Disclaimer: Gekko, Double Secret, MGM and probably loads of others own StarGate, Joss, WB, UPN et al own Buffy. I do not.
Title: Waking Dreams
Author: Paradigm Shifter
Feedback: Yes please! :-)
Rating: R. There are some potentially disturbing themes in here... like attempted suicide. You know the drill: people ill equipped to read such should avoid. Personally, I don't think it's anything too bad: just a mention in the past. But I'm playing it safe.
Dedication: Teri. For Writing, for Reading, and for Friendship.
Notes: Sequel to 'Wake As Me'. I'd like to thank Trevelyan for the terrific help he's been with all my fics since we first started talking... Although there are times when I wonder if I'd write faster if I wasn't forever sending e-mails back and forth... ;-) And thanks to Robert Cox, too, for his help and enthusiasm with various other projects over time.
Continuity: Wake As Me. Which was singularly the most reviewed fic I have ever written, bar none. The feedback I got to that was absolutely incredible. Thank you all.
Also, up to Xander's Road Trip in BtVS. And up to the end of Season 2 of StarGate. I've not seen further than that. Although I know vaguely what happens in a couple of places... for example, Daniel's Ascension.
Crazy Thought for the Day: AMD, yes, that AMD, is based in Sunnyvale, California. I've known that for a while, I just thought it was funny. Never mind, eh?
--
Colonel Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force, sat perched on the edge of the briefing room desk, his face a mask behind which no one but his team-mates knew what was going on. Daniel Jackson, eminent archaeologist – at least until his theories had gotten him laughed out of academia – sat in a chair a few inches away, playing nervously with a pencil as Jack's restrained irritation affected everyone in the room. Samantha Carter – although she would chew you out if you called her anything but 'Sam' – sat opposite Daniel, and Teal'c stood emotionless at the doorway, waiting for General Hammond and Doctor Janet Frasier to join them.
Jack finally seemed to finish whatever internal debate he was having, and pushed up from the table to pace nervously around the room. Teal'c watched him with what – for him – passed as worry.
Teal'c's deep voice broke the almost oppressive silence in the room. "I have not seen you this worried for many months, ColonelO'Neill."
Jack stopped pacing for a second to look at each of his team. They had been through a lot together – through Hell and back, almost literally. He sighed; regaining, or trying to, at any rate, his equilibrium before speaking. "It's just... this kid." He didn't know what to say after that.
Sam nodded. "We understand, sir. But if he is, then you'll have to get used to the idea..."
"It's not the idea I'm bothered about!" Jack shouted at her in a temper. Instantly wishing he hadn't, Jack flashed puppy dog eyes at her as an apology.
Daniel picked up where Sam left off, as Jack covered his face with his hands and shook his head helplessly. Sam didn't take the Colonel's outburst personally: he had been under a tremendous amount of pressure recently – especially since Alexander Harris turned up on the StarGate Commands doorstep spouting secrets like they were given away free in packets of chewing gum.
"...because he's here to stay, Jack. A civilian that knows about us? That isn't a Goa'uld? He's going to be a fixture in the SGC: whether as a prisoner or as a member of the team, he's now in." Daniel shrugged and finished drawing out an intricate diagram on a sheet of paper, before picking it up and examining it. He tutted at a misdrawn line, and screwed it up. "Oh well."
"What was that, Daniel?" Sam asked, hiding the fact she very much wanted to ask what Jack was bothered about, if it wasn't Harris' presence. But Daniel's reply to her question – and her private musing – was forestalled as General Hammond walked through, Janet Frasier trailing him. The two Air Force officers stood up instantly and saluted, with Daniel following suit a second behind. Teal'c stiffened to attention, but did not salute in the way his compatriots did. As the other sat, following General Hammond, Teal'c remained standing by the doorway, arms folded over his chest.
"As you were." General Hammond sounded tired. His voice carried the subtle hints of stress that had become such a regular accompaniment to anything SG-1 heard him say.
He began with a statement. "Alexander Harris is here to stay."
Jack took the news surprisingly well. Both Sam and Daniel had been watching him carefully, so they could either duck for cover or save Jack's ass if he blew his top. Jack simply asked "Why?"
Hammond looked at Jack, his eyes betraying nothing. If he was annoyed at being questioned, he didn't show it. But with SG-1, it had become common practice, so it was hardly a new experience. "The President, strangely enough, seems to trust my judgement in these matters, Colonel. Harris is too much of a security risk to allow outside of the SGC at any time in the near future – at least without one of the SG-teams accompanying him."
Janet took this opportunity to speak. "With your permission, General?" she asked, before launching into a lengthy explanation when he nodded. "Young mister Harris is not a Goa'uld host. There aren't even any of the tell-tale signs that say he has ever encountered one. There is some low-level ionisation of his cells: this occurs frequently in areas of mid-to-high radiation. But Sunnydale is nowhere near a nuclear reactor, if fact, it's quite a mystery. I don't know what Mr. Harris has been doing, but he is also covered in scars. They are conducive to beatings and bladed weapon attacks... the beatings are from quite a while ago – at least two years, maybe more. The X-rays support this: the calcification of his bones shows where breaks have previously occurred... if I didn't know better, I'd say he was Black Ops. Physically, too, he's early to mid twenties... I don't know what caused that, but he's physically as fit as he will ever be. That led to the Black Ops conclusion."
Jack looked hard at her. If that was true, he could be an NID plant. That would be just like them: play on his, and the rest of the SGC's links to the past. Desecrate the memory of a good man to get the SGC mothballed – or gain control of it themselves. He zoned back in as Janet continued, "The bladed weapon injuries are healed, but are far more recent: most have happened in the past year or so. Although I noticed two cuts on his arms that are older. If I may step into psychology for a moment, I believe he may have been abused when younger, and tried to commit suicide. It wouldn't be the first time I've seen things like this..." Janet trailed off, her eyes haunted by some memory.
General Hammond nodded and spoke, drawing her out of her reverie. "Very well. So we have someone who is a complete enigma turn up on our doorstep, who we know very little about, and who knows an awful lot about us."
Jack snorted. "So what else is new?"
Hammond pointedly ignored the comment. "So. What do you all think we should do? I'm open to suggestions, people."
Jack surprised everyone when he spoke. Sam and Daniel in particular had been watching his lack of reactions with increasing concern. "What do you think we should do?"
Hammond didn't blink. "That's what I'm asking you."
Janet stood up. "I need to get back to the infirmary. Until you've decided what is to be done with Mr. Harris, I should continue working with him."
Hammond nodded. "Very well, doctor."
Janet stepped out of the room, and sighed heavily. "Alexander Harris, who and what are you?"
--
Xander sat on the edge of one of the infirmary beds, watching the two airmen watching him.
"You know, I'm not surprised they don't believe me... I mean, I have a hard time believing myself, sometimes!"
The airman he had addressed didn't even twitch, so he hopped up from the bed and turned his attention to the other one.
"Do you believe me? I mean, it sounds like something out of a fairy tale, doesn't it? 'The One Girl in All the World'... God, what a crock of shit!" He turned round, angry at himself for his mood.
The door opened, and Janet Frasier stepped through. Xander turned to watch her approach. "Oh, hi Doc."
Janet remained silent, pushing him back so that he sat back on the edge of the bed again, and rolled up his sleeve.
"Oh, the silent treatment, eh? Well, OK, I can do that, too."
Janet wrapped the cuff around his elbow so she could take his blood pressure again, and looked worriedly at his wrist as she did so. She broke the silence.
"When did you do that?"
Xander jerked at her voice, as if he had been deep in some other thought. "Do what?" he replied carelessly, watching her work.
Janet was not amused by his flip attitude. "The cuts on your wrists: the old ones. When did you get them?"
Xander went from flip to cold and angry in less time than it took to blink. He ignored the stiffening of the two guards at the door as he said harshly, "None of your business."
"You came here of your own free will, Mr. Harris: we didn't force you here. We didn't kidnap you. And while you are guest of my infirmary, you will be polite." Her eyes met his, and she added, "Please."
Xander shook his head unhappily, but acquiesced. "OK, doc."
Janet sighed. "Now... perhaps we can start again, on a better footing this time?"
Xander just shrugged. "Whatever."
Janet could see they had a long way to go before anything truly helpful was forthcoming. "You didn't expect us to just let you walk around free, did you? After how suddenly you arrived? And you haven't even given us a good reason why you know all you do, yet!"
Xander blinked at her, and Janet felt suddenly like she had intruded onto something private. "You want to know everything, doc? Everything?"
"I think you owe us that much, don't you?" Janet looked at Xander, who met her gaze with an unwavering wall of secrets hidden within his. "Kowalsky?"
Xander jerked as she said that name. Finally, heavily, he spoke. "Yes."
Janet didn't know which answer he was responding to, but she didn't want to find out without the others. She turned to the two guards. "Bring him up to the briefing room in five minutes."
Janet was out of the door before she saw the guard nod.
--