AN: Some of the parts of this chapter are written by the brilliant USANAGUY
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The Apprentice: SG-1 Series
Chapter 25: Nemesis
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Adolfina's P.O.V.
Me and Skaara were walking arm in arm as we were about to take some well-earned leave after Grandpa Nickie had decided to stay out of phase with our own dimension on the alien planet with the giant mist-like aliens to exchange knowledge and information about our two cultures and peoples. And then Daniel gets an infection in his appendix of all things.
Me and Skaara were going to get home, lock the door and turn the inside of our house 'clothing optional' for just the two of us for a couple of days (wink wink). Right then Jack came around the corner and stepped in front of us.
"Hey kids," he said affectionately, "I was just wondering, would you two like to go fishing with me? I know a place in Minnesota where the bass grow, 'that big'." he emphasized by holding his hands two feet apart.
"That's kind of you to offer Jack, but...Skaara and I kind of have plans." I winked at him.
He got the hint. I leaned forward and hugged him and told him good luck with the fishing when right at that moment there was a flash of light and then Jack and I were somewhere else. We were in space looking down at the earth through a window.
"Jack, did we just get beamed to an Asgard ship?" I asked.
"Looks like it," Jack muttered.
I looked around. I think this is an Asgard ship. We walked through the ship.
"Thor," called out Jack, "You here buddy?"
There was no response.
My figurative sixth sense was then telling me that something was wrong?! There was an eerie feeling about all this. One thing I noticed was when we walked down the hallway, parts of the wall was full of holes as though the Asgards super special metal had been dissolved through by acid. Then from around the corner I heard some odd sort of mechanical grinding sound and some loud crittery-crawly rapid tapping all over the floor.
"Okay Jack?" I said with a little trepidation, "I'm not one hundred percent sure that that metallic tapping is part of the ships normal functions."
Then I saw the most unusual thing I had ever seen, and that's saying something because I have seen some very weird things over the years. I saw dozens and dozens of what appeared to be giant four legged robot spiders. They went right by us and seemed uninterested in us. We continued down the hall until we came to one of the robots spraying some kind of acid on a spot on the wall and the metal became liquefied. The bug then began gnawing on the metal around the edge of the spot of the dissolved metal.
'It's eating the metal!?' I thought to myself.
We moved on.
"O'Neill?" said a voice on the ship's audio system, "Please go down the hall and turn left."
We walked on until we came to a door that opened for us. Inside the room was Thor. We ran to his side.
"Thor, buddy?" asked Jack with concern, "Are you alright?"
"I have been injured," he said in a calm emotionless voice, "I transported you here because it is your only chance to save your world and no doubt doomed you to certain death."
"Just Jack?" I said, referring to him beaming him to his death.
"I did not intend for you to come Adolfina. You stepped into the transporter beam at the last second that I initiated the transport," Thor explained.
"I assume it is because of those weird bug things?" I asked.
"We call them 'The Replicators'. They are the enemy of the Asgard," he said matter of factly.
"The enemy that you said to us was worse than the Goa'uld?" I questioned.
"Yes," Thor confirmed.
"How exactly are they worse than the Goa'uld?" Jack questioned.
"They are made out of small technological blocks," explained Thor, "The blocks join together to form multiple limbs and torso. They consume raw materials to manufacture within themselves more blocks until they create another Replicator. Those two Replicators will then consume raw materials and manufacture more blocks until there are then four of them. Where those four will then consume raw materials until there are 8 of them."
"And then you have 30 Replicators, then 100, then 1000," I finished.
I quickly understood the mathematical implications. Sometimes people will ask you, would you rather have $1,000,000 or simply double a penny for 30 days. It reminds me of the episode of Star Trek called 'Trouble with Tribbles'. I then thought about the implications of all of the details together; an infinity of giant alien 'LEGO' robot spiders!? Okay, in all of the strange and unusual alien things that my imagination has thought up, I never imagined that!?
"I am weak. The information you will need is contained within the stones," Thor stated, motioning to the console across the room.
"Forgive me," Thor muttered.
"For what?" Jack asked. Thor passed out, and I quickly rushed to check if he still had a pulse.
"He's alive just unconscious," I exclaimed, glancing back at Jack.
Jack and I both moved over to console. I started playing with the stones on the console to see if I could work it. Using this technology requires brains, I'm like Jack in many ways, though I'm not as smart as Sam, but I'm at least as smart a Daniel. Suddenly an image of Thor appeared on the screen.
"Colonel Jack O'Neill. I have made these recordings for you in the event that I am dead or unable to pass on the necessary information. Under my command the Beliskner was called into battle against an enemy we have named Replicators. During the battle this ship became infested by the technology. The Replicators accessed the computer, which contained information about your planet, and plotted a course here. The crew was transported off the ship. I destroyed the outbound transporter technology to prevent the Replicators from escaping, and remained in the hopes of stopping the Beliskner from reaching Earth. If you are watching this recording, then I have failed, and I have also likely doomed you to certain death," The image of Thor informed. I groaned and hung my head. I glanced down at the console and at the different stones on it.
"We have to find some way of getting touch with the SGC and let them know what's going on," I muttered, moving the stones around…
It took us a bit of time but we finally found out how to get in touch with the SGC. Jack had asked them to get an SPAS 12, a BF-8, 10 pounds of PBX, and a USAS to be brought to the base of the Stargate so we could beam it up to the ship. He'd also explained the whole situation to them. We were currently watching some of the messages Thor had left for Jack.
"The molecular transportation device has been preprogrammed to target the area directly in front of your Earth based Stargate," Thor stated.
"Yeah, yeah…" Jack muttered, faster forwarding the recording.
"Enter these symbols on the control console in front of you," Thor stated. A set of symbols appeared on the screen, and I quickly entered them into the computer.
"30 seconds after entering the code, the targeted material will be transported to the indicated cargo hold," Thor continued. Jack looked at his watch and headed off in the direction indicated on the screen. I followed after him Thor's voice echoing behind me.
"Remember, the transportation technology emits an energy pulse strong enough to attract the replicators."
Jack and I reached the cargo hold just as the light's appeared. I stopped in my tracks as I noticed Sam, Teal'c, and Skaara standing next to the supplies.
"Dammit! I gave you people a direct order!" Jack shouted.
"General Hammond overruled you, sir. We have a way off the ship," Sam stated. I could hear the sound of the replicators approaching
"Grab what you can. Let's go!" Jack shouted. I grabbed a bag full of explosives and raced out of the room right behind my team. Sam, Jack, Skaara, and Teal'c, all ran around the corner while I took up the rear. The doors of the beam in site for the supplies had just closed locking the bugs inside, all except for one.
The bug looked at me menacingly, though of course it did not give off any facial expressions, it sort of twitched some flaps of blocks briefly, and then I decided not to run but to fight. I pulled out my Zat gun. It opened with a sinister metallic sound and fired a single shot at the bug, it recoiled but seemed unharmed. It seems as though it had absorbed the bolt of blue electrical energy. I fired 2 more shots in quick succession, both shots hit it, it again recoiled but it still seemed unharmed. I then fired three shots in quick succession but it was still unharmed. The bug then leapt into the air right at my face, I reacted instinctively and in a quick motion I pulled out my side arm and shot it with a single bullet, and with the sound of a braking ornament its individual 'LEGO's scattered all over the floor.
"Well that is one way to kill a bug!" I told myself, but I had spoken too soon.
The shattered 'LEGO' robot magnetically reassembled itself. And then twitched at me apparently to seem intimidating and it was about to leave at me again until I hit it with another bullet from my side arm. I halfway expected it to reassemble itself, & I was not disappointed, all of the pieces went back together except for a few that seemed to be on the ground unable to reassemble and the bug did seem only three quarters complete from the way it was before.
"SON OF A BITCH!" I shouted in anger and irritation that thing was just so stubborn. I then unloaded the entire clip of my side arm on it. The first bullet shattered it again, but I kept shooting the individual pieces until my gun was empty. And satisfyingly the bug did not resemble itself.
"Let's move!" Jack shouted, grabbing me by my vest and yanking me down the hallway. We raced down the hallway and into Thor's chamber.
"Hey buddy. How are you feeling? Uh…you remember Carter and Teal'c?" Jack exclaimed, racing over to Thor's side.
"Why did you bring them?" Thor asked. Jack glanced back at the rest of the team.
"Anyone?" Jack asked.
"We believed we could be of assistance," Teal'c stated.
"Now you will all die," Thor said.
"Actually, we don't think so. Sir, there's a shuttle preparing on the launch pad. If we can transmit the coordinates to NASA, they can be here within a matter of hours. We also brought spacesuits in case an EVA is required," Sam explained.
"This pod can generate an antigravity field making it easy to move…" Thor muttered.
"Does this ship have an air lock?" Sam asked.
"Yes," Thor replied.
"So we just plant some PBX, jump ship, and blow it," Jack stated.
"What is PBX?" Thor questioned.
"An explosive," Teal'c explained.
"You just have to tell us the best places to plant it," Jack said.
"All Asgard ships are equipped with internal dampening fields that activate in the event of an explosion," Thor stated.
"Well, how exactly did you expect us to destroy the ship?" Jack asked.
"If I knew a fast simple method, I would have destroyed the ship myself before endangering your lives," Thor said.
"Of course you would have!" Jack grumbled.
"The technical specifications of the Beliskner were contained within the recordings I made for you," Thor explained.
"Oh. Um…we haven't had time to watch all of the stones," I mumbled.
"What?" Sam asked. Jack nodded at the stones on the computer console.
"Stick those on there," Jack stated. Sam started moving the stones around, and an image of Thor appeared on the screen with the ships technical layout.
"The Beliskner is powered by four neutrino ion generators. In your Earth units of measurement, each engine outputs a maximum of one billion kilojoules," The Thor on the screen stated.
"Yeah. My eyes glazed over about there," Jack muttered.
"I'd like to say that I'm starting to understand stuff like this because of hanging out with you Sam but if I were to say that I'd be lying," I grumbled.
"I guess I had better go through all of these recordings," Sam stated.
"…Forward propulsion is achieved by two rear thrusters," The Thor on the screen continued. I sighed and sat down next to the pod Thor was lying in.
"Don't worry old buddy we'll get ya off here, not sure how but we will," I murmured.
Thor's head tilted slightly to look at me, and I could have sworn he was smiling at me. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, and I glanced up to see Skaara standing behind me. I smiled at him then turned back to look at Thor…
A little while later
We were all gathered around Thor who was explaining about the replicators.
"They were discovered on an isolated planet in our home galaxy some years ago. The creators were not present," Thor explained.
"Most likely destroyed by their own creation," Teal'c hypothesized.
"The replicators were brought aboard an Asgard ship for study before the danger could be fully comprehended," Thor continued.
"We do that all the time. I kinda expected more from you guys," Jack said.
"Overconfidence in our technologies has been our undoing. The entities learned from the very means that were employed to stop them. They have become a plague on our galaxy that is annihilating everything in its path," Thor said.
"Why haven't these little buggers landed the ship already?" Jack questioned.
"Their odds of survival in a new environment depend on numbers. They are currently feeding off the ship and replicating," Thor explained.
"What? Are you saying they are actually eating the ship?" Sam asked.
"Ingesting the alloys, yes. They will continue until they risk compromising the integrity of the hull. Then they will land in search of more raw materials," Thor replied.
"How intelligent are they?" Sam asked.
"Their capacity for learning is extremely high. Each entity is capable of individual behavior, yet they all act with a common purpose," Thor stated.
"What's that?" Jack asked.
"Self-replication," Thor said.
"Then there does not appear to be a way to stop them," Teal'c stated.
"Hang on, Thor. You said that they wouldn't risk compromising the integrity of the hull?" Sam asked.
"Correct," Thor nodded.
"Can this ship withstand an uncontrolled reentry into the atmosphere?" Sam questioned.
"No, the heat from the friction would cause the ship to burn up," Thor answered.
"Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me that with all this advanced intergalactic technology this ship can't withstand a little heat?" Jack asked.
"In order to reflect the subspace field of the phase generators…"
"So…no," Jack said, cutting Thor off.
"Yes," Thor confirmed.
"Then all we have to do is crash the ship into the atmosphere," Sam stated.
"You will have to regain control of the navigational computer," Thor said. Jack looked over at Sam.
"Sounds like a plan," Jack said.
"That can only be done from the bridge," Thor stated.
"Well, there was a map in the recordings. Can we direct them from here as they go?" Sam asked.
"Yes," Thor replied.
"OK," Jack exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. Jack, Teal'c, and Skaara headed out of the chamber while Sam and I pulled up the maps on the screen.
"Hey you think you can handle the stones on your own, I'd like to sit with Thor, keep an eye on him," I exclaimed, glancing back at the alien.
"Yeah I've got this go sit with Thor," Sam replied. It was several minutes before Sam turned to face me and Thor.
"Why are some areas flashing?" Sam questioned.
"They indicate the quadrants of the ship that the replicators have disabled," Thor explained.
"How do I zoom in?" Sam asked.
"Top left symbol," Thor answered. Sam turned back to the console and I watched as the screen zoomed in and I could see three red dots on the screen.
"You want to go through that door on your left," Sam stated into her radio.
"Why can't I see any bugs on this screen?" Sam asked suddenly.
"The first thing the replicators do once aboard an Asgard ship is disable the sensors capable of detecting them," Thor answered.
"But I can still see Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c," Sam stated confused.
"They are being detected by the thermal sensors which cannot see the replicators," Thor explained. Thor sighed, and I glanced down at him.
"Are you OK?" Sam asked, walking over.
"I cannot use the ships automated medical system. If the replicators have tampered with it, it could kill me," Thor replied. I frowned, and reached out to grab his small hand.
"We brought medical supplies, and I have medical field training," Sam stated.
"You cannot help me," Thor replied. Suddenly our radios went off.
"Are we there yet?" Jack asked, through the radio. Sam moved over to the display
"The door up ahead leads to the bridge," Sam informed. A few minutes later Jack, Teal'c, and Skaara entered the room with the rest of the equipment.
"OK. New plan!" Jack exclaimed. Sam opened up the cases checking to make sure the equipment wasn't damaged.
"Nothing's been damaged," Sam stated.
"Good," Jack muttered. Sam glanced over at me and Thor. She walked over to Jack and started talking quietly with him, so quietly that I couldn't hear what she was saying. Suddenly Jack walked over to Thor.
"Hey! I understand you are not being a particularly cooperative patient," Jack stated. I snorted at that. Non-cooperative is an understatement.
"As long as I am conscious, I still may be of some assistance," Thor stated.
"Yeah…however, if you are dead…"
"As I have said, if you do succeed in destroying the ship, we will all die," Thor said, cutting Jack off.
"And as Carter has said, we might have a way off this ship," Jack replied.
"Wait a minute, that's it! Thor, you said there are dampening fields inside the ship that prevent explosions. What about outside the ship?" Sam asked.
"There are shields around the ship, but they would not protect against a weapon already inside the force field," Thor answered.
"Ok now, there was a specific engine in the information recordings. It controls reentry," Sam said.
"The deceleration drive. Yes," Thor said.
"We brought an explosive device that's enhanced with elementary naquadah. Would that be enough to destroy the deceleration drive?" Sam questioned.
"This plan could work," Thor confirmed.
"Plan…what plan?" Jack asked.
"Sir, the bugs are going to land the ship themselves eventually. The BF-8 might just be enough fire power to blow the deceleration drive," Sam explained.
"Might?" Jack asked.
"If we blow it at the right time we can alter the reentry path. The ship would then accelerate out of control and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere," Sam finished. Jack rubbed his head, and I could tell he was still confused.
"What needs to be done then is to place this explosive outside of this vessel," Teal'c asked.
"Someone's going to have to go out there," Sam stated.
"Of course they are!" Jack grumbled. Jack and Sam stepped over to the console and started trying to figure out how exactly they were going to pull off this plan.
"The bugs haven't overrun the part of the ship where the air lock is yet," Sam stated, pointing at one section of the diagram.
"Let's do it," Jack said.
"Each tank has six hours of oxygen. Whoever goes should have plenty of time," Sam stated.
"I will go," Teal'c volunteered.
"I was going to do it," Jack whined.
"There is a radiation concern, sir," Sam stated.
"My symbiote protects me from exposure to radiation for a long period of time," Teal'c said.
"OK. You go," Jack conceded. Teal'c nodded his head in agreement, and I sighed and turned back to Thor. He looked pale, even for him. I couldn't help but worry about him. He didn't look good, and I was scared that we wouldn't be able to help him and that he would die. Jack, Teal'c, and Skaara left heading for the air lock, and Sam started fiddling with the console again.
"It looks like the top button opens the inner door, the middle one depressurizes the airlock, and the bottom one opens the outer door," Sam explained over the radio.
"Yeah. Roger that," Jack replied.
For the next couple minutes I listened as Jack, Skaara, and Teal'c talked to each other over the radio. I couldn't help but laugh at Teal'c's one small step for Jaffa comment. He's such a serious person but he does have his moments. I got a little nervous when Skaara mentioned something about hearing Replicators heading their way. Then Jack had a problem getting the airlock to open again.
"Yes sir, I'm working on it," Sam stated, moving the stones around on the console. Everything seemed to be going all wrong. Replicators were infesting the air lock and Teal'c was stuck outside the ship.
"His tank just blew!" Jack shouted. I cringed at that.
"O'Neill!" Teal'c shouted through the radio.
"Carter!" Jack shouted.
"Sir, I'm trying to use the transporter to beam him inside but it's not working. The transporter array on that side of the ship must have been knocked out by the bugs. We can still do this but Teal'c is going to have to push off," Sam stated. I stood up and moved over to the console.
"Are you sure?" I asked, glancing up at Sam.
"What!" Jack shouted.
"The other transporter arrays can pick him up but only if he's far enough away from the ship," Sam explained. I groaned and shook my head. Why can't things ever go perfectly for us, why does something bad always happen?
"Teal'c, we're going to try to beam you aboard. But you have to push off from the ship first. You read? You have to push off!" Jack explained. I watched as the red dot on the screen that was Teal'c started to slowly drift away from the ship.
CARTER "He's taking too long. Isn't there some way to re-aim the transporter array?" Sam asked, turning to look at Thor. Thor gasped and passed out, and an alarm went off.
"Crap," I muttered, racing over to him. I started pressing buttons on the pod, activating the stasis mechanism.
"Carter?" Jack shouted.
"I'm trying!" Sam replied. I glanced up at the screen just as Teal'c reached the beam out point.
"Got it!" Sam shouted. The red dot that represented Teal'c suddenly moved inside the ship next to the two red dots that represented Jack and Skaara. A few minutes later Jack and Skaara and Teal'c walked into the room.
"According to the schematic that was the only one left untouched by the bugs. You going to be OK?" Sam asked.
"I will be fine," Teal'c replied. Jack glanced over at the pod Thor was in.
"What happened?" Jack asked.
"He was dying. Adolfina had to put him into stasis," Sam explained.
"So…?" Jack asked.
"So, we wait and blow the bomb at the right time," Sam said.
"Which is when?" Jack asked.
"When we start to enter the atmosphere. Too early, and theoretically the entry could be aborted by the bugs. If we wait too long into the descent, the bomb could burn off before we could detonate," Sam explained.
"Think you could fix that beam down thing?" Jack questioned.
"Not without Thor's help, sir," Sam replied.
"I'd better contact Hammond. Let him know what to expect," Jack muttered, moving over to the console. He messed with the stones but nothing happened.
"All right, this thing's not workin'!" Jack stated. Suddenly I could hear the sound of replicators moving in the walls.
"Thor was correct, we are going to die," Teal'c stated.
"Aww, come on Teal'c, lighten up! We've been in these situations before," Jack cut in.
"No, sir, we haven't," Sam denied.
"We haven't?" Jack asked.
"Seems like we have," I muttered.
"The vessel is beginning its descent," Teal'c exclaimed.
"I have an idea, sir," Sam stated. Sam quickly explained her plan to us. Jack, Teal'c, and Skaara headed down to the beam down sight, while Sam and I stayed at the console with Thor.
"All right, Carter, let's do it!" Jack said through the radio. I moved a couple of the stones around.
"Here we go!" Sam stated. I quickly raced over to Thor's Pod, and pulled it over to the console.
"Let's go, Carter! Adolfina!" Jack shouted. Sam moved one of the stones on the console and suddenly we were standing next to the open gate. The second we materialized I started firing at the replicators swarming around the room.
"Can we blow this thing yet?" Jack asked. Sam pushed Thor's pod through the Stargate.
"Carter!" Jack shouted when she didn't respond. Suddenly a bug jumped at me knocking me to the ground. The thing hissed at me, and I shot it blowing into millions of tiny little pieces. Skaara raced over to me and helped me up.
"Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded my head.
"Yeah the thing just knocked me over is all," I muttered. Dozens of replicators swarmed into the room.
"Carter!" Jack shouted again.
"Now!" Sam shouted. Jack pressed the trigger for the bomb and we all dove into the gate. I hit the ground on the other side and groaned as all the air left my lungs.
"Let's agree to never do anything like that ever again," I muttered, rolling over onto my side.
"Agreed," Jack mumbled, sitting up. Skaara helped me stand up.
"So ugh, we used the SGC's gate, which was inside the ship we just blew up. How are we supposed to get home?" I questioned.
"We wait a couple days for them to set up the second gate, then dial home," Sam stated. I groaned.
"What do we do till then, this planet is uninhabited, and we don't have any camping supplies," I stated. The rest of the team shared worried looks and I sat down on the ground next to the DHD. This is gonna be a long couple days…