Chapter 3: Inability
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Enjoy!!
That woman had to be Carter's mother. He didn't know the details surrounding Carter's family, but he did know that her mother had died when she was a teenager. 'That bastard.' Jack thought savagely. 'How dare he make her relive this.'
Jack spun to stand in front of Sam, blocking the street from view. "Carter, look at me." When Sam didn't move, he hooked a finger under her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. "This isn't real. We don't have to play along with this son of a bitch."
"I…never saw this. My father came home…he told me…" Sam trailed off, desperately trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. "I can't watch her die, sir."
"I know. You won't have to. This is going to end." Jack opened his mouth to shout for the keeper when a woman's voice cut through the air.
"Taxi! Taxi, over here!" Jack turned and saw Carter's mother waving her hand frantically, standing on the very edge of the sidewalk.
"Mom," Sam stepped around Jack, her voice quiet. "Mommy…?" Sam took a step towards the street, tears running unchecked down her cheeks.
"Carter, stop." Jack ordered. "This isn't real." Sam saw it an instant before Jack did. Another taxi was speeding up behind her mother; the driver was distracted, looking down at what was presumably his radio.
"No!" Sam screamed. "Mom! Watch out! Get out of there!" Heedless of the cars that were speeding down the road, Sam bolted from her position on the sidewalk and made to run to her mother.
Jack reacted without thinking, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him to keep her out of traffic. She fought viciously, clawing at his hands to get to her mother. "Mom!" she screamed again.
The older, blonde woman looked up, blue eyes meeting blue as her mother recognized her. "Sammie?" the woman called back. "Sam, what are you doing--!" The rest of the sentence was drowned out by the blaring of a horn and the screeching of tires. The older Carter turned just as the car reached her.
There was no time for her to scream.
There was no time for anything.
Time slowed down as Sam struggled to break away from Jack. Her mother's body was frozen in the instant before impact. Sam spun around, burying her face in Jack's chest as the sickening sound of metal meeting flesh and bone echoed across the suddenly silent street. Sam's fingers dug into Jack's back as she screamed, trying desperately to drown out the liquid impact of flesh to street.
Jack held Sam tight as her anguished cries spiraled into the sky. He felt her knees give out, but held onto her, keeping her upright. He was going to kill that bastard. He was going to rip him apart with his bare hands.
There was no death or torture painful enough for what Jack wanted to inflict on the "keeper."
"Sam." His voice was low, lips pressed to her neck. "Sam, listen to me. Focus on my voice. This didn't happen. He made it up. It never happened."
"Yes, it did." Sam's barely managed to speak around her body-wracking sobs. "I read the-the reports. I saw the police photos even though I wasn't supposed to."
Jack closed his eyes as his heart ached for his second in command. He couldn't stand to see her in pain.
And this was the worst kind of pain imaginable.
"Sam, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." His hand was tangled in her hair and her head was still pressed against his chest. Her sobs were quieting and he could feel her pulling herself back together. He wanted to tell her that it was okay to cry in front of him. He wouldn't think any the less of her.
As if he could ever think less of her.
"Sam!" a new voice rang out. Sam stiffened and pulled away from Jack, dread icing through her veins.
Jack turned to see who had spoken, noticing that the setting had changed. They were no longer standing on a sidewalk; rather, they were in a house. A man who looked to be a little older than Jack was standing in the doorway of a large foyer.
"In here!" A voice that was unmistakably Sam's (though slightly higher) called from a little ways into the house.
"No…" Sam whispered, following the voice at a near run. Jack followed and found himself standing in the kitchen opposite a young girl with long blonde hair, who was putting cookies on a plate. Jack realized with a certain amount of trepidation that he was looking at a teenaged Sam. 'This must be what was actually in Sam's memory about her mother's death.' Jack's gut twisted with the knowledge.
"Why are you crying?" Young Sam asked curiously as she glanced up at her father, who was now standing next to Jack. Unlike the other scenarios, Sam and Jack, apparently, couldn't be seen.
Jack looked at Sam and saw that she was staring at her father, her expression mirroring that of her younger self. "Where's mom?" The nervously asked, tear-filled question was spoken in unison by the two Sam's.
"Sam…I'm sorry." Her father's voice was quiet, defeated…afraid.
The expression on the Sam's faces changed so quickly Jack took a step back in surprise. Pure fury flashed in the blue eyes and their mouths twisted. "You were never there for us." They said, the double voices causing a creepy echo. "You always chose your job over us and now look what's happened! Mom's dead." Both Sams took a step towards their father, the younger one throwing the spatula down with a metallic bang. "You killed her! You killed mom!" Sam screamed, before suddenly spinning around to face Jack.
"Colonel, I can't stop it! I never said this!" As if she were a marionette, Sam was spun to once again face her father. "I'll never forgive you for this." Her voice was as sharp as a dagger.
It took Jack less than a second to make up his mind. Nothing in these simulations made any sense, so his actions shouldn't either, right? He grabbed Sam by her jacket and spun her to face him. "Dammit, Sam." He growled before pulling her against him and sealing his lips over hers.
He felt Sam freeze, battling between reality and this sadistic virtual reality. He knew the moment that she had won. She relaxed against him, her own hands moving to grip his collar. Jack, who had been expecting her to pull away, was shocked when she kissed him back with as much ferocity as he was kissing her with.
When they broke apart, Jack rested his forehead against Sam's, both panting slightly. "How'd you know that would work?" Sam asked, breathless.
"I didn't." Jack replied with a little shrug, just as breathless.
Sam laughed softly before lifting her head and looking around. They were standing in a garden. Beautiful, exotic flowers seemed to bloom from everywhere, the perfumed scents making the tension in Sam ebb a little. "Where are we?" she asked, not entirely sure that she wanted to know. "Sir?" she turned back to Jack when he didn't reply.
Expecting to see him looking around the garden, she was shocked to find him staring at her with an intensity Sam had never seen before. "You didn't push me away." His voice held a note of disbelief.
Sam sighed. She wanted desperately to play dumb, but knew it would hurt them both if she did. "No." she replied quietly. "I didn't."
"Why?" Jack cocked his head, his eyes searing into her.
"Because, I--," she broke off as her voice failed her. Looking back into his eyes, she saw shocked understanding bloom.
"Oh."
"Yeah." Sam laughed bitterly. "Oh."
The moment stretched between them, both just staring at each other. Sam felt her cheeks burn and looked away, humiliated. Her commanding officer now knew exactly how she felt about him. Oh, boy. She was so fired when they got back to Earth.
"Hey." Jack said softly, brushing his fingers over her cheek. "Me too."
"You…too?" Sam repeated intelligently. "Colonel, you--," Jack cut her off by pressing his lips to hers again.
When he pulled away, humor was dancing in his eyes. "I tried to deny it for a long time, Carter. It didn't work."
Sam couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I never thought…" She trailed, shaking her head. "What now?"
Jack grinned. "Now…I do this." He leaned toward her once more and Sam closed her eyes in anticipation.
Not even a second had passed when Sam's eyes snapped open again. Jack was no longer in front of her. A slithering sensation along her arms and legs caused her to look down. The black tentacles of the "simulation chairs" were sliding back into the chair, releasing her from her bonds.
Jumping away from the chair, she turned her head to see Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c all jumping away from their chairs too. "Whoa." Jack said, taking several steps away from the devices.
"Indeed." Teal'c said, looking shaken. Daniel didn't say anything, but his face was white and he looked like he was about to be physically ill.
"Let's get out of here." Jack said. He turned and came face to face with three cloaked figures. "Jesus!" he exclaimed jumping away from them.
"Please." The one in the middle spoke softly. "Tell us what this place is. It is in your memories and we cannot identify it."
The team looked at each other nervously. Sam stepped forward. "This is your world." She spoke gently, wondering just how much this keeper had kept from his people.
"No." the one in the middle spoke again. "Our world is overrun with pestilence. No, this cannot be our home."
"It is." Jack said forcefully, standing next to Sam. "If you don't believe us, just ask your keeper, or whatever."
The cloaked figures turned and whispered to each other. "Show us. Show us in your memories."
"What do you mean 'our memories?'" Jack asked skeptically. "We're not getting back in those things." He shuddered involuntarily.
"We don't have to." Daniel spoke quietly, sounding utterly spent. "We're still in them."
"What?" Jack whipped around.
"Jack, if we can still see these people…we must still be in them." Daniel's eyes were fixed on the ground. What the hell had he seen in that simulation?
"The how the hell do we get out?!" Jack exclaimed, frustrated.
"Stop!" A loud, agitated voice shouted from behind Jack. "You are ruining everything!"
The team turned to see the keeper hurrying towards them, his hands folded over his round stomach.
"Ruining…?" Sam took several steps forward, looking very much like she was going to strangle him. "You son of a bitch; you are keeping these people locked away for no reason! Your world is fine!"
The keeper took a step back at Sam's fury, but didn't back down. "Our world was overcome with disease and ruin because of them!" he pointed an accusing finger at the cloaked figures. "They used all of our resources and trampled our land! If they are let out, they will ruin it all over again!"
"You knew about this." Jack stepped up next to Sam, ignoring the way her proximity made him feel with difficulty. "You knew that your world was thriving again and you kept it from them."
Sam smiled cruelly. "Your name is fitting." Her voice was harsh and she took a threatening step towards the keeper. "Let them out."
"No. They will ruin my world." The keeper faltered under Sam's glare.
"Not your world." Sam took another step, forcing the keeper to take a step backwards, his back hitting a chair. "Theirs."
The keeper spluttered and tried to move to his right. Jack stepped up, blocking that escape. Daniel and Teal'c came up on Sam's other side, effectively cornering the alien. Sun blocked by the shadows of the four livid people in front of him, the keeper blanched. "Yes. Alright." The portly man closed his eyes and appeared to be concentrating very hard.
"And no more funny busi--," Jack's warning was cut off as a bright flash of light blinded all of them.
Sam opened her eyes and was hit with a sense of deja-vu. 'Well, duh.' She thought. 'You just did this.' She stumbled away from the chair, unsteady on her feet. She looked over and saw the Colonel, Daniel, and Teal'c hurrying away from their chairs as well.
"Are we out? Are we out?" Jack asked as he patted himself down experimentally.
"Even if we weren't, Jack, I don't think that would do anything." Daniel said, a little of his color returning to his face.
Jack paused what he was doing, eyes immediately going to Sam's. Daniel was right. Sensations had been very…real…in the virtual world. Sam's cheeks flushed and she looked away. She had been so close to admitting the one thing she wasn't allowed to…had admitted it to a certain extent.
And he had reciprocated.
"How can this be?" A high-pitched, distressed voice came from Sam's right. SG-1 whirled to see the native people of the planet pushing themselves away from their bonds.
"Is this real?" Another asked.
"It cannot be. Unless…unless you lied to us!" The last part was shouted.
"I had no choice." The keeper materialized near the doors leading out of the greenhouse. "You would have destroyed our world again! You will destroy our world again!"
"Oh, give them a chance!" Jack said. "Teach them to take care of it. Teach them to live."
The keeper didn't say anything, merely whirled on his heel and led the way out of the garden. The natives followed him eagerly, wanting to see the world that had been hidden from them for so long. As they emerged into the world that seemed so new to them various gasps of delight and surprise filled the air. They began to pick the vibrant flowers that covered the landscape.
"No! No, don't pick them! Yes, they're very pretty, but they will die if you—Stop that!" the keeper shouted to two women who were pulling out the flowers by the handful and throwing them into the air.
Sam, Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c all shared an exhausted, amused glance before turning their backs on the joyous scene. "Let's go home." Jack said leading the way to the gate.
"No arguments there, sir." Sam shook her head wearily. "Sir, can't I just--?"
"No." Jack cut her off, knowing what she was going to say.
"But he deserves it."
"Yes, Carter, he does." 'After what he put you through, I would do it for you.' Jack thought savagely. "But killing him would create a hostile situation that the general probably won't like."
Sam sighed. "I know."
Daniel and Teal'c glanced at each other, sharing knowing glances. As Daniel pressed the symbols that would take them back home, Jack put a hand on Sam's arm holding her back.
"Carter…"
"Sir, don't." Sam averted her eyes.
"Sam." Her eyes shot to Jack's. "Did you mean what you said in there?"
She didn't hesitate. She couldn't. "Yes."
Jack nodded and turned to face the looming blue puddle. "No more status quo."
And they stepped through.
TBC
A/N: One more chapter to go, though, this is the last "chapter." The next one is going to be an epilogue. Thank you all very much! Please R&R!!
