Head Trip - Chapter 9

"Sir, there's no time … sir, just go!"

Jack O'Neill sprang upright from his cot, his shirt soaked in sweat. What a time for a nightmare - a wrenching memory of her desperate eyes and pleading voice from so many years ago.

He wouldn't leave her then; he couldn't leave her now.

The base was eerily quiet in the early morning hours; just as he wanted it. Having dismissed all personnel from the critical areas, he was about to begin a rescue operation that only he, and he alone, had sanctioned.

While Siler worked on getting the MALP ready, he had ordered Daniel and Teal'c to bunk down and catch several hours of sleep. He, himself, tried the same, but his mind refused to shut off.

So Jack spent most of the night checking and re-checking his equipment, including the prototype weapon that Thor allowed him to keep at the SGC. This one piece of weaponry in his arsenal could neutralize all forms of Replicators (although he much preferred the feel of a P90 in his hand). Yet, since basic projectile weapons could still wreak damage against the mechanical bugs, perhaps he would save the Ancients' weapon for just his encounter with the human forms. He had a nasty suspicion that he would be meeting Fifth once again; in fact, he was actually looking forward to it, as long as he could be assured that Carter was out of harm's way.

Damn bugs – how did they grow into such a powerful enemy? At least Thor would be delivering the final knockout punch to the planet within a matter of days ….

Days … this was the second day of this calamity. This would have been Carter's day of debriefing – her successful completion of her first solo mission. Instead, she was being held captive and at the mercy of Fifth and his company of mind-bending robots. Of this he was sure. Fifth somehow replicated Carter and began this insane spy game, with Jack as the target! And now Carter was paying the price. Oh, yes, there would be a certain perverse pleasure in meeting Fifth again ….

At 07:30 hours, the President called and informed General O'Neill that Thor was already on the way. He had further good news. By making a crucial adjustment to their hyperspace engines, the Asgard had managed to cut their estimated time of arrival practically in half. They would be over the planet within the next three days. Thor felt that time was of the essence, in the case that the Replicators would become suspicious of retaliation now that their operative had been discovered and neutralized. No one wanted to risk their escaping once again, as they had from Orilla.

This was Jack's greatest fear, too, and he knew that he would have to be absolutely certain that he and SG-1 acted as covertly as possible once they cleared the Gate. He remembered that these human-form Replicators could now sense when their mechanical "brethren" were being neutralized. He could not afford to encounter any bugs on their way to rescue Carter. He was trusting that his special-ops training would serve him well.

By 08:00 hours, Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c had geared up and gathered in the Control room as Siler prepared to send the MALP on its way through the Gate. What was waiting on the other side would determine their plan of action.

"Chevron Seven Locked."

The MALP rumbled slowly off the ramp into the event horizon. Within a matter of seconds, they had their answer. It seemed that the Gate was unguarded. Jack waited cautiously for several minutes as the MALP sent back photos of the surrounding landscape. It was fairly level terrain, with what seemed to be some type of large fortress-like building along the not-too-distant horizon. Luckily, no sign of mechanical nor human life forms could be detected.

"Retrieve the MALP."

Either this was a trap, or the Replicators were pre-occupied with other matters (like torturing Carter). Perhaps they had become complacent because of their hubris. Oh, yes, they were arrogant as hell! Jack remembered his own encounter with First on Halla.

Once, long ago, Teal'c had also reminded him of the arrogance of the Goa'uld. It seemed that both enemies had this in common.

Let it be their fatal flaw.

With that thought in mind, O'Neill adjusted his weapons, and strode through the event horizon with Daniel and Teal'c at his side.

Disclaimer: If you have been reading this from the beginning, then you know that I am developing my story from incidents that happened primarily in Replicator episodes of Seasons 6 and 8: "Unnatural Selection" and "New Order, Parts 1 & 2". I take no credit for the original storylines and characters. I do, however, offer this projected tale of "what if" in response to what the writers of Stargate/Gekko Productions have given me to play with. I am doing this solely for the recreational pleasure of writing fanfic, and not for profit of any kind. I have also deliberately refrained from reading any Spoilers regarding the upcoming S8 episode of "Gemini". Any similarity in that storyline will be purely coincidental and not intentional. This work is my own.

First line of this chapter is quoted from S4 Episode "Divide and Conquer"

Orilla is the Asgard planet named in "New Order"

Halla is the Replicator homeworld named in "Unnatural Selection"

This seems a perfect time to catch my breath, and thank each and every one of you for being so supportive with your great reviews. In fact, you've managed to sway my Muse a few times as she was about to go down another path! The story is now taking its own twists and turns, and turning into much more of an adventure than I had imagined. Hope you continue to enjoy!

Special appreciation to my mentor, SG1FanFic, who has already set the bar quite high for doing this kind of stuff! She's just a walking encyclopedia of all things Stargate and a real support. Thanks, SG!