The Explanation 7: Break Through
PhDelicious

Disclaimer: They still aren't mine and I'm still not getting anything from this except entertainment and hopefully lots of praise.

Daniel

That didn't go nearly the way I thought it would. It seems like everyone's already setting in.

Martha and Suzannah had checked everyone over and pronounced them all healthy and Daniel now understood why Jack had panicked when he'd seen them treating Sam. Their medical scanners looked remarkably similar to the Goa'uld hand devices. Though he'd tolerated the poking and prodding with more patience than usual Jack, being a man of action had insisted on being shown around as soon as possible.

"Hey T, how bout a walk? I'd like to see some more of this 'reality'."

Sam had winced at the obvious quotations marks in Jack's voice and looked around for any reactions. When she saw that no one else had reacted she gave a slight shrug of her shoulders but placed a warning hand on Jack's arm. For his part Jack merely turned and smiled at Sam with a completely unguarded look of love and affection.

Damn it Jack! Out of all the people in your life it just had to be her didn't it. Even the second time around. This is going to be the stumbling block isn't it?

After a few more moments of silent communication Jack stood from his cot and headed towards the door. Teal'c followed quickly and Gabriel opened the door and gestured them into the hallway.

"Don't worry Samantha. I will bring him back to you in one piece," said Gabriel as he shut the door behind him.

Sam rolled her eyes and then turned a curious gaze on Daniel.

"Soooo…Jack and I have been living in a Matrix and you and Teal'c were our white rabbits, huh?"

"Actually…have you ever read the Otherland series by Tad Williams? That's probably a more apt comparison, though in the end I suppose there's not so much difference. Matthais would probably be better able to answer your questions."

Sam glanced in the direction Daniel had nodded and seemed to notice the young man, still sitting at his console, for the first time. She studied Daniel briefly then stood and headed towards Matthais and his workstation.

Daniel's smile broadened as he watched her get quickly caught up in a conversation about the machine in front of her. Suzannah took the opportunity to approach Daniel, while Martha trailed behind her like a shadow.

"Have you figured it out yet Daniel?"

"The hard part isn't the actual retrieval is it? It's getting them to realize that this is reality."

"And to keep them from getting depressed when they realize what they had there was not real and they can't go back, no matter how much they may want to."

Daniel pondered Suzannah's statement.

There's something not quite right about what she just said.

"But weren't their experiences real?"

Martha quirked her eyebrow questioningly.

"Granted they didn't physically experience anything that happened in the Collective, but you said that everything that happened to them was based on their own thoughts, actions, and reactions."

Daniel grew more animated as he continued.

"So despite the fact that the events weren't real, the emotions surrounding them are. Whatever they felt, however they responded is real because it is exactly how they would have reacted when faced with the exact same situation in reality."

Daniel watched Suzannah hopefully. She nodded serenly.

"And therein lies both your solution and your problem, because nothing that occurred in the Collective was exactly the same as in real life."

Suzannah left that through for Daniel to consider and moved slowly to sit herself down to rest on a recovery pod.

Sam

Sam was only half paying attention to Matthais's explanation of the technology behind the Collective and the pods.

This all sounds familiar, but I've never worked with anything like this before. Does this mean they're right? I never could quite convince Jack that what we had was real… T called me Colonel Carter and said that we'd been on a mission together. Are we not together here? I guess not, given Daniel's reaction to walking in on us. What if I'm with Daniel? What am I thinking! This is NOT real! …Is it?

"And so we've been having some trouble with power fluctuations to the recovery pods but nothing's showing up on the computer diagnostics."

Matthais's implied question broke through Sam's spiraling thoughts for a second. Still mostly focused on her inner monologue Sam reached over and hit a sequence of keys on the keyboard. When a panel of the wall slid away and a tray full of crystals appeared Sam moved automatically to grab one. Her hand came to rest on a medium sized green piece with a noticeable flaw running along its length.

"Here's your problem. The directionality of the flaw allows the crystal to function most of the time, but occasionally there's enough interference to dampen the signal below detection limits. There's probably a replacement around here somewhere."

The completeness of the silence which followed her assertion brought Sam's attention fully into the present. She glanced confusedly at the others then focused on the crystal in her hand. It was as if someone had delivered a paralyzing blow to her arm. She watched as her fingers went numb and the flawed crystal shattered on the floor.

Shit!

Jack

Up near the surface, at the last barricade between the Forum and the ancient council chambers, Jack echoed Sam's thought.

Shit! Ouch! Stupid rocks! Why am I standing at the bottom of this staircase? Right it's the closest way to the surface…its blocked off…and T's stronger than I am.

"Could you try not to hit me with every rock you get out?" yelled Jack.

"My apologies O'Neill. There is little room to maneuver up here," came the stiff reply.

Well I see neither his sense of humor nor his grasp of colloquial English has changed much. Why would it? Either way I'm making one of there realities up. Of course T's going to sound the same. So do Danny and Samantha, though I guess she's been with me the whole time. Oh Crap!

"T? Did you call Samantha Colonel Carter before or was I still dreaming then?"

"We were still in the Collective at the time, but I did address Colonel Carter by her rank, which you have often told me is unnecessarily formal."

"What am I?"

"You are General Jack O'Neill, leader of the Tau'ri who venture through the Stargate and the former leader of SG1. Samantha Carter is your 2IC."

"How do you know so much about…"

Jack stopped mid-sentence as Gabriel's words began to sink in.

My 2IC? My 2IC! No. No! This is NOT happening. This is NOT real. I'm going to wake up any moment now and be back in the cabin with Samantha sleeping beside me. I am not going to let my doubts ruin this. She has had faith all this time. She's been the strong one all these years. I will not fail this test. I can't loose her again. I will not loose her again!

Jack squared his shoulders and started up the small staircase to help Teal'c open up a passage through to the surface of a fake planet in an imaginary universe in a strange trip of a dream.

Daniel

Sitting on a cold hard floor attempting to comfort a sobbing Samantha Carter was not something Daniel had much experience with, and he was quickly finding that he didn't particularly enjoy it. And not just because his left arm had gone completely numb several minutes ago.

Crap! Need Jack. Can't reach radio.

"Suzannah? Do you have any way to contact Gabriel?"

"You would like him to return with Jonathan and Teal'c?"

"I think it might help calm Sam. I don't think she's even hearing me anymore."

Suzannah nodded to Matthais and he did something Daniel couldn't quite see. Nothing obvious happened, but Suzannah looked satisfied, so Daniel returned his attention to Sam. He spoke steadily in a low voice, a soothing counter-point to he muffled sobbing.

"Ssh, Sam! It'll be all right. Everything is going to work out the way it is supposed to. Jack's coming back now."

"I should have listened to him…He always knew."

Sam's voice came in a series of harsh whispers barely audible from where her head was tucked into Daniel's shoulder.

oOo

Daniel would never quite be sure how long it took for Jack and Teal'c to return from their exploration. He was incredibly relieved when Jack walked back in the door and made a beeline for Sam.

"Come here baby. I'm here now."

Sam launched herself into Jack's outstretched arms.

Now that's something I'd begun to think was never going to happen in this reality. Though I guess we haven't really gotten back to reality yet.

A/N: So I hope you all liked my little 'intro to the breakdown' chapter. I'll try to have the next one out soon.