Chapter Four

Consequences.

"So, the meteor shower…. what you both suspected, it really happened!" Kate exclaimed.

"Yes!" Daniel replied with a wry smile.

"The ancient weapon was here on earth the whole time!" exclaimed Kate somewhat in awe.

"She's quick, I'll give her that" Jack interrupted.

"Yes!" Daniel replied ignoring Jack's last comment "the ancient knowledge in Colonel O'Neill's brain had led them right back to an ancient outpost in the frozen wastes of Antarctica.

Just then Jack interrupted "Daniel, I don't mean to be condescending but should you really be telling Kate all this stuff, isn't it supposed to be classified?"

"We're not exactly Stargate personnel ourselves!" Daniel quipped. "I'm sure if General Hammond and those above him were aware of our existence we'd be considered just as much a threat to security as Kate here."

"So, what happened to …..Jack? Kate bowed her head as she asked the question. It was hard to talk about the 'other' Jack, when another Jack was standing right in-front of her. There was another long silence as neither of them wished to answer.

It was Daniel who finally broke the silence once again. "Colonel O'Neill was left in a pretty bad state." Daniel seemed reluctant to carry on as Kate took a deep breath, "so the team decided the only way he would survive was if they left him frozen in Antarctica."

Kate couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No!" she cried out shocked. "They wouldn't do that, they would never leave him behind."

Jack got up and approached Kate making her step back and almost trip over a stool. He grabbed Kate's arm in an effort to steady her before adding to Daniel's story. "Jack's body is in stasis, everyone's just hoping Teal'c and Carter can reach the Asgard in time so they can remove the data and revive him before it's too late."

Jack could only stare open-mouthed and dumbstruck as Kate dragged herself away from him and fled the radio tower.

…..

Jack and Daniel spent most of the next few days in the cloning lab trying to contact the Asgard using the long range communications device that Thor had left behind. At the end of another depressing day Jack wearily made his way to his quarters, he thought about Kate and how she could be so passionate about his counterpart, yet despise him just as easily. As far as he was concerned he was Jack O'Neill in every sense of the word and no-one could convince him otherwise. In-fact the more he thought about it the more his headache got worse until suddenly he realised he had walked too far and was standing at the end of the corridor.

He removed his keys from his pocket and played with them for several seconds wondering whether he should go try to talk to Kate, but decided that in his present state he would be far from tolerable and would probably end up making things a hundred times worse. He stepped back several paces to the double room he had chosen for himself and pensively placing the key in the lock, he let him self in.

…..

Kate was working in the hydroponic garden where she had spent most of the past few days. She had just climbed an extremely tall step ladder and was fighting her way through a mass of creeping vines when Daniel entered.

"Kate!" he awaited an answer but Kate was much too preoccupied trying to keep her footing to respond.

"I just came to let you know that Jack and I have retired for the night." And with a quick "Nite!" he left the dome.

Kate tried to turn around and call him back but as she took a step back on the ladder her foot caught in one of the twisted vines. She reached out to grab hold of a branch but it snapped making her loose her balance. Reaching out desperately she tried to regain her balance but could see herself falling as if in slow motion with each grasp of greenery coming away in her hands, until with a loud CRACK and THUD, she hit the cold hard floor.

She lay motionless for several seconds winded and in shock, too terrified to move as her head buzzed from the impact. She called out Jack's name but only a whisper of a breath left her lips. As she tried to move she was struck by a sharp pain that made her cry out but no-one was around to hear her. She laid there for several minutes her head throbbing and her heart beating furiously as she tried not to panic. Suddenly she was blinded by a strong white light just before her eyes closed and she lost consciousness.

….

Thor was above Earth's atmosphere, going over the "Daniel Jackson's" systems before returning to his own galaxy. He had just beamed down the four members of SG-1 all safe and well and had decided to investigate the calls that had been emanating from his old transmitter up in the Scottish highlands.

Unable to get a reply he decided to beam the three life signs from the lab directly on board his ship.

Jack had just nodded off and wasn't too happy about suddenly waking up on a cold, hard, metal floor whereas, Daniel likewise had just gotten in the shower and tried to cover himself up as he stood shivering and dripping with water and of course, Kate lay unconscious on the floor.

Jack was so taken aback by Daniel suddenly appearing wet and naked before him that he hadn't noticed Kate lying unconscious by his side. Daniel on the other hand was quick to spot that something was wrong and dashed to her aide.

Bending down beside her he called out her name and was about to touch her when Thor intervened "It would unwise to move her at this point, I believe I should beam her directly to what you would refer to as our sick bay."

Daniel grimaced and glanced at Jack, who raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "This was really no time for humour." Jack thought.

Thor seemed shocked and surprised at seeing Jack. "O'Neill!" he exclaimed blinking several times before continuing.

In a flash of light Kate was gone and Jack and Daniel found themselves alone on what was apparently the bridge of an Asgard ship.

Jack and Daniel waited tentatively for Thor to return.

"Why did you have to be in the shower?" asked Jack angrily.

"What is your problem!" replied Daniel looking around for something to wear and wondering why Jack was so angry.

The conversation was interrupted by another flash of light and Thor's return. "As my initial scans detected, your female companion has several fractures and is bleeding internally." the tiny Asgard stated.

Jack looked shocked "You can fix her right?" he enquired with concern etched on his face.

"As you are aware we have studied humans in great depth." replied Thor.

"I have no doubt!" interrupted Jack impatiently "So…. is that a yes?"

"I will administer treatment" replied Thor "but the healing process may take some time. In the meantime, you may be of assistance, unless" he paused again…

"Unless?" interrupted Jack.

"Unless you prefer I return you directly to Stargate Command."

Jack realised the little guy was on to them and remained hesitant as Thor examined the pair closely before speaking again

"It has been less than an hour since I returned SG-1 and O'Neill back to your base at Cheyenne mountain…."

Daniel almost jumped onto the control console. "Is Colonel O'Neill alright? When you say you returned him, does that mean he's out of stasis?

The Asgard remained fixated with Jack.

"There were safeguards in your DNA to prevent any cloning, but yet it would be impossible for you to be here, unless you have acquired some cloning technology of your own?" Thor replied.

"He wasn't exactly cloned," answered Daniel "so... how is Colonel O'Neill, did you un-fry his brain?" he added getting quite agitated at the attention Jack seemed to be getting from Thor and his own questions not being answered.

"I was replicated!" added Jack to which the Asgard shrank back and blinked several times causing the pair to quickly explain.

"What Jack means is, he was replicated by a method OTHER than cloning."

Jack looked over at Daniel examining him from head to foot before adding "That's what I just said."

Thor caught the pair before they could start one of their annoying banters.

"There can be no doubt that you have all the attributes of the original Jack O'Neill….. although the cloning process is in no doubt far superior." He said turning to Daniel.

The Asgard bowed his head making Daniel more than self conscious at this point.

"Thank you! Jack exclaimed. "So…. what happened to the other O'Neill?

"O'Neill is alive and well!" replied Thor, much to Daniels relief.

"I'm really glad we got that out of the way. "Jack replied sarcastically. "Now! What is it you need from us?"