels bent on human destruction.
The communicator chorused in succession from the colonel and the sergeant, "Aye, aye."
Daniel carried the copies of the Obelisk rubbings. Teal'c carried a gift that an attendant brought him from Mr. Rourkardian, another ZPM. Cassie carried a P-90 and walked alongside Charlie, who carried the stack of books for Daniel.
At the gate, Charlie held back, allowing his guests to go through first. His waistband buzzed; he withdrew a communicator and in his Tok'Ra voice responded in another language.
"Excuse me for speaking in another language. I'm saying goodbye to friends from here. I didn't want them to worry." He smiled at Cassie and snapped it shut. Slipping it into his pocket, he fell into step with her.
They waited until the last soldier had gone through the wormhole, and then he and Cassie followed. Stepping into the event horizon, he paused, looked back and gave a small salute, before getting swallowed up in the wormhole.
In the shadows, watching the gate from the shacks, Mr. Rourkardian smiled at Mr. Tatusema, after the event horizon disappeared.