CHAPTER 26: FINAL DESTINATIONS; TEARFUL GOODBYES
Sometime after she and Didi had consulted with Thor, Sam was ready to leave. "Let's go to the cafeteria so you can say goodbye to the guys," Didi said.
A moment later, the two women and Thor were in the cafeteria. When they arrived, Cam was engaged in the process of making physical changes to Teal'c's body. The Jaffa looked several years younger and his head was bald.
"Hi guys," said Sam.
The two men looked up from their work and their eyes opened in surprise. "Thor?" Cam queried.
"Indeed. You must be the Colonel Mitchell clone, Didina's husband. I have had a most interesting conversation with Major—or perhaps I should say, Colonel Carter and your wife."
"If the Sam who died was a major, I may as well get used to being one again," said Sam.
"Especially since I already altered your dog tags accordingly," said Didi.
"So . . . what's going on?" Cam queried with a furrowed brow and a confused look.
"Thor's going to help me get situated with Colonel O'Neill," Sam replied.
"Colonel O'Neill. So, you're either going to the past in your target universe, or you're going to a world with a very different history from ours. How's that gonna go down?" Cam asked.
Said Thor, "It would be simpler for you to watch one of Mrs. Mitchell's holographic projections when the time comes than for any of us to try to explain what we intend to do."
"Before I go, though," said Sam, "I'd like to find out what Teal'c's planning to do. It's obvious he's going back in time a ways . . . but how far?"
"Six years," Teal'c replied. "The version of me in the alternate universe was aboard an Al'kesh with Master Bra'tac. As it was about to be destroyed by the forces of Apophus, Bra'tac ordered Teal'c to get into an escape pod and leave, while he sent the Al'kesh on what Colonel Mitchell referred to as a 'kamikaze mission' to destroy Apophus's Ha'tak. Teal'c refused to leave without Master Bra'tac and was killed by a powerful blast before the Al'kesh rammed into the Ha'tak. The blast that killed Teal'c rendered Bra'tac unconscious, and he died when the two ships collided. Although severely crippled, the Ha'tak was not destroyed and Apophus survived. I wish to change these outcomes: to save Bra'tac and to destroy Apophus, along with his Ha'tak."
"I'm gonna get Teal'c some Jaffa armor, just like that worn by the dead guy," said Cam, "teleport him onto the Al'kesh—and then, after he's put Bra'tac into an escape pod and programmed the Al'kesh to ram into the Ha'tak—I'll send both Teal'c and Bra'tac (in their escape pods) to the nearest planet with a Stargate."
"From that point on," said Teal'c, "I will begin to live the life of the one who died."
"It doesn't matter to you that you'll have to relive six years of your life?" Sam queried.
"Indeed it does not. Without Master Bra'tac and myself to incite the Jaffa rebellion, the system lords ruled for many years longer in that universe than they did in ours, and Stargate Command had much more difficulty in defeating the Goa'uld. I would consider it an honor and a privilege to assist in the destruction of the system lords in a parallel universe. It was six years ago that we went to the planet Pangar, where we found the Mother of the Tok'ra and the tretonin. I have no doubt we will eventually go there in this alternate universe as well. Until then, I will once again live with a symbiote."
"I'm going to procure one for him from the Chulak of the past—back when they still had a tank full of 'em," said Cam.
"A lot of things may be different in that universe, Teal'c," Sam warned him.
"It is of no consequence. You know as well as anyone, Colonel Carter, that, generally speaking, I am a man of few words. If I speak only when necessary and listen carefully, it should not take me long to learn 'the lay of the land,' as it were. I will become what I am expected to be."
"Now that you know what the big guy's gonna do, Carter," said Cam, "what's with the bedraggled look?"
"As I said," Thor broke in, "it would be simpler if you were to watch and see. I must return to the Asgard home world soon. If you would say your farewells quickly, Major . . ." He then waited while Sam said her goodbyes to Cam and Teal'c.
"I don't know if I'll ever see another version of either one of you again," she said, giving them each a hug. "But even if I do, as Vala said, they'll never take your places in my heart. Bye, guys."
Didi requested that Thor's ship enter orbit around the earth they were currently on, cloaked for security purposes; then Thor and Sam were both beamed aboard.
"Send Thor's ship back to its own universe in the predetermined timeframe," said Didi.
"What predetermined timeframe would that be?" Cam asked.
"Around two o'clock this afternoon," said Didi. "Colonel O'Neill was feeling pretty depressed. It just happens to be the fifth anniversary of his Sam's disappearance. Sam's afraid he'll . . . do something drastic." Didi closed her eyes and said, "Show us the initial meeting between the Sam clone and the retired Colonel Jack O'Neill in the alternate universe."
Sam, still in her holey, worn-out SGC suit, slowly approached Jack O'Neill's deck chair. Didi could almost hear Sam's heart pounding with trepidation as she cleared her throat. "Sir?" she said.
Jack stared at the photograph in his hands. "I'm going crazy," he said. "Pictures don't talk, and Sam's dead."
"No, sir, I'm not," said Sam.
"Carter?" Jack asked tentatively, almost afraid of what he might hear next.
"Yes, sir. It's me."
The former colonel got slowly to his feet and turned around even more slowly. His eyes focused on Sam, looking her up and down, taking it all in. The three clones watching the scene saw Sam swallow. Her heart was in her eyes. "Hi . . . Jack," she said hesitantly. "Thor told me you'd retired, so . . . I guess I don't have to call you 'colonel' anymore . . ."
"Sam . . ." Jack O'Neill croaked, a mist of tears in his eyes. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "You're real," he whispered, pulling back and gazing into her eyes. "You're real." He then placed his lips on hers and kissed her with all the passion one would expect from a man who'd been denying his feelings for a woman he'd loved for more than a decade. When the kiss ended, he said, "Stay the night. Stay forever."
"I have to report to the SGC sooner or later . . ." Sam pointed out.
"But not today," Jack said huskily, shaking his head jerkily.
"No," Sam replied, "not today."
"End it," said Didi. "I was starting to feel like a voyeur."
"Well, it looks promising," said Cam.
Didi nodded. "Yes, it does."
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.
"Show us the same Sam and Jack later on, when she finally gets around to telling him what supposedly happened to her, and how she got back to Earth," Didi requested.
Evidently, a few hours had passed. The couple was just sitting down to dinner. "I'm really glad you're here," Jack said, as he dished out tossed salad into two bowls. "I've missed you." They were both classic understatements. But then, Jack O'Neill was famous for those.
"I know," Sam replied. "I feel the same way. After five years of living on my own in the wild, I came to understand what's really important."
Jack's face registered incredulity as he sat down. "Five years, living on your own in the wild?"
"Yes," Sam said, nodding and pouring dressing on her salad. "I got off Prometheus in an escape pod with nothing but the clothes on my back; everyone else had already beamed down to the nearest planet. But, by the time I'd exhausted every possible means of saving the ship—and realized I couldn't do it—it was too badly damaged for me to be able to beam down, too; so, I climbed into an escape pod. When the ship exploded, the pod got caught in the shockwave, which sent it to a different planet from the one the crew had beamed down to. They had no idea I'd survived at all. My pod landed in a thick, forested region on a world without a Stargate. On top of that, I had amnesia. Until I got my memory back, I lived off the land and just did the best I could to survive."
"Oh, she's good!" said Cam.
"Icing on the cake," said Didi.
"A convincing performance," said Teal'c.
"So, how did you get here? You said something about Thor . . .?"
Sam nodded. "Yes. When I finally got my memory back, I started working on trying to attract the attention of any ships that might be passing through the area. I discovered an ancient device of some kind, the purpose of which I never did figure out, but which emitted a steady EM pulse. It grew weaker every day, and I was afraid it would lose power completely before anyone ever found me. . ..
"Anyway, after about thirty-eight days or so according to my reckoning, I was beamed aboard an Asgard ship—Thor's, in fact. They fed me, cleaned me up and patched me up . . . but their resources are limited when it comes to humans. I'm still a little bit worse for the wear."
"So, you said you haven't reported to the SGC yet?"
Sam shook her head. "I asked Thor to bring me straight here. . . I know I may get in trouble for it, but . . . after five years on my own, more than anything else . . . I just wanted to see you."
Jack's smile was soft and tender. He said, "I'll take you to the SGC tomorrow. But first, we'll get you some new clothes, shampoo, a razor . . . and anything else the Asgard don't have aboard their ship . . . and maybe a trip to the beauty parlor. No sense in reporting for duty looking like something the cat dragged in."
"Thank you, Jack."
"'Thank you, Jack'? That's all I get?"
Sam smiled. "What do you want me to say, Jack?"
"Well . . . you know . . ."
Sam nodded. "Yes, I do. But it'd be kind of nice if you said it first."
"You want me to say it first, huh?"
Sam looked at him almost impassively, waiting.
Jack threw his napkin onto his plate with force and said, "All right, I'll say it." He then muttered again, "I'll say it." Exhaling while gathering his courage, he slowly raised his head, looked at Sam and said, "I, uh, I, uh . . . I . . . love you, Carter."
Sam smiled again . . . facetiously this time. "I love you, too . . . sir."
Jack sighed. "All right, all right. Let me try it again . . ." He gazed into Sam's eyes this time and said, "I love you, Sam."
"I love you, too, Jack," Sam replied
"Just don't expect me to say it every day."
Sam shook her head. "I won't. I never have. I just needed to know."
"Yeah, well . . . now you do. I'm a man of action, not words."
"That's certainly true," said Sam with mild amusement.
"Would you like to go for a walk around the lake?" Jack asked. "It's a nice night for it . . ."
"End it," said Didi, smiling with satisfaction.
"Show us the same Sam and Jack together two days from now," requested Cam.
Sam was seated in a lawn chair, alongside Jack, a fishing pole in her hands. "Nice, isn't it?" he was saying.
"Yes, Jack, it is. It's beautiful here." She looked over at him. "I'm glad I got my memory back, and that Thor was able to find me and bring me home."
"I had dreams about you coming home," said Jack. "I thought a lot about what I'd do if you did. I'm glad I've been able to make most of what I dreamed come true—so far."
"And you'll get the rest in a few weeks," said Sam. "I just need time to get the invitations out. I have a new friend here in town that I met recently. Her name is Didina Steadman, although she prefers to be called 'Didi.' She works for her cousin in his optometrist's office. I'd like to introduce her to Colonel Mitchell. I have a feeling the two of them would really hit it off."
"So, the Didi in that world didn't move into my building," said Cam, "and she moved to Colorado Springs sooner than you planned to."
"Or maybe," countered his wife, "she did move into the Grenadier Arms—sooner than expected, as you said—but maybe Cam doesn't live there."
"That is a possibility," Cam admitted. "I looked at two or three places when I first came to Colorado Springs before I decided on the Grenadier Arms. That Mitchell may've made a different choice . . . Not that it matters. If they meet at Carter and O'Neill's wedding, that's fine and dandy."
"With Sam being M.I.A. for five years and Colonel O'Neill having retired at that time, there are probably a lot of differences between there and here," said Didi. "But, those differences aren't important. Sam is with Jack—just as she wanted—and that's all that matters."
"End it," Cam said. "Now, I'm gonna go get myself a box of raisins. I'm feeling just a little bit weak . . . I'll get a pitcher of water while I'm at it. Be with you in a mo, big guy."
"Will you be assisting Colonel Mitchell with my . . . relocation?" Teal'c asked Didi as Cam departed.
Didi nodded. "Of course I will. It sounds as though you're going to need an extra pair of hands—especially if we're going to get you and Bra'tac off that Al'kesh before it crashes into the Ha'tak."
"Perhaps," suggested Teal'c, "the two of you could 'aid' the Al'kesh in hitting its target a bit more . . . precisely."
"You mean, like, aiming it with a bit more precision at a crucial area?"
"Indeed."
"Wouldn't that be cheating?" Cam queried as he approached the nearest table with a water-filled pitcher in his hand. He had a mischievous smile on his face, so they knew he was teasing.
Nonetheless, Teal'c said, "Everything we are doing is, in the strictest sense of the word, 'cheating.' When it comes to the destruction of the Goa'uld system lords, however, I have no qualms about doing so."
"Neither do I, big guy," said Cam, setting the pitcher on the table, "and I doubt Didi does, either."
Didi shook her head. "None whatsoever. We'll do what we have to do."
"All set, then?" Cam asked.
"Indeed," Teal'c replied.
"Okay. Let's do this." Cam closed his eyes and said, "Teleport to this location a complete set of Jaffa armor that was abandoned somewhere and which will fit Teal'c perfectly."
The armor arrived. It was damaged, but since it was necessary for it to be so anyway, they didn't attempt to repair it.
"Before he gets into the armor, Didi, do you wanna give him the pouch for the symbiote?" Cam asked, looking at her earnestly.
Didi nodded, slightly pale. "I really hate to do this to you, though, Teal'c."
"It is of little consequence, Mrs. Mitchell. I will do my best to see to it that SG-1 goes to Pangar and that I am with them when they do. Having a symbiote again for a short time is not the worst thing that could happen to me."
"All right, then," said Didi, "—if you're sure . . ."
Teal'c bowed his head in acknowledgement.
Didi placed her hands on the big man's abdomen and closed her eyes in concentration. The X-shaped opening appeared instantaneously. Fortunately for Teal'c, while Didi was busy doing that, Cam had been acquiring a symbiote for him. He had had foresight enough to ask for it to be teleported directly into the pitcher of water, where it was now swimming.
"Teal'c," said Cam, "I think it'd be best if you took the thing out of there yourself."
Teal'c gave a curt nod, opened the lid to the pitcher, reached in and took hold of the young symbiote. Didi turned her head away, not wanting to see the process of implantation. The very thought of it turned her stomach.
"It is done," said Teal'c, covering the pouch once again.
Didi blushed with embarrassment about being so squeamish.
"Do not be ashamed, Mrs. Mitchell," said Teal'c perceptively. "Few humans are able to view implantation without having a . . . negative reaction. It is quite natural for you to be repulsed by it." He then looked at Cam and said, "I will now put on the armor."
Once Teal'c was in Jaffa armor from head to toe, Cam said, "Well, I guess it's time for the three of us to teleport onto the ship and take care of business. Should we arrive immediately after the blast that killed Teal'c and knocked Bra'tac unconscious?"
"That would probably be best," said Teal'c, "—although we will not have a great deal of time in which to accomplish all that is required."
"We will," said Didi, "if I stop time for the Ha'tak. Once Bra'tac is safely ensconced in an escape pod, you can set the desired course for the Al'kesh. Then, Cam can use a zat to disintegrate the body of the other Teal'c, get you into an escape pod, and make certain that both you and Bra'tac are safely on a nearby planet. After that, I can resume time for the Ha'tak, and Cam and I can return here."
"Why do I need to disintegrate the body of the other Teal'c?" Cam queried.
"If the Ha'tak vessel is not utterly and completely destroyed," said Teal'c, "there is a chance that some portion of the Al'kesh will also survive the explosion. We dare not risk the body of the other Teal'c being discovered. I must be the only Teal'c remaining in that universe—alive or dead."
"Of course," acknowledged Cam with a dip of his head. "Leave it to my wife to think of that." He used psycho-kinesis to procure a zat, which then appeared in his right hand.
Said Didi, "I've had a lot of practice over the past few days making sure that all of the bases are covered. Even one tiny little overlooked detail could be fatal to us if we're not careful."
"You're right," her husband replied. "Anyway, hold hands, everybody, and I'll take us onto the Al'kesh, immediately after the blast that killed Teal'c and knocked Bra'tac out." He closed his eyes and concentrated and suddenly they were there.
"I shall take Bra'tac to the escape pod," Teal'c volunteered.
As the Jaffa picked up the unconscious form of his longtime friend and mentor, Didi stopped the Ha'tak in time. Cam fired the zat three times, and the corpse of the other Teal'c disappeared. The Teal'c clone returned to the bridge of the Al'kesh and took great care to aim the nose of the ship directly at the section of the Ha'tak that contained the huge ship's power source.
"Would it be possible for you to lower the shields of the Ha'tak vessel a few seconds prior to impact?" Teal'c asked Cam and Didi.
"Why not?" said Cam. "Didi, why don't you do that, while I find a planet we can send Teal'c and Bra'tac to safely?"
Didi nodded, closed her eyes and concentrated. "Disable the shield generator on the Ha'tak vessel three seconds prior to its being impacted by this Al'kesh," she said.
"Got it!" Cam declared. "There's a planet not too far from here, with an operational Stargate and DHD. You and Bra'tac should be able to get to wherever you want to go from there," he told Teal'c.
"We will very probably go to the SGC," said Teal'c. "They will be most interested to learn what we have done to Apophus this day—if indeed we are successful. And Master Bra'tac is in need of medical attention."
"Speaking of which," said Didi to Teal'c, "—I hate to do this to you, but we're gonna have to do a certain amount of damage to your body: You shouldn't come out of mess completely unscathed."
"I am prepared to accept whatever wounds are necessary," said the Jaffa stoically.
"I'd do it so you don't have to," said Cam, "but I'm not sure how."
Didi nodded. "I know. Just watch, listen and learn." She closed her eyes and said, "Duplicate in the Teal'c clone all of the wounds received by the Teal'c who was previously aboard this vessel, with the exception of any wounds that would be fatal. Make it so."
Instantly, Teal'c doubled over with pain. Cam grabbed him and steadied him. "Thank you, Mrs. Mitchell, for not making the wounds fatal," he said with a sardonic smile on his face.
"Is it too much?" Didi asked. "If it's more than the symbiote can handle, I could heal a few of the more serious ones myself . . ."
"Perhaps one or two," said Teal'c, although he sounded reluctant. "I believe slowing some of the worst of the internal bleeding might be sufficient."
"Here, let me," said Cam. "I can do that much, at least." He closed his eyes, placed his hands on Teal'c's abdomen and searched for the sources of internal bleeding, stanching them by sixty percent. "I think that should do it," he said when he had finished. He then reached down, picked up the staff weapons that Bra'tac and the other Teal'c had left behind, and handed them to the clone.
"Thank you," said Teal'c, bowing slightly. "Now I will go get into an escape pod and leave you to finish what we started." Turning to face Didi, he said, "I am most grateful for your assistance, Mrs. Mitchell. I fear it would have proven too much for Colonel Mitchell to do it all on his own."
"Yeah, there was a lot to do, and, as you pointed out, we ain't done yet," stated Cam. "Come on. I'll lock you in securely and then send both of you to the designated planet—making sure you get a safe, soft landing. Didi, you stay here. I'll rejoin you when I'm finished."
Five minutes later by Didi's reckoning, Cam returned to the bridge of the Al'kesh. "They're both on the planet, safe and sound," he told her. He then closed his eyes and concentrated, sending the Al'kesh on its pre-programmed collision course with the Ha'tak vessel, increasing its speed as much as he dared. "Now . . . unstop time and take us home, Dee!" he called out over the loud whine of the overtaxed engines, "—fast!"
Didi did as her husband asked. Moments later, they were back in their room at the SGC, where they both promptly collapsed on the floor.
Didi used what little energy she had left to draw the Milky Way from her pocket, put it to her lips and lick it. It took a few seconds for her to regain enough strength to take an actual bite. She then pulled Cam's box of raisins from his breast pocket, where he had evidently put it after eating a few of them in the pantry, when he went to get the pitcher of water for the symbiote. He mumbled almost incoherently, "Thanks, hun."
Didi pushed herself to a semi-upright position (i.e., lying half-prone on one side, propped up by her elbow), opened the box she held in her hand and placed two raisins into her husband's mouth. It was all he could do to chew them. "I'm glad chocolate does most of the work for me," she told him. "I can suck on it when I'm too drained to bite or chew."
"Yeah," Cam said. Then, "More, please."
After consuming about eight raisins in all, Cam was ready to sit up, and the spark had returned to his eyes. "Wow! That was a monster overload!"
"You see how easy it is to overdo it?" Didi said. "You scolded me for it, but sometimes you can't tell when you're getting depleted."
"And sometimes you just have to do what you have to do and don't have time to worry about it," Cam admitted. "I get it now. We pushed ourselves to the limit and burned up all the enzyme."
"But we had to," said Didi. "We couldn't leave the job half done."
Cam agreed. "No, we couldn't." He sat on the floor with his knees bent, his arms encircling his legs, holding his right wrist in his left hand to close the link.
"Are you ready?" Didi asked. "Shall we take a look at our handiwork?"
"Sure. Why not? It'd be kind of nice to think we actually helped destroy an Apophus."
Didi smiled. Even after everything Cam—or, more precisely, his original—had achieved since joining SG-1, he still seemed to feel somewhat left out when it came to the Goa'uld. They had, for the most part, been wiped out before his tenure began.
"Show us what happened when the Al'kesh we just vacated rammed into the Ha'tak vessel commanded by Apophus," she said.
"Did he have time to escape?" Cam queried, watching closely.
"I had them frozen in time almost up to the last second. He probably believed his shield would protect them from the worst of the damage. I doubt he had time to do more than think about escaping—and certainly not enough to get to an escape pod or a life vessel of any kind."
"You're right," said Cam, nodding his head, "I don't see anything small breaking away from the Ha'tak." He smiled at his wife. "Looks like we succeeded. Hooray for us. Now, how about dinner?"