CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
When General Hammond received the call, he already knew what they were going to say. He knew what the voice behind the red phone was going to ask. And truthfully, he answered to the higher ups.
He didn't know.
No. He didn't know how two members of his best team got lost on the other side.
No. He didn't know if their reality had been compromised.
No. He didn't know how long their two guests could stay in this reality.
And no...he didn't know how to get his two men back.
Needless to say, the voice on the other line wasn't too happy.
Sitting there in his chair, pretending not to see Davis fidget as the liaison stood by the glass partition dividing his office from the meeting room, General Hammond nodded to the phone. With a weary "I understand" he hung up the receiver.
"General Hammond?" Davis had waited during the whole call, standing still. With the end of the conversation, he was rocking on his heels back and forth. "Sir?"
He nodded tiredly at the phone.
"We still have a go for the rescue mission if we can find a way there, but—"
"It's only a matter of time," Davis finished.
Hammond pursed his lips. Some things were better left unsaid, but as usual, Davis saw fit to say it. Nodding again, concurring, Hammond eyed the clock sitting by his grandchildren's photos.
Two days.
A little over two days since Colonel Jack O'Neill and Doctor Daniel Jackson were trapped on the other side of the alien portal. Two days, leaving them only four days to figure out how to get the two back, get their guests home, and help them defeat a Goa'uld who should have been long since dead.
Hammond didn't notice Davis slipping out of the room. Staring at the empty briefing room just beyond the partition glass with its circular maps of the universe etched in white, he remembered how only a few days ago, they were all sitting out there talking about defeating Ra.
Did we become so conceited about our victories that we slipped up?
Tapping his fingertips together, leaning forward to stare at the unsigned reports in the center of his desk, Hammond realized they were too quick to assume this mission would go as smooth as silk.
They had done this before. Going across to another reality.
And they had won.
We were so wrong to assume this would be just the same. We tried it like a damn milk run.
"Sir?"
General Hammond looked up. Davis had an apologetic expression on his face, door opened partly to reveal Doctor Rothman standing behind him. The bearded archeologist looked winded as if he'd run all the way.
Getting up, mildly concerned with the red face peering back anxiously at him, Hammond gave Davis a questioning frown.
"Sorry, sir. He was here before, but you were on the phone with the President. I thought it best he wait outside first."
"Doctor Rothman?" Hammond gestured the archeologist to come in. "What seems to be the problem?"
Squeezing around Davis, Rothman was waving a hand, like he was catching his breath. "Um...I was with Daniel—no, no, no I keep forgetting. I mean Doctor O'Neill...over there...and..." He wheezed, pushing up his glasses as he continued. "We were doing the translations of the tablet he had—very hard to do as my field of expertise was paleontology not linguistics, but I did do research for Daniel back in—"
"Doctor Rothman," Davis interrupted when it appeared Hammond wouldn't. "What is it?"
"We've translated the text—not all of it, just the section before the coded parts. Doctor O'Neill said it mentioned a key." Rothman took a deep breath. "He wants to speak with you. Urgently."
Hammond exchanged an alarmed look with the liaison but rose from his seat. "I'll be in Doctor Jackson's office," he told Davis, quickly following Rothman out of the room without question.
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Sighing, Sam called for another break, clicking her stopwatch to stop the timing sequence. A few stray soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, plopping down heavily on the floor. But many were lingering around, waiting for her to call to continue.
No one asked about heading home.
Studying the chamber around her, noting a few more cracks revealed in greater detail thanks to the spotlights they had up, Sam frowned as she felt the chamber shiver once more with another tremor. She studied the ceiling worriedly.
"Should I radio in a report?" Ferretti came up from behind her.
Sam made a face. "And report what?" She massaged her right hand, eyeing the red indent in her thumb where she kept clicking over the stopwatch. It looked like a permanent scar of the uselessness of this experiment.
Moving her fingers up to her temples, she massaged slowly, watching as a stray archeologist wandered in and out of several of the hundreds of rooms the chamber hosted.
"Stern over there thinks he almost got the wall translated completely. The one Daniel was working on about what happened here." Ferretti pointed to one room lurking in a dark corner where one man was busy scribbling notes furiously into a small notebook. The sight made her eyes sting. "Said without his notes, he wouldn't have been able to figure out half that shit."
Hopeful, Sam darted her attention to the room. "What does it say?"
"Aw...beats the hell out of me. Something about those bracelets as a quick fix."
"What?" Sam studied her own circlet with a frown.
Ferretti shrugged. Apparently he hadn't paid much attention to the scientists working back there. "He babbled about Sumerian lettering and stuff like I would know what he was talking about." Waving his rifle in a circle, he grimaced. "Said the bracelets work but once they're off...something about the cycle begins immediately?"
Sam frowned. "Cycle? Maybe they were talking about the entropic cascade effect?"
"Uhhhh...sure. Guess so." Ferretti gave her a funny look. "Whatever you say."
Shaking her head, Sam dropped the topic. "Nothing about the wall itself?"
"Nah. Guess them aliens figured they knew how to get it working and left it at that." Tipping back his cap, Ferretti staggered a step back as one tremor rocked the chamber more violently. "God damn it!"
Sam scanned the ceiling. "They're getting worse."
"No shit, Carter. Tell me something new." Ferretti straightened, only to fall right on his butt. "I don't know how the colonel and Daniel could stay on their feet that whole time when the place was shaking back and forth. You got to be a surfer to ride these waves."
Checking her meter, Sam nodded to herself. "Energy readouts are still the same, though. They don't affect the portal in any way." She slipped the meter to her belt loop, studying the wall. Her own harried face stared back at her. Suddenly, the prospect of standing by, shouting out steps and numbers wasn't appealing any more.
"Carter?" Wondering why she was standing there, not calling for the break to be over, Ferretti gave her a poke.
"Why don't you take a break?" Sam suggested. She handed him the clipboard that was her constant companion the past few hours. "I'll take over your role."
"You sure?"
She nodded vehemently. "I want to stretch my legs a bit anyway. I-" She yelped as the chamber rocked once more. She didn't fall though, crashing into Ferretti before the soldier whipped his arms up to brace her. She could hear other soldiers grumbling, their grousing echoing throughout the structure.
"Everyone okay?" she called out.
A few stray affirmatives responded, but John was still silent. He did look over his shoulder, weary dark eyes dully looking back at her, waiting.
Sam cleared her dry throat. "Okay...I'm going to stand in for Ferretti by the DHD. Captain O'Neill? On our mark, you can begin."
John didn't answer, but he went back to position. She stared at his stiff back for a moment before shaking her head. She shouldn't be wasting time. She'd tried talking with the captain with little result. The only person who could talk to him, she suspected, would be his brother back at the SGC.
At the thought of the ailing man, she gave a silent prayer to whoever might be listening, asking that he'd be okay after all this was over. Daniel's face materialized in her mind, and she swallowed, mentally adding a prayer for her lost friend as well.
"Okay!" Sam jogged over to the platform. "Get the rovers ready! Captain O'Neill? Once the portal is activated, you can begin maneuvering the first one through."
Grunting an okay, John shook the remote control in his hands, watching the wall shimmer once as she stepped on the coverstone, slowly clearing to the same grove they were staring at before.
As she watched the rover slowly making its way towards the portal, she bit her thumbnail, wondering if she was missing anything. She had the readings done; they basically matched with what had happened. Temperature and conditions were relatively the same. Only thing missing was the fact the original two who were on the other side were gone.
Staring at the mirror, she clenched her fists, catching a glimpse of the colonel falling, lunging at the DHD as the chamber on the other side rocked under staff weapon fire. She could see light flickering from the ceiling as something very large settled down over them.
She should be going through.
But she had her orders.
No one could cross over and risk revealing this place.
"First rover through!" Ferretti called out, startling her. Sam shook her head, catching in time the wall snapping back in place when the rover no longer blocked the middle. She nodded, glancing over to Ferretti, who rattled off some numbers to her. She stopped herself from sighing. They were still the same. Everything—
"Oh crap!" someone yelped as the structure suddenly felt like it jumped up a few feet. Sam didn't have time to shout a warning as she found herself going up a few inches, slamming into the DHD. Clawing the panels, she stopped herself from rolling off the coverstone into an embarrassing heap.
"Just for the record, I really hate this!" Anderson from the back shouted, grunted as he banged against a statue.
"No kidding," Ferretti muttered as he got up. "Everyone alright back there? Carter? You okay?"
Wincing, she nodded, pushing off from the DHD. "Yeah." The major made a face, realizing she'd pressed two symbols by accident when the tremor threw them off balance. "I'm surprised this place is still standing."
"I'm surprised we're still standing," Ferretti grumbled as he jogged over to John. "Captain? You okay?"
"Fine," the captain grated out as he brushed off his pants.
"The colonel and Jackson must have been raised on seesaws," one of Ferretti's men joked weakly. "I don't know how they stayed on their feet."
"Please," scoffed Ferretti. "They were hugging that other DHD and the floor like we were!"
They were. Sam stared at the DHD device. The lighted panels slowly faded since no other symbols were pressed. Biting her lower lip, she rubbed her hand where it had bumped into the panels when she fell.
The structure on the colonel's side vibrated visibly, and she cringed as she saw O'Neill slam into the DHD, arms whipping out to its sides to brace himself.
The wall flickered.
She tapped the DHD absently. One of the panels lit.
The structure on the colonel's side vibrated visibly, and she cringed as she saw O'Neill slam into the DHD, arms whipping out to its sides to brace himself.
The wall flickered.
"Carter...what are you doing?" Ferretti asked, puzzled as he saw the major tap on another chevron, lighting up the Stargate's first chevron brace.
"I left out a factor," Sam muttered as she tapped another symbol.
"And that is...?"
She nodded towards the ceiling. "The quakes."
"Eh?"
Sam banged on the DHD frantically now. A growing suspicion ate at the edge of her mind, screaming she was close. She was so close!
"Carter! What the hell are you doing?" Ferretti ran to her, arm out to grab hers. She jerked it away.
"Major, have you gone nuts?" Coming up to her, John gaped at her, fists slamming at the panels.
"The colonel...when the first variation of the portal started, they were on the DHD." She slapped another symbol at random.
"We know that! We've been playing that situation enough times to know it!" John tried to grab her arm, staring at her as if she'd gone insane.
"But we assumed something the portal did change the realities that the DHD was part of the gate system, but what if it isn't? What if what changed the flow of reaction wasn't the portal but something we hadn't considered? What if the factor was us, not the portal or the structure itself?" She grabbed both sides of the DHD and tried to shake it. Of course, being it weighed tons, it didn't move. She snorted, frustrated. "Of course! This has to be it!"
"Do you have any idea what the hell she's talking about?" John demanded. Ferretti only shrugged.
"The DHD!" Sam banged a fist on the panels. "Remember how the colonel fell on this thing after a tremor? What if he touched something accidentally?"
John stared at the column. "You mean..."
She nodded. "We all thought the DHD platform was for the wall and the DHD device was for our Stargate as usual. But what if the DHD as a whole, platform and device, controls the wall?" She stared at the two men, watching as their eyes widened.
Ferretti didn't ask for any more explanations. He slammed a fist down on the panels. "Anderson! Booker! Get over here, and help us out!"
The two soldiers in the back started at the order. They dropped their packs and came running over, only gawking briefly at the sight of the three banging at the DHD before joining in.
After a few minutes, Sam took a step back, running a hand through her hair, frustrated. "I was so sure..."
"Maybe it was a combination of something," John suggested, twisting around to check the portal. The scene remained the same, and his shoulders slumped.
"Why the hell was the colonel pressing the symbols, though?" Anderson wanted to know. The tall soldier scratched his stubbled cheek. "Was he dialing for Earth on that side?"
Sam shook her head. "He wasn't dialing. The quakes must have thrown him off balance as it did for us, and he fell over it. He then must have accidentally hit something. Then Daniel..." She stopped.
Daniel had fallen to the platform, appearing to be hiding under the DHD, hands out against the underbelly of the device. The colonel was standing over him, looking over across to them with the grimmest face she had ever seen.
"Major?" John leaned over, peering at her open-mouthed expression. "Uh...Carter?"
"They weren't pressing any symbols." She spun around to gape at their Stargate. "We would have seen the chevrons light up if that was the case."
Daniel had fallen to the platform, appearing to be hiding under the DHD, hands out against the underbelly of the device.
"He was under it."
Ferretti and John looked at each other. "Huh?" the major managed with an arched eyebrow. "Who was?"
"Daniel. He wasn't hiding!" Carter slapped her forehead. "God, we've been going about this all wrong!" Abruptly, she dropped to her knees.
"Carter!" Alarmed, thinking she must have passed out or something, John bent over to haul her up when she gave a soft cry, staring at something under the DHD and slammed her hand on its belly.
"Oh shit! What the hell did you do?" yelped Ferretti. John whipped his head up.
And stared at the wall which shimmered.
Just like before.
Dumbfounded, the rest of the soldiers looked down at Carter, who was peering through their legs, smiling tiredly as she saw the desired effect on the mirrored wall.
"Bingo," she murmured.
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Staring at the tablet Jolinar held in her hands, Jack didn't know whether to whoop out loud or just nod solemnly like he was expecting it.
He decided gawking would suffice.
"This is similar to the tablet Machello passed me before I hid it for Dan-yel to find," Jolinar said. She ran a hand across its flat surface. "There is no reader stone for it unlike the others."
"Yeah, trust me. Don't try using those," Jack muttered, eyeing the discarded tablets Kawalsky left piled on the floor. His hands instinctively curled. "They may be booby trapped."
"Booby trapped?" echoed the Tok'ra. She turned to peer at the items and shrugged. "No matter. We have what we came for."
"Commander wants us to see if there's anything else we can use," Kawalsky called out, reminding them. "Then we head back."
Jack nodded. "There may be stuff here you guys can use." He grimaced as he studied the red veiled room. "What, I don't know..." He threw up his arms. "Hell, let me search that end of the room to speed things up, okay?"
"Your friend is well, Colonel O'Neill."
Looking at Jolinar suspiciously, Jack grumbled, "I know. I wasn't rushing because of that."
Jolinar gave him a secretive smile. "Of course not." She nodded graciously at the DHD. "I will be searching around there." She carefully wrapped the tablet with a cloth, tucking it in the pack she carried.
"Want me to hold it for you, Miss Jolinar?" Simmons offered, staring at her pack.
Jack checked the younger soldier up and down, noting the bouncy exuberance Simmons had displayed before was gone; even his hair had gone flat. He made a face. "It ain't heavy. I'm sure it'll be fine with her."
Grunting, Kawalsky nodded towards the back. "Why don't you see if there's anything back there we could use, Graham? We still got a few hours before checking back with base."
Graham checked his watch, eyes darting left and right. "Yes, sir." He didn't look too happy.
Frowning at Simmons' back, Jack grunted. "Don't blame him."
Kawalsky glanced up, confused. "Huh?"
"Didn't look thrilled about staying here any longer," Jack said, jerking a thumb towards the back of the room. "Although he was damn bouncy before."
The captain grinned. "He was, wasn't he? Reminds me of Doc at times."
Jack arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"You should have seen Dan at John's retirement party." Kawalsky waved his hand, grinning. "Before he and his brother got asked to the Stargate thing in Cheyenne. Man, Dan was like here and there, trying to get everything right."
Smirking, Jack rubbed his hands on his flightsuit, feeling odd not having Kevlar brushing underneath his palms as he did. "Yeah?"
Kawalsky laughed out loud, earning a smile from Jolinar's direction. "Damn kid! He was like 'No, this goes there' and 'We need more of-'. I thought he was going to bust! And his damn hair! Kept flying all over the place, blocking his eyes!"
The colonel snickered. "Oh yeah. The hair. Daniel had this long hair down to his eyes." He pretended to pull a long strand over his forehead. "You don't know how many times I wanted to take a shaver and do him a crew while he slept!"
For some reason, the captain laughed harder.
Wiping a tear from his eye, Kawalsky pointed to himself. "Me and Ferretti, we were out fishing on leave with John and invited him along when he was asleep..." He clapped a hand over his mouth. "We dyed his hair!"
"You what?"
Kawalsky howled and had to lean against one of the tarp covered boxes, glancing back at it for a second before continuing. "Oh damn, you should have seen Cap's face...when he woke up and found his little bro a...a redhead!"
Jack stared at him. "What did Dan do?"
"Do? He didn't even notice! He had his hair under that damn boonie hat the whole trip...didn't know why we kept offering him a comb." Kawalsky wiped a tear off his eye. "Then he got home and we said he could use the bathroom first." Snickering, the captain stuttered. "The scream—oh man. I heard it even out on the lawn...shit..."
Chuckling, Jack wondered if he could get away with that with Daniel. Nah. He's a light sleeper like me. First sound of a gunshot and he's up. Jack sobered a little. Over the years, Daniel had honed his instincts like a soldier, ready to jump to alert. Too many missions, too many bad guys made Daniel a fast reactor.
Jack rubbed his face ruefully. To this day, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
"Man. I really miss those days..."
At Kawalsky's sigh, his voice abruptly dropping the jovial tone, Jack turned to the captain. Kawalsky still stood there, back to the boxes, hand curled around one of the items he'd been picking up before. Jolinar was discreetly gone.
"They sounded great, Kawalsky," Jack murmured.
The captain's eyes narrowed, and his lips curled back in anger. "They were. They all were." He stood there, glaring at the floor for the longest time. Finally, he raised his head, dark eyes like coal. "War sucks." He straightened, brushing his palms on his pants. The soldier paused, looking up to study Jack.
"What?"
"Were we friends? I heard you mention..."
Jack shrugged. "No hair dying pranks though, Kawalsky. But yeah, we were friends." He gazed at the clutter around the chamber, his eyes darkening. "You were on the first mission with me to Abydos, too."
"Oh. So we were friends before I died I guess."
Jack stiffened.
Kawalsky gave a shaky laugh. "Hell, that sounds weird! Sorry. Daniel told me. I didn't mean...well...you know..."
"In the line of duty, Kawalsky." I gave the order, Jack thought. Out loud, he gestured towards Kawalsky. "In the line of duty."
The captain nodded, noting the pained expression before it slipped away from Jack's eyes. "Didn't mean to—"
"It's okay," Jack interrupted. "It was a long time ago. It's done. In the past."
"Old history," Kawalsky quipped. He checked the area. "Time to do something about the future."
Jack gazed at the worn uniform his friend's twin was wearing, and his brow furrowed. He could see old stains of blood and stitched patches at the sleeves. Like his, someone else had worn them before. "Something about the future. Yeah." Jack went back to work, any complaints about rummaging for stuff vanished. He gazed at the silent Stargate for a moment, briefly thought of Daniel and wondered how he was faring before he forced himself to get back to work.
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When Hammond arrived at the office, he saw Doctor Frasier had gotten there faster, sitting beside a totally drained looking Dan O'Neill, who sat there leaning against Teal'c.
Alarmed, he walked in without knocking, his heavy steps alerting Dan he had guests.
Dan stiffened, head lifting as his blank eyes directed themselves towards the entrance. "Who?"
"It is General Hammond," Teal'c reported, moving away as Dan straightened. A shaky hand rubbing his face, Dan nodded.
"I was told you translated the text, Doctor O'Neill?"
Dan gave a funny laugh. "I did..." He took a shuddering breath, fumbling for the tablet until Frasier placed it in his hands.
"Machello was very clever," Dan murmured. "He used an old language of ours and changed some of the vowels around so anyone without any past experience with the language wouldn't have been able to realize its roots were Greek. Every fourth syllable he broke off to stand as their own. I almost didn't figure..." Dan fingered the text. "Anyway, thanks to Rothman, we've found out that the text was referring to a key of some kind."
"Key?" Janet asked, frowning down at the strange lettering on the stone surface. "I thought you needed two tablets to decipher the codes to get into the battleships."
"You do, but without the key, you can't even get into the maze the tablets map out for you." Shaking his head, Dan's voice dropped to a whisper. "It's no use though."
Hammond was puzzled. "Doctor O'Neill, why do you say that?"
"The key...wearing the god's blessing? The god is Ra."
Teal'c nodded. "He regarded himself as such."
"To wear the god, to show he is of Ra's likeness, he needs the eye of Horus, or the eye of Ra." Pointing up his index finger, Dan made a gesture in the air, shaping the movements with curves in an eye shape. "To wear the eye of Ra like in a necklace." Dan got off the stool, stumbling away from everyone. He shook his head when he felt Janet's hand on his elbow. "No, let me finish..."
"Doctor O'Neill," Hammond began to realize what he was referring to. He had seen it before, briefly.
"The key...it's really a necklace that bore the eye of Ra." Dan found the table and leaned over it, head bowed. "I've seen it before. Many times before."
"I don't believe it," she murmured, eyes glistening. Her hand absently rubbed the gold object that dangled from her thick necklace. "You did it!"
"I did!" Dan grinned back broadly. He felt elated, flying high as weeks of work finally paid off. He couldn't wait to dash upstairs and tell John the news. His eyes wandered down to where the pendant dangled. "Is that some good luck charm of yours? Keep seeing you rub it ever since I first got here."
"My good luck charm," Catherine murmured with a soft smile. The elderly woman brushed her fingertips over the delicate cuttings of an eye relief. "It was found on the plateau along with the doorway and the cartouche. Couldn't believe my father let me keep it. He was probably too distracted by the doorway itself. Been with me ever since."
"Maybe I should rub it too then," Dan teased. "Brought me the best of luck. Brought me to this project!"
Catherine laughed as she shook her head, white hair coming loose from her bun. "You brought your own luck, Doctor O'Neill!"
Dan only grinned back at her.
"Many times," Dan murmured sadly. "We have...had a scientist by the name of Catherine Langford. She headed the initial project."
Hammond nodded. He waited for Dan to finish.
"She had this necklace...always wore it with her. Said she found it with the original Stargate and the stone platform underneath it. Must have been with a lord or nobleman under Ra's court. It had his symbol, his status on a pendant." Dan raised his head. "Ra's blessing."
"So you have the key then," Hammond murmured with a smile. It faded when he heard Dan choke.
"No, we don't...it was always with her...her lucky charm but it ran out of luck for her and..." Stooped over the desk, Dan couldn't finish.
Janet got up and went to him. "Are you okay? Maybe we should take you back to your—"
"We have no key, General," Dan said suddenly. His shoulders slumped low as he hunched over the desk, elbows on the table. "We have no key. Even if we get the damn map, we can't even get in. Can't get to Ra. Can't get to his shields, his weapons, his records. Nothing!" Dan didn't react to the hand running up and down his back. He shuddered. "I'm sorry, General Hammond, but your men...they tried to help us...all for nothing! We have no key!"
"We do."
Dan lifted his head. "W-what did you say?"
Walking over to Dan, Hammond placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "The Doctor Langford of our reality, is alive. She still has the necklace. I've seen it before. She never takes it off." He smiled as he recalled. "Thinks of it as her lucky charm, too."
Dan stuttered, leaning towards Hammond. "She's...she's alive?"
The general frowned. Apparently, there was more to what had happened to the other Catherine he didn't know about. A growing feeling of dread came over him as he replied. "Yes, she is. Doctor Jackson still keeps in contact with her."
Whispering to himself, Dan didn't appear to have heard Hammond. "She's—oh God—then we..."
"I'll call her right away and ask her to bring the necklace, Doctor O'Neill."
Dan reached out, clutching Hammond's wrist out of desperation. "You can have her come here? To this base?"
"Yes." Hammond hedged, not liking the wild tone in Dan's voice.
"I need to see her."
Hammond stared at the scholar. "What?"
"Catherine. I need to see her. Please. Let me talk to her."
Shaking his head, Hammond gently pulled Dan's hand away. "I'm sorry, Doctor O'Neill, but I can't do that. We wouldn't be able to explain to her about you and your brother. She no longer has the clearance to—"
"Fuck clearance!" Dan staggered drunkenly, grabbing Hammond's sleeve again. "Please. Please! Let me talk to her. There's so much..." His voice broke off. "So much I need to—Please..."
Janet tried to coax him "Maybe we should take this conversation back to your room. You're tired and—"
"Stop telling me how I feel!" Dan shouted, spinning around, nearly colliding with Hammond. Surprised, the general brought his hands up and caught Dan before Teal'c could reach him. "Please! I just need to talk to her. I really want to see her!"
"Doctor O'Neill," Hammond tried again. "I can't allow—"
Dan was shaking so hard, still mumbling to himself.
"I have to talk to her. I have to—You must let me see her."
Hammond stared down at the scholar hunched over. "Doctor O'Neill..." he started, trailing off as he gazed at Janet helplessly.
Dan wouldn't listen. They didn't understand. None of them did. They weren't there when she—He slammed the lid shut on the memory, but God, he could still hear her! He could still hear her in his head! He couldn't help her.
No. She was alive. They just said so. She was alive, still wearing her good luck charm. He had to see her. He needed to talk to her!
"Please," he croaked, breath quickening as he heard her screaming again. If he could talk to her, hear how she was before and replace at least one sound from his mind. "I need to..."
Strength spent, Dan's head lolled back, unable to hear them calling out to him frantically.
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"Look, I don't pretend to know anything about astrophysics, but couldn't the planets have changed?"
Captain Carter stared at him, breaking into a huge grin as if she had found the key to the universe. "I knew I would like you."
Blinking, Daniel was unprepared for that response, mentally readying for an onslaught of debate but getting this instead. All he could do was stutter "Y-you mean I was right?"
Nodding once, her gaze sweeping across the huge golden chamber, Captain Carter rapidly made her point, and Daniel found himself incredibly intrigued by the prospect of a fellow scientist who for once wouldn't scoff at his theories but rather jump on them as new possibilities. It was something he hadn't encountered in a long time.
"And this is the mess hall...what's left of it, since we had to convert it to an extension of our infirmary."
Daniel nodded absently, counting steps and turns at each point of location as her hand on his elbow steered him around the sub. Every so often, he caught a stray greeting, some calling him Dan, others calling him Doctor O'Neill. After hearing Hansen correcting them a few times, he finally shook his head at her, too tired to complain about the mistake. Let them assume whatever they wanted. He was too tired to bother, too tired to care. The more he walked in the cold sub, the more he knew he had to help them, and her hand on his elbow was a very sore reminder of how he wasn't doing that.
As he walked in the disturbing darkness, he felt his mind spinning, casting him back to the chaotic images of days before.
Daniel clenched his fists, tongue swiping his lower lip to wash anything out of what might have remained of her touch. He didn't see red hair, glowing eyes; he saw Janet Frasier's face as she sneered down at him. The hands running across his body—
"Doctor Jackson?" Sammy stopped in her tracks, hearing the catch of breath. Noting the ragged breathing, she pulled him quickly into one of the labs they had passed, helping him down onto one of the stools. The archeologist waved his hand, trying to tell her he was fine, but he panted all the same, trying to catch his breath.
The commander discreetly closed the door and leaned over him. "Easy," she murmured, slipping back into routine.
"Sorry," Jackson murmured, looking horrified at his reaction.
Blinking, remembering this time and place wasn't from her memory, Sammy slipped her hand away before it automatically moved it up to his head like she'd do with Dan to ease his headache. She stood straighter.
"You okay now?" she asked, towering over him.
"Was remembering something...guess I was pushing it..." Shaking his head, the archeologist gave a funny laugh. "Back on the ship. " He sighed. "Trying to remember...it could be important."
"Look," she said, surprising herself. "Don't press it. It'll come when it's ready. We know he's coming; that's all we need."
"And Machello's tablets."
Sammy nodded. "And Machello's tablets." She tilted her head, eyeing him. "How are you taking all this?"
Looking surprised at the question, Daniel's mouth opened, no words coming out. Finally, he stumbled out a "Me?" He wiped his mouth with a hand, covering the deep breath he took to steady himself. "Tired...restless, can't sleep...but I'm okay."
Frowning, she thought it sounded like he was chanting to himself again. Pursing her lips, telling herself this isn't Dan, back off and do your job, she stretched out her hand and tapped him on the wrist, right on the bracelet before snagging a corner of his sleeve. The thin metal reminded her once more this wasn't her friend, not a kindred spirit, rather a guest on an unfortunate tour of their destroyed world.
"General Hammond and the rest should be in the other sub, the Cleveland right now. Or do you want to explore more of the Miro or maybe the Franklin?"
Daniel shook his head, working on his lower lip with his teeth, a gleam of white flashing occasionally as he gnawed. "No...We never really got a chance to talk before. I guess now would be as good a time as any." He rose steadily, straightening. "Sorry, didn't mean to waste your time. I'm okay now."
Gazing up at him, she suddenly realized he was really a bit taller than her, and it bothered her to see him standing so erect when his double spent more time slouched in pain. Her hand unknowingly clenched around his sleeve, pulling the material taut around his arm.
"Commander Hansen?"
"Let's go," she said hoarsely, pulling at him without apology, out of the room. She had a bad taste in her mouth that wouldn't go away as she heard the footsteps behind her, Daniel recovering enough to walk steadily now.
