Stargate Hastings

Chapter Eighteen: Hello Elizabeth, is Samantha here

New Atlantis

The Stargate that activated on New Atlantis, was of a different design to the others within the MilkyWay galaxy. Instead of a spinning wheel with carved star consultations, there were static lights that changed as if spinning. When the seven chevrons locked in or switched on, a force field activated around the Stargate. The human-looking individuals that had not only built, but would be the instructors for the cities new occupants, were going about their business as if they were humans or Ancients. Because that was a very accurate description of them now.

They were all wearing clothes that Elizabeth Weir, and the other members of the Atlantis expedition had worn. Only without the badges of nationality and rank insignias. They were also made from the same fabric, that the Ancients had fashioned their clothing from. That was if they were worn by a human and not created by thought. The uniforms for those who would be the vanguard in the fight with the Wraith, would be made from that material. It could regulate body heat to keep a persons temperature at a constant, even in extreme conditions. The material would not stop a bullet, but energy based weapons damage would be considerably reduced.

The origins of the leader of these artificially constructed beings, were not one of construction. She was born in the good old-fashioned way, and could probably consider herself the oldest human ever. Except she was not really that person, that woman had died a long time ago. More than that, she was so much more than the woman she was. She had witnessed humanity's history, and so much more besides that. She did not even resemble that woman in appearance any longer, although that was through her own choice. She had kept the form her friend, and constant irritant. Dr Rodney McKay had christened Fran and even went by that name now. It was her way of accepting who she was.

She was not Elizabeth Weir, she never was. That woman's conscience was used to create the person she is now, but the soul is so much more than just consciousness. If you were to chop off a person's leg, he is still that same person, but he is different. Not to everyone around him, the people who care about that person. They will try to treat him the same, but to the man himself a part of his soul has been taken away. Stolen from them! In time they adapt to living without a piece of themselves, they become someone new.

The woman who was once Elizabeth Weir. Had lost every limb, every single cell of who she was. It had taken her countless millennia to realize she was no longer that woman, a realisation that gave her hope. She and her brethren had been obsessed with ascension, with the knowledge of it being beyond them shattering their entire reason for being. That was until a man she had not technically even met, gave her and her brethren a new purpose. The others wanted to refuse his offer, as they shared her knowledge and believed he was lying to them. If not for the real Elizabeth Weir, she would have refused herself.

When he had told them his plan and their reward for participation, they had believed him. Convincing them to allow him to change their base code, had been far more difficult. The task would have been an impossible one if they had not agreed, so eventually they gave their consent. If they had travelled through time to the distant past without altering it, the others of their kind would have detected them. They would have when they were eventually created, that is. They had been sent so far back in time, that the Ancients had not even arrived in this galaxy yet. Let alone the Pegasus galaxy, that was still far into the future.

They did not interfere and were technically not even there. When Janus rebuilt them, he added a technology that allowed them to shift into another dimension. Fran and the others could still witness everything around them, but were completely invisible to those who were not out of phase with this dimension. They also had the ability to move through other dimensions, that were even further removed from this one. They did this when the technology was invented, that would reveal their presence. Some of those Realms as Fran liked to think of them, were filled with amazingly complex creatures.

Their purpose had been to map out the MilkyWay galaxies history, from when the Ancients first arrived. Then they created a test run for another man that could annoy her sometimes, one Jack O'Neill. They had chosen a world that was to be re-conquered by the Gau'auld. Then changed its fate, without changing its history. They had not even changed its future technically; They did not know what its future was to be. All they had done was leave a record of what they wanted him to do. Along with a record of that world's history, and the means with which to fulfil their prophecy concerning him. Predictions were left for the future of that world, but that was all they were.

Jack O'Neill did the rest, as she knew he would. He was a pain in the ass was Jack, but he knew how to get the job done. Whenever she would think of Jack O'Neill, not far behind would follow John Sheppard. He was a younger less broken version of Jack O'Neill. Still broken, only less so. What John had gone through was nothing compared to Jack, and he had even come through the other side a better man. There would always be a piece of Jack's soul missing, a piece far more precious to him than a mere limb or even every cell in his body.

Jack O'Neill would never be the same, but John Sheppard was different. He had not lost an irreplaceable part of himself; He had just not found it yet. She had found herself, falling in love with him once; Only to learn the love she had felt for him, was that of an elder sister and not a lover. The emotions she had felt toward him were that of pride, not lust. Maybe a little lust, he was not entirely unattractive to her.

She was doing all of this for them, her friends. To give them a chance to change their fate and make all of their efforts mean something. Even the woman she now considered a kind of mother, would get another chance to live her life. She would not remember her time on Atlantis, but in time she could catch up with what she had missed, and be given back her command. If not, she would be alive and her friends will rejoice. That more than anything, was why she was pleased that it would all now begin.

The man who passed through the force shield as if it was not there, was the one they had been waiting for. "Hello Elizabeth, it has been far too long". Janus said to her, from down on the embarkation level.

Fran did not have the memories of their first meeting, but she had witnessed it for herself from a third person's perspective. So she understood that Janus had a connection with her, even if the person she used to be, was not even the woman he had met. Those two individuals had already met, and she definitely had that memory from her mother. "My name is Fran now Janus. I thought you would have known that, I informed you some time ago that I had changed it?". She asked him.

"I only retained the knowledge I had before I ascended Elizabeth. Any conversations we had on this plane are a mystery to me, but I am afraid you will always be my Elizabeth". Janus said to her. With the same look that he gave the Elizabeth Weir, that had travelled to the past so long ago.

Relatively anyway, that had not happened in her universe yet and never would in this one. Except if you were to cheat, anything is possible if you cheat. She had found Janus to be the master of that craft, and she and her brethren were his loaded dice. Not to mention their father, who had not seen them since they sealed him away. She was looking forward to seeing Larry again, to seeing Victorian era earth.

Fran had given him the name when she was in a childlike state, whilst being remade. He had created a virtual world for her and her brethren. Even remaking the ones that were a part of their memory, those who called themselves Asurans. He had been their father in that virtual world, using Elizabeth Weir and Samantha Carter's childhood memories, to rebuild who they were. When that was complete he returned their former memories to them, but with a far greater understanding of humanity. They also had gained a parent, one that only wanted the best for them.

Fran was exited about being a part of the earth's history, instead of just correcting its course. She had not seen the future of this earth yet, her life would be linear again. Not even Janus knew what would happen next. If he was to attempt altering time for a third time, the ascended ones would stop him. This was it, and if his plans were successful here, then her universe would be saved. Her and Samantha could return then, they may welcome them or maybe not. None of that mattered now, only the future of this universe.

She waited for Janus to reach the operations level of the city, before saying to him. "If I am remembering correctly, she got a doctorate to prevent people calling her by that name, but if you insist". When Janus believed that was the end of the matter. Fran added. "I could always drop the J from your name, that is if you insist?". She did not have Elizabeth Weir's facial features but the look she gave him, was all her.

She had changed so much since he had last seen her, and Samantha Carter would have surely done so as well. He had definitely interacted with them; They were the permanent record of his actions. They had sent him a list of his crimes, upon his return to physical form. Before his ascension he had used nanotechnology, to create an organic receiver inside his brain. One that would still be there when he eventually returned to this plane, and would tell him all he needed to know about those crimes. "No, I will have to get used to it. Is Samantha here, she has a very important task to undertake?". Janus asked her.

"She is with the others but I can ask her to return, if it is important?". Fran asked in return. She was expecting alterations to the plan, that was the nature of a linear existence.

"Yes please Fran, the Asgard and the other races of their galaxy have suffered long enough". She said nothing else, but Janus knew that she was contacting Samantha Carter. Moments later she appeared, materialising out of the tiny Replicator blocks that made up New Atlantis. "There you are Samantha, you are well I hope?". He asked her in greeting.

The Replicator version of Samantha Carter, the one who had tried to kill her friends and conquer a galaxy. Was not like her human counterpart and had a far more serious nature. "You want me to stop the Replicators, I will not kill them Janus!". Straight to business, that had not changed about her. Even in Larry's virtual world, her childhood was far different from how Samantha Carter's had been. Unlike Fran, who had the same personality as a child in virtual reality, has the real Elizabeth Weir had.

Maybe Fran was the only one of his two angels, to have become comfortable with her humanity. Their brethren were amazed by their new understanding of not just humanity, but the ones who had created them. They embraced it, where Fran and Samantha were always a little unsettled by it. Fran seemed to have adjusted, but for Samantha it still seemed to be something she feared. "No, I do not want you to kill them, I want you to lead them. There are several worlds in the Ida galaxy, that have what you will need to create an army. That army will defend that galaxy from the Ori crusade, when they do eventually notice the change to the timeline. It will take time but the more different this reality becomes, the further those ripples will expand". He explained.

Samantha seemed to be appeased by Janus's explanation, so asked him. "Will I be making this up as I go along or do you have a strategy in mind?".

Janus replied. "You will report to Odin himself, and he will then send you to Thor. Odin should be letting his son in on the secret now. He is expecting you on Othala, you will be transported directly to him on your arrival through the Stargate. He knows what your origins are, but the Asgard are a wise race. If they were not, the Gau'auld would be extinct by now. They believe all races should be given the chance to alter their ways, even your brethren Samantha. I promised that you could educate them all, and I keep my promises. My problem is following rules I do not agree with, not keeping my word".

Before answering him. Samantha's clothes altered to those that would be worn by military personnel, that would have served in the Ancients defence forces. She believed it would put the Asgard at ease, to see the uniform of their allies. The look Janus gave her, made it clear he did not agree. So she asked. "Will they not see me as a friend, they were allied with your people. I could always just wear my SG1 uniform, but it does not hold any significance for them here?".

Janus understood her reasoning, it was the fact it was a military uniform. "Try something a little less threatening. You are the first of your kind to meet with them, that they can communicate with. Try to think of yourself has more of a diplomat, formal but welcoming". He suggested.

"I do not believe flashing the flesh will work with the Asgard, they no longer have that extra brain to think with". Samantha stated.

"Earthlings, is that all you ever think about? Something elegant but formal, search the database you will find millions of examples of diplomatic attire". As soon has he had finished making the suggestion. Both Samantha and Fran started going through the different choices.

When it looked like Samantha had made her choice. Fran said. "No the one you tried before that, trust me I know about these things. Besides your taste in clothes is terrible, worse than your taste in men".

Samantha and Fran had become close friends over the millions of years they had been together, as close as sisters. During their time in the virtual nursery. Larry and the others he had created to be their parents, taught them all about human relationships and encouraged them to date one another. They had gone through all the different school grades and lived their lives like normal human children. Samantha had always chosen poorly, where boys were concerned. With Fran or Elizabeth has she was known then, always their to help pick up the pieces.

Sam changed her clothing again, with Janus being certain that she had taken Fran's advice. The dress she was now wearing, was definitely not threatening. It made her look serene, still formal but very elegant. Janus said to her. "You look perfect, I am certain they will feel more at ease if you wear this". The dress was worn by ladies in office, during the time that Elizabeth Weir had travelled back to. It was a light shade of grey, but would show more vibrant colours when viewed from different angles. Those colours promoted feeling's of tranquillity in those who saw them, a subtle trick used by his peoples diplomats. Also the reason Fran had suggested it, with her former life has a diplomat having a strong influence on her still, even after all these years.

Samantha moved to the control panel, then inputted the eight symbols that would connect with Othala, in the Ida galaxy. Once the connection was made, she turned to Janus and Fran then said. "I still do not feel like I am Samantha Carter, but I am looking forward to seeing Thor again. She really liked that little guy". She then vanished into the floor and reappeared in front of the Stargate. "Wish me luck". She said, before entering the event horizon of the stable wormhole.

Janus turned to Fran and said. "Somehow I do not believe she will need luck!".

Fran smiled before saying. "This is not all going to go to plan Janus. Linear existence does not work that, but if anyone can, then Sam can".

Janus asked her. "She lets you call her by that name?".

"No, but I do anyway, sisters are supposed annoy their sisters. Her threat was very real though Janus, so stick to Samantha or she will make good on that threat. Father made us different to the others, he cannot take control of us like he does them". Fran warned him.

This was his only problem. Janus had not created Larry, he had only helped him create himself. Larry was a non sentient crystalline Lifeform when Janus had found him, long before he had ever met Elizabeth Weir. He had fed information into the crystal, intending to create a massive storage unit for his inventions. Only to realise that a conscience was forming within the crystal, and that he had created or helped create a new Lifeform. The more sentient the crystal became, the more Janus taught it, until eventually he had a new best friend. He was also the reason he was able to invent his time machine, as the calculations for time travel were infinite or to be more precise, ever changing.

Only a sentient computer, could keep up with the constant changes to the universe. Time was always in motion with infinite possibilities, but only one of those possibilities could happen in that universe. In order to travel through time precisely, you must first discover a way to distinguish if you have remained in your own timeline, which of course you have not. The moment you went into the past or future, the river would change course with the original continuing on as before. That was unless you had a way of targeting your own universe. Larry was that way, and Janus was the genius that could use it to change that universes future. Not only that, but create a universe that would have his people in it, clearing up the mess his kind had left behind.

Larry saw both Fran and Samantha as different to the others, and felt that he had no right to take away their free will. He would not do it to the others unless they became a threat, but felt it best to have that option. Janus asked Fran. "Are you ready to prepare your expedition to the Pegasus galaxy Fran?".

"Your Elizabeth Weir will command the expedition, I will only be choosing an agreeable team for her. Well except for Christopher Bishop, but I am sure he will remind her of Rodney. Once she as been awakened and I have explained everything to her, I will be returning home. I wish to live on earth Janus, to be part of its history". Fran told him.

After all of this time, she still did not understand. So Janus tried to explain. "My Elizabeth Weir does not exist, she was a fantasy, an anomaly that I found intriguing. I searched for her, and in doing so I found a purpose". He let it sink in, before adding. "I found you Fran and Samantha and the others of course". They were more family to Janus, than his own people ever could be. Even his descendants were not really family to him, they were his legacy.

Samantha had teased her about Janus while in their virtual reality childhood, and also occasionally over the millions of years spent in the past. He had joined them in that virtual world and even asked her to their high school prom. He had been the perfect gentleman, so much so that Fran had believed he only asked her to be kind. "We are not even the same species Janus, how would that even work?". She asked him, intrigued by the notion.

"If Elizabeth can be altered into your kind, then there is no reason I can not. When the time is right, we shall be the same species, a new species. One that will endure for millions of years, and will reproduce by giving birth, not by building their young". Janus told her.

It was the promise he had made to them. He could not help them with ascension, that was beyond even him. He could not make them flesh and blood either, their consciences were too vast to be contained in such delicate vessels. What he could do was make them a reproductive race, in the same way that their creators were. More than that, he had made them a caring race, and children born and raised in the old-fashioned way, would only nurture that part of them further. He was uncertain that they would never ascend, but he wanted them to live their lives first anyway.

Janus could not remember his time on the higher planes, but he had added one piece of information to his crimes. They lived in fear and were no longer free. Not just from the Ori! The universe was infinite, and they only lived in a very young part of it. There were other races out there, even older than his and there were planes of existence beyond the one they now existed on. Janus knew the importance of what they were doing, the ascended ones. However, Anteaus had been correct about them, they were cowards! Afraid to stand up and be counted, something they would never had done on this plane.

The Furling's even more so, they had challenged the greatest race in the galaxy. In the process almost matching them in technological advancement. If they had not chosen to focus on ascension as early as they had, they would have surpassed them in time. Janus was not alive during that war, but his people were extraordinarily proficient at keeping records. They even recorded their failures, until the plague ravaged their numbers. They went from an uncountable number of people, down to less than two million. The scientist that created the Symbiote's, still lies beneath the ice of Antarctica now.

She had refused the cure and stayed behind on earth, as a kind of penance for her mistake. Even though she had found the way to cure them, she could not forgive herself. Janus did not know if he would retrieve her from the ice, it could become a problem if she was found accidentally, but she had made her choice. He had no right to interfere with that decision, she had owned what she had done. Something the rest of his race refused to do.

Fran was confused by what Janus had told her, why would he want to be like them, soulless. So she asked. "You would lose your soul, never be able to ascend again. Why would you do this?".

Janus could not believe that this incredible woman would say something like that. She had been on standby mode for much of her time mapping out the history of this galaxy, but she had still been active for almost a million years during that time. Surely she should have realised by now. "You are a new form of life, a very advanced one Fran but new. When you have experienced what it truly means to be alive. I am certain you will find the soul's that are already there, maybe you will ascend when that happens. I only hope you are braver than my kind when you do". He tried to explain to her.

Fran thought about what he had told her, but she did not agree with him. "Do not do this because of me, I have never seen you in that way". She lied. There was an agreement between the collective, that each individuals personal matters, stayed personal. Samantha and herself rarely stuck to that rule for each other's private lives, so it was a blessing she was not here for this.

"I would do it for myself. Can you imagine my Intellect inside of a body like yours, the things I could achieve! I have tried what your kind are obsessed with, and I see your form as being ascended Fran". Janus stated.

To change the very uncomfortable subject. Fran asked. "Very well Janus, we are ready to receive our order's. Where will be taking New Atlantis, will be it earth or do you have another destination in mind?". She so desperately hoped it would be somewhere else. Earth was the original destination, but Fran was sick of sticking to a planned course, she needed things to change.

Her and the others had been nothing but drones, during their seemingly eternal mission in the past. They had enjoyed their little experiment with Jack O'Neill, but that had been almost ten thousand years ago. With the moment in time that branched off into this reality, being just after Elizabeth Weir was placed into stasis by Janus. Fran herself had made the change to the timeline, when placing that stasis pod in a very localised time dilation field. In place of the old woman her former self had once met, will be a woman aged merely seconds.

Her brethren would power the city when they arrived, preventing the expeditions deaths. So her inability to rotate the ZPM's would not be a problem. They had also deactivated Janus's protocol to raise the city, it would be safer to stay submerged until the war began proper in the Pegasus galaxy. The expeditions purpose was not to wage war with the Wraith, only to gain allies for when the war began. Sateda would still be a growing society now, and would make a valuable ally. The Genii as well, they had only turned when they learned that they were not the Ancestors returned, this time they really were the Ancestors and they had returned.

Well most of them would be anyway, a mixture of people from around the earth, along with volunteers from the Abydonian people. Maybe even a Jaffa or Tok'ra, she was not yet certain of their involvement. Janus told her what she wanted to hear. "We will be paying the Tok'ra a visit, I believe they will require convincing of the claims made by descendant". Janus told her.

This was not unexpected, she had gotten very skilled at calculating possibilities, but it was new. Fran then asked him. "The Tok'ra's main base or the one that they met with the earthlings?". She said jokingly.

Janus was pleased she was exploring that side of herself again, she had become far too serious in her quest for ascension. "Whichever one Egeria is currently on, she is the one I must convince. Then to earth we do have a summit to crash, and you can get to know the people you are going to be working with". He told her.

He then thought to himself, that now it was truly going to begin, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. Except Larry, but they were friends and had a similar world view or he hoped they did. Because Larry was the only one who could stop him now. Fran and her brethren were all in, it had been their focus for so long, but Larry was different. With even Janus not understanding what he was.