Chapter 10: Ascension
July 2001
Sam headed down the front walk to pick up her newspaper, as Buffy trailed behind her. She bent down picking it up and rose to see a man standing across the street watching them.
Buffy waved at the man. "Hi."
The man smiled. "Hi yourself, little one."
Sam looked at her daughter and frowned and then looked at the man. "Hello."
The man nodded toward Sam. "How are you?"
"Fine. How are you?" Sam said as she stepped in front of Buffy, protectively.
The man smiled. "Good. Nice to meet you and your daughter."
"Mom?" Buffy said as she looked between Sam and the man.
Sam looked at Buffy and patted her shoulder protectively before looking back at the man. "Yeah, uh, are you from around here?" she asked.
The man shook his head. "No. But this is where you live.
Sam looked worriedly down at Buffy, "Buffy go in the house."
Buffy looked at the man and then back at Sam. "Mom?"
"Elizabeth Samantha Carter!" Sam said as Buffy jumped as if she had been slapped. "Go back in the house." Buffy could tell her mother was angry at her as she turned and ran back in to the house. "I'm going to go back inside now."
"See you again," the man said.
"Bye," Sam said sharply. She turned and headed back into the house. She closed the front door and looked out the window but saw that the man was gone. She turned and heads into the kitchen picking up the phone.
Buffy looked at her mother and then walked into the bedroom where Dawn was. A moment later the girls hears Sam practically yelling. "How did you get in here?"
Buffy and Dawn looked at each other and ran into the kitchen. "Mom?" Buffy asked looking worried.
"I won't hurt you," said the man from outside.
Sam looked at Buffy and Dawn and moved between them and the man. "No, I'll hurt you if you come any closer to me or my daughters," she said as she picked up the phone and began dialing.
"Please don't. I just wanna talk to you," the man said.
"About what?" Sam asked, the phone in her hand.
"It's complicated," the man said.
Dawn looked at the man and then her mother as she tugged on Sam's arm.
Sam put a hand down and patted Dawn's shoulder to reassure her that it's alright. "Let's start with how you got into my house?"
"I followed you home last night," said the man.
"You've been here all night?" Sam asked.
The man nodded. "I read some of your books and watched the television so I could learn how to speak and what to wear," he said as he looked down at himself. "Is this okay?"
"You've been in my house all night?" Sam asked.
Buffy suddenly growled startling the man, Dawn and Sam. "Stay away from my mother."
The man looked at Buffy, there was no fear in his eyes. "Yes. But you couldn't see me. I just took this form now so we could relate. Actually, I used to look this way before my ascension."
Sam started dialing the phone again as she reflexively moved her other hand from Dawn to Buffy trying to reassure both girl that everything was okay."
"Please, I'm not crazy," the man said.
Sam slammed the phone down. "Who are you?" she asked.
"My name is Orlin. I'm from the planet you just visited. I followed you back through the Stargate," the man, Orlin, said.
"See, that's impossible," Sam said and she knew it wasn't as no one had come through the gate with SG-1.
Orlin walked straight through the kitchen counter to stand before Sam, Buffy and Dawn. Sam instinctively kept herself between Orlin and Buffy and Dawn as the three of them backed away.
"I can become invisible in my natural, non-corporeal state," Orlin said.
Sam looked at Buffy and Dawn and with her eyes she told her her daughters to go in the garage. Buffy and Dawn both nod and hurriedly left the room. "What do you want?" she asked.
Orlin sighed. "I'm sorry if I scared you, I just wanted to talk to you. It's been so long since I … I … I know this is going to seem…okay, I'll just come out and say it and then move on from there. I have these, I guess you could call them feelings," he said as Sam backed towards the garage door. "But the truth is … I love you."
Sam turned and ran out of the garage door slamming it behind her. "Buffy, Dawn in the car. Now!" she yelled at them as they all got in to the car. Sam hurriedly started the engine and pulled the car out of the garage and drove down the street. Then she called Jack. They waited for Jack to come with a team to search the house. When they got the all clear they returned home.
Later at the SGC Daniel watched as Jack followed by Teal'c entered his office. "How's Sam, Buffy and Dawn?"
"Absolutely no evidence of their secret friend," Jack said.
Daniel sighed. "How's are they Jack?"
"Hammond recommended a psyche evaluation for all of them," said Jack. "He thinks they could be hallucinating. All three of them say they saw this Orlin guy. But when we went to check it out there was no evidence of there being anyone there."
"Do you believe Major Carter, Buffy Carter, and Dawn Carter have become mentally unstable?" asked Teal'c.
Jack shook his head, "No more than the rest of us. Though what surprises me if this guy were real why Buffy didn't sensed him, I would have thought from the conversation that Sam and this Orlin guy were having Buffy would have considered him a threat. The Slayer generally shows itself when she feels the need to protect someone. Yet Buffy said she never sensed the man, and she didn't feel threatened till the implication that he had been in their house all night."
"Probably is a good idea to get them all checked out to be on the safe side," Daniel said.
At the Carter home Sam, Buffy and Dawn walked into the living room having just come back from a psyche evaluation. Sam had understood the General ordering her to have one. But she had not been pleased when he had insisted Buffy and Dawn have one as well. She turned on the lights as noticed Orlin on the sofa.
"I understand why you did it," said Orlin. "You're just trying to protect your daughters."
Sam sighed. "Of course you wait until they took the cameras away."
"Military protocol," Orlin said. "You would have jeopardized your job and the safety of your daughters if you hadn't reported me."
"We just came from a psychological evaluation. Do you understand what that means?" Sam said, her voice rising in anger. "Well do you, especially for my daughters. They should never had to go through that, ever. Dawn was crying when I had to leave her alone with them."
"Yes I know what it means, they think you're crazy. And I am sorry for what your daughters just went through," Orlin said.
Sam frowned "Are we?"
"There were times on Velona where I thought I might be losing my mind," Orlin said.
Sam looked at Buffy and Dawn, making sure she stayed between them and Orlin. "Velona?" she asked.
"Your planet refers to it as 636," Orlin said. "I was there for hundreds of years by myself. The first time I saw you…"
Buffy suddenly for the first time sensed something, "You're a Key," she said as she wondered why she even said that.
Orlin shook his head. "No, Elizabeth. I am not that old."
"You know what the Key is?" Sam asked.
Orlin nodded. "It is as old as my kind."
"Look …" Sam started.
"Anyways, my kind are capable of a level of communication that shares our innermost essence," said Orlin.
Sam looked at Buffy and Dawn and sighed. "Telepathy."
"Reading someone's mind is an invasion of privacy," said Orlin. "It's not about specific thoughts or memory. It's a sort of … exchange of spirit."
Sam nodded in understanding. "So you did this sharing thing on me."
"Unfortunately, you passed out," Orlin said. "I guess you weren't prepared. But I did learn about you. But your daughter Elizabeth was more prepared. Something about what she is makes her prepared. It is not something I have a description for, as I never before encountered it."
Sam frowned and looked at Buffy. "What did you learn?"
"That you're a good person, that your heart is pure, that on the inside your spirit is as beautiful as you are on the outside. That she is a Champion. That she would literally die for you and her sister to protect you," said Orlin.
"All right," Sam said, exasperated. "Enough is enough, I'm going to get the Code 3 team back in here. Buffy, Dawn go wait in the car."
The girls nodded and ran for the garage. They aren't sure how long they waited before Sam appeared, it seemed like ages but was only a matter of minutes.
The next day after school Sam picked up Buffy and Dawn and headed home as soon as they walked through the door they saw Orlin. "You're late," he said.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"You said you'd be home an hour ago. I was worried," Orlin said.
Sam shook her head. "Look I got held up at the base and then I had to pick up the girls from school."
"You still could have called," Orlin said.
Sam laughed. "What are you talking about? You couldn't even answer the phone if I did."
"Maybe I could have," Orlin said with a smile.
Sam looks around and saw the dining room table was set for four people. "What? How?" She asked as she looked looks at Buffy and Dawn. "Girls why don't you go start on your homework. I want to talk with Orlin alone for a minute." Dawn did as she was told and went to hers and Buffy's room. Buffy just stood there as if torn between protecting her mother or doing as she was told. "Buffy it's alright. He's not going to hurt me. You're not right?"
Orlin simply nodded as Buffy sighed and then nodded herself. She turned and was going to head into hers and Dawn's room when a knock came at the door. Sam looks at Orlin and then Buffy. "Buffy why don't you take Orlin and show him your and Dawn's room," Sam said as Buffy led Orlin out of the room and down the hall. Sam turned and opened the front door to reveal Jack, Daniel and Teal'c standing there with a pizza. "Hey guys, what are you doing here?"
Jack laughed. "We brought pizzas and a movie. Thought Buffy and Dawn needed a treat after what we put them through yesterday."
Teal'c nodded. "Star Wars."
"He's seen it, what? Eight times?" Jack said.
"Nine," Teal'c stated.
"Nine times. If Teal'c likes it, it's got to be okay," Jack said
"You've never seen Star Wars?" Sam asked, skeptical.
"Well, you know me and Sci-Fi," Jack said. "Anyways as I said it's our way of say sorry for yesterday to the girls."
"Uh, Sir, as much as I, ah …" Sam said as she glanced back inside the house.
Jack nodded in understanding. "Carter. Oh you already have something planed with the girls don't you?"
"Yeah, kind of." Sam replied.
Jack nodded. "That's fine, Carter. Here take a pizza anyways. Got to feed those girls of yours, and have fun."
Sam smiled. "Thank you, Sir," she said as she closed the door and turned to see Orlin behind her
"As I was saying, once my kind chooses to take human form, we can't ascend again without the help of the others." Orlin said.
Later that evening, outside a van sat across the street from Sam's house. Orlin and Sam could be heard talking through a listening device aimed at the house.
"If nothing develops between us, I'll accept it. I just couldn't go on any other way. I just had to know. Sam, can I ask you a question about your daughters?"
"Sure."
"Why did Buffy refer to me as the Key."
"That's a long story. Let me make sure Buffy and Dawn are asleep before I tell it."
Footsteps could be heard and returning, "Their asleep. This is not a conversation I want them to hear."
"Okat."
Sam launched into her explanation of Buffy and Dawn.
The men in the van looked at each other in astonishment at what they're hearing.
The next day in a small café a few blocks from Sam's house the two men from the van sat waiting as Colonel Simmons walked in to the café and sat down next to the men. "What have you learned?" he asked as the men tell him what they heard about Buffy and Dawn. "That is interesting information. I assume you made a recording." The men nod. "Hand it here I want to hear what's on it myself and then plan accordingly."
Later that evening a car pulled up in front of Sam's house as Sam, Jack and Simmons got out. Sam frowned as she saw Dawn talking to one of her friends, Janice, on the front porch. Sam looked at Jack. "You said someone would pick up Dawn and Buffy from their friend Janice's home and take them to the base."
Jack looked at Simmons who nodded. "That's what was supposed to happen. Could Orlin maybe have picked them up? Or maybe they walked home?"
"I don't know," Sam said. "Colonel with my daughters here I have to go in to make sure their safe before you go in."
Simmons nodded. "Ok, give her a radio," he said as someone handed Sam a radio.
Sam turned and walked up to the front porch, "Hello, Janice."
"Hello, Mrs. Carter," said Janice.
"Could I get you two to go over to Colonel O'Neill for a bit?" Sam asked
Dawn nodded. "Sure, mom. Is everything alright. Orlin isn't in trouble is he?"
Sam looked back at Jack and Simmons and then shook her head. "No, sweetie. Now go wait with Colonel O'Neill." Dawn looked at Janice and they stood and walked over to Jack who escorted them to a car. She turned and entered the house as she called out. "Orlin? Buffy?
"Sam?" Orlin called up from downstairs. "We're down here, Come on down."
Sam descended the stairs into the basement to find Orlin fiddling with the fuse box. She noticed Buffy sat close to what looked like a miniature Stargate. "Are you ok?" she asked Buffy who nodded. "Orlin, what are you doing?"
"Okay, just a minute," Orlin said.
Sam sighed and looked at Buffy again. "There's a team of Special Forces outside. They wanna take you into custody. Orlin, I didn't turn you in."
"I didn't think you did," Orlin said. "I didn't think they'd let me go back to Velona through their Stargate."
"So you built one?" Sam asked.
Orlin laughed. "Sort of. Though I had a lot of help, Buffy is quite smart. You must be very proud of her. I know I am and she isn't even my daughter. Anyways this won't dial multiple addresses and will only create a wormhole once and probably burn out."
Sam looked at the Stargate and nodded. "And you ordered the materials on line."
"Mostly," Orlin said. "Sorry, but you're going to have a pretty big credit card bill this month. Oh, and you're going to need a new toaster. I tapped into the main power line. Hopefully we'll be able to draw enough energy."
"And then what?" Sam asked.
Orlin kissed Sam on the cheek. "I go to Velona to stop your people from using the weapon."
Sam blushed for a moment before getting serious. "You know they won't listen to you. They have orders."
"Then I'll have to make them listen," Orlin said.
"They could kill you," Sam said with a nod.
"I was really hoping that there would be another way," Orlin said. "You know how I feel about you. I hope this isn't goodbye. Buffy get away from the gate."
Buffy hopped off the workbench and walked over next to Sam as Orlin flipped a switch and the wormhole formed. He turned and jumped into the open wormhole.
"Buffy stay here." Sam ordered her daughter before jumping in the wormhole.
Buffy made a quick decision and jumpped into the wormhole following Sam and Orlin. As soon as she came out the other side she followed her mom and Orlin toward some ruins. She suddenly heard gun fire as she neard the building where Sam and Orlin disappeared, and she poured on more speed afraid her mother was hurt, or even dying. She then saw her mom kneeling on the floor next to Orlin as she put her hand on her mother's shoulder. Sam looked into Buffy's eyes and gave her a sad smile.
"I can't believe how much this hurts," Orlin said, obviously in some pain.
"Just hang on," Sam said.
Buffy nodded. "Aunt Janet will patch you up as good as new. She has patched mom up many times. She can do the same for you."
Sam sighed as she looked at Buffy and the officers behind her. "We can't dial out. We can't risk the blast translating through the wormhole. I'm sorry Buffy I wish…"
"I have to go, Sam," Orline said as he touched Sam's face. "They've given me another chance. It's the only way I can save you. Goodbye, Elizabeth, take care of your mother."
Buffy nodded. "I will. Goodbye, Orlin."
Orlin started to glow and the hand touching Sam's face slipped away into the light as he moved away from her. His glowing form passed over the naquada reactor, to the shock of those assembled, and took it high into the sky where it exploded in a massive blast. The others all ducked, with Sam covering Buffy protectively, as a lightning bolt shot down and destroys the device.
Sam smiled as she looked at the clearing sky before looking at Buffy. "Now Elizabeth Samantha Carter. You have a lot of explaining to do. Starting with why you followed us when I told you not to."
Buffy smiled. "Because I love you mom and I knew wherever you were going you would need me there."
Sam nodded as they turn and started walking back toward the gate. "And did you and Dawn walk home or did Orlin come and get you?"
Buffy just smiled as Sam nodded to the SG team that would take them home.
