Disclaimer: I don't really know who Stargate SG1 and Quantum Leap belong to, but it isn't me.
Readers: Lookie here, another chapter so soon! Aren't you all proud of me? I felt bad, and this one was clambering to get out :)
Today's treat is a nice warm sticky toffee pudding with ice cream…
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September 21st, 1998 – Alpha site
Teal'c's POV
Teal'c remained silent as he observed O'Neill, hands behind his back.
"What? This isn't my best side?"
"I do not understand."
"It was a joke, Teal'c – funny ha-ha, not funny-strange. All I wanted to know was why I'm in a wheelchair!" O'Neill spread his hands, eyes questioning, his demeanour suggesting some nervousness. "Did I finally cross the line with Janet?"
Interesting.
"O'Neill, do you know where we are?"
"Trees, trees, more trees. A few Marines pointing guns at me. On your order. Could be the Alpha site welcoming committee." O'Neill cocked his head to one side. "Don't tell me – April fool? Though it is September y'know."
The Colonel now had a look in his eye that Teal'c recognised as wary. Strangely, this was possibly the first typical behaviour that the Jaffa had witnessed from the leader of SG1 in over a day. That was to say that his wording and manner of speaking was consistent with his personality, but his memory appeared faulty, and his recent change in temperament had been put down to his rather embarrassing injury. Until now.
Whatever the cause, uncharacteristic behaviour was something that all SGC personnel maintained a lookout for, hence the armed guards. That and news travelled fast, so the fact that the guards knew about O'Neill's injury and he did not appear to had increased the speed of their response.
Teal'c looked over at his brother warrior, whose arms were folded across his chest while his feet tapped an irritated beat on the foot rests. This was not the behaviour of a man with a sprained ankle.
"What is the last thing you remember?" Teal'c asked, a suspicion forming in his mind – though what it meant, or its implications, he did not know.
O'Neill tapped a finger against his lips, a caustic cast to his face. "Funny you should ask that, T – y'see, it's kinda fuzzy. The last clear thing I remember is barrelling on through the 'Gate with Teaset's Jaffa firing on us –"
"Hemuset…" Teal'c murmured.
"Yeh, whatever," O'Neill waved a hand impatiently, then his eyes narrowed. "Wait a sec, you weren't even there – you were… on Chulak." He sat up straighter in the wheelchair, eyes a little wide. "Oh crap. Don't tell me – my today isn't your today, and you think I'm not me?"
Teal'c bowed.
"Oh man! Why me?" The Colonel muttered, clapping both hands to his forehead. "Are you sure? I mean I'm pretty sure I'm me – and people all over the galaxy say there's no one quite like me anywhere else, so… –"
"O'Neill, I know that you are aware of the SGC's protocol in such cases," Teal'c continued calmly. "The sooner we can ascertain the truth, the better. If you could accompany me to the medical centre?"
"'If you could accompany me to the medical centre'…" O'Neill imitated in a mincing voice quite unlike Teal'c's own. "Fine, but can I get out of this wheelchair?"
Teal'c nodded slowly, wondering whether one of his suspicions was about to be confirmed. "Of course."
He signalled to the guards, who maintained a watch as the temporarily crippled man stood on his own two feet without even a wince – only 30 minutes after Dr Fraiser had ordered O'Neill to remain seated for as much of the day as possible. A normal Tau'ri might class such an incident as 'amazing', but all present – bar the entity posing as O'Neill – knew that such coincidences did not happen to SGC personnel.
The entity posing as O'Neill looked at Teal'c warily as he shook his legs out. "Lemme guess, you thought I had a sprained ankle?"
"Is your memory returning?" Teal'c asked, one eyebrow raised.
"No, but it feels kinda tight… and itchy…" The man knelt down and examined his right ankle, while Teal'c held up a hand in case any of the Marines felt like shooting – their aim and numbers should be adequate to head off a surprise attack if he was hiding a weapon around his lower leg. "Aha! Yeh, my ankle is all strapped up. Looks like it was done in an infirmary, not one of my field medicine hatchet jobs, apart from the fact that my ankle is fine."
Teal'c's mind calmly ran through what he just seen, then halted as he detected a flinch from the unknown human (presuming of course that this entity was human) as he stood up again. "Is there a problem?"
"Nope, well, maybe. Unless you know a way to fix these knees…" The man grumbled. "I know, you think I'm not me – but trust me, I know me and I am me, so I want to know who's been me for however long that it's been since I was me! If you know what I mean…"
"Indeed," Teal'c smiled, only half-politely. Inwardly he had to admit that this person was very much like O'Neill. "Shall we continue?"
"Yeh, sure – lead on MacDuff," came the curt reply. "And before you ask, I never knew that saying was from Shakespeare until Daniel told me back on P6K-something or other, ok? Same old Jack here, not trivia man."
"As you say," was Teal'c's non-committal response, as he decided to put a call through to the SGC. General Hammond did have a great deal 'on his mind', as the Tau'ri put it, however the possible possession or replacement of his second-in-command was an urgent matter in itself. "LieutenantJohnson?"
"Sir?" The Marine snapped to attention.
"Please take ColonelO'Neill to the medical centre and ask DrRaste to give him a full medical."
"Yessir –"
"Full?! Oh brother…"
The Lieutenant almost grinned as O'Neill's moan reached them, then his face became serious once more. "Blood tests?"
"Everything," Teal'c acknowledged. "Including a full report on his ankle. Does the medical centre have the facility for MRI and CAT scans?"
"I'm afraid not, sir – we'd need to send him back through the 'Gate for that."
"Very well. Please maintain a guard around ColonelO'Neill's position and await further orders."
"Sir," Lieutenant Johnson saluted, then hesitated before marching on with his men. "Sir… do you really think that that might not be Colonel O'Neill?"
Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow. This was not something that he wished to discuss with a junior officer, and he considered it a grave breach of protocol that the young man should be so forward as to ask. He also knew that Lt. Johnson had recently been rebuked for a lack of discipline, hence his presence at the Alpha site rather than with SG3.
"Uh right… Forget I asked," Johnson saluted again, looking a little embarrassed, then ran off to join the rest of his men.
The Jaffa turned back to the Chappa'ai and dialled the Tau'ri homeworld, then spoke into his radio as the wormhole was established.
"Greetings, this is Teal'c calling for GeneralHammond and DrFraiser." He transmitted his GDO to confirm his identity, and waited for a response.
"Acknowledged," MSgt Davis affirmed. "One moment, sir."
"Son, what seems to be the problem?" General Hammond came to the mike quickly, undoubtedly following the initial announcement of 'unscheduled off-world activation'.
"Could I please speak with both you and DrFraiser on a secure channel, sir?"
"Now? It's highly irregular, Teal'c, but I trust your instincts. Why does everything happen at once?" The General replied, sounding tired. "Give us a moment to set it up and we'll call you back."
The wormhole vanished as the transmission ended, and Teal'c paced around the DHD as he awaited the return call. A few stray Alpha site personnel caught site of him and waved, but from their part-curious, part-outraged expressions he could tell that the news that Colonel O'Neill was under guard had spread quickly. The camp was still small, and so the mere sight of the commander of SG1 with an armed escort would have been enough to set the rumour mill to work, with or without Lt. Johnson. Teal'c sighed, praying that he would be proven wrong – while the remainder of his mind tried to join a few dots.
It did not take long for the SGC to return Teal'c's call, and by now he felt compelled to speak more softly into his radio. He had already glared at several lingering personnel who appeared to have found work to do either around the medical centre or close to the Chappa'ai.
"Teal'c, I'd like you to switch to channel 18 and enter your IDC so that we can establish the secure link to the Briefing Room," said the voice of MSgt Davis.
"As you wish," the Jaffa replied, glad that General Hammond had taken his request seriously.
"Teal'c, Hammond here," the radio crackled. "Dr Fraiser is here too. Would you mind telling us what this is all about?"
He cast an eye about the area before responding, to deter any prying eyes that might be able to read lips.
"GeneralHammond, I am sorry to say that ColonelO'Neill began to exhibit strange behaviour within moments of our arrival at the Alpha site." He heard Dr Fraiser's gasp and continued. "He is currently being held under Marine guard in the medical centre while DrRaste performs tests."
"What sort of strange behaviour are we talking about here, Teal'c?" The General demanded, cutting to the crunch immediately. Though as professional as ever, Teal'c could detect undertones of anxiety and stress in his voice.
"He stood up with no apparent difficulty," the Jaffa reported. "When questioned, he claims that the last thing he remembers is running through the Chappa'ai under fire from Hemuset's Jaffa."
There were a few moments silence while the two SGC officers digested this information.
"So this is a Code Seventeen inquiry?" General Hammond asked eventually, using the SGC's code for 'possible Goa'uld'.
"That was my first thought, although I sensed neither naquadah nor a symbiote. I presume that CaptainCarter sensed nothing also."
"That and I could still feel the sprain this morning sir," Dr Fraiser interrupted. "From what we know of Goa'uld rates of healing, that ankle should have been fine by then, but I'd be willing to swear that Colonel O'Neill – or whoever this is – had a sprain less than an hour ago. If it was going to heal quickly, it would have done so before that trip through the 'Gate."
"Yes," the General agreed. "And it would be strange for a Gould to turn up at the SGC and do nothing for over day, especially considering SG1's little outing to the surface last night."
"It is possible that this person seeks the address for the Alpha site, General, or is gathering some other form of intelligence for the Goa'uld or another alien race," Teal'c suggested.
"True, but your current assignment wasn't even on the cards until a couple of days ago. It also doesn't explain how they switched the real Jack O'Neill with this one." General Hammond sighed heavily. "I don't suppose you've taken a scan of the Colonel's brain waves in the last day, have you Doctor? Or a scan for parasites?"
"I'm afraid not, General – but we do have scans from less than a fortnight ago on file. We'd have to bring him back to the SGC though, the Alpha site doesn't have that equipment yet."
"We are also unaware of how long this intruder has been within our midst," the former First Prime pointed out. "He may have replaced the real ColonelO'Neill while on Earth, or on Hemuset's world."
"But why would he bring attention to himself now, and in such an obvious manner?" Dr Fraiser argued. "It's not like he was stealing anything at the time, nor firing on anyone." She hesitated a moment. "Did you say that he claims to have no memory of the last day and a half on Earth, Teal'c?"
"That is correct." The Jaffa paused. "I must also admit that I have felt that O'Neill was not as… sarcastic… as usual over the last day, however I had believed this to be a side effect of his injury. Many warriors become depressed when they are kek – crippled – even when the disability is temporary."
"And he's being more sarcastic now?" The doctor pressed.
"Indeed."
"Then this could be the real Colonel O'Neill – and whoever replaced him was the one with the sprained ankle…" Dr Fraiser's voice trailed off. "It does sound a little unlikely though. Sitting in a wheelchair and watching Star Wars isn't exactly what aliens visit Earth for. Either way this might have something to do with Daniel's mysterious visitor though."
"Hmm… well whatever has happened, we need to get to the bottom of it," General Hammond concluded. "You say that Col-… this man is currently being guarded and undergoing medical tests, Teal'c?"
"Yes, General Hammond."
"Very well, please ask Dr Raste to contact Dr Fraiser and myself as soon as those tests are finished. Dr Fraiser, I'd like you to have a word with Dr Jackson regarding SG1's visit to Hemuset's world and also his thoughts on the Colonel's recent behaviour. Captain Carter is due in my office shortly, so I will question her myself." There was a momentary pause while the General presumably ran through his remaining options. "The intruder will be placed in the holding cell until we decide what to do with him, and Teal'c – I'm afraid that I'm going to need you to continue with your assignment for the moment."
Teal'c paused for only a moment before agreeing. Others were equally or better able to continue this investigation, and the presence of an intruder at the SGC did not change the fact that new recruits required training. "I understand, General. Will you assign another officer to act as observer/examiner?"
"Not exactly, no," the General replied. "Major Pierce has set up CCTV in the forest and all the students will be wearing tracking beacons. He was going to provide yourself and Colonel O'Neill with that data to aid with the training the exercise, so I'll ask him to take on a dual role as observer. He can assist you with scoring, but I leave the final decision of who passes to you."
"I am honoured, General Hammond," Teal'c replied, bowing his head automatically. "We shall endeavour to act fairly."
"I'm sure you will. Speak to you later, Teal'c – SGC out."
The connection broke off and the wormhole vanished, leaving a confused Jaffa in its wake. He turned to see a group of five young people staring at him, and stood up straight. Did they number among his new students?
As he approached, the group stood to attention – although one young man was just a little more hesitant than his peers. A troublemaker, or worse, anti-Jaffa?
"Mr Teal'c, sir!" Another belted out – the highest ranking by the look of it, the remaining four being airmen and women – and saluted. The action was not followed by the remainder of the group.
Teal'c turned a stern face toward them, of the variety used by Bra'tac when neither pleased nor displeased. "At ease, Lieutenant – I am not a member of the Tau'ri military, however the title of 'sir' will be appropriate today. Why are you not preparing for the training exercise?"
"Erm, we were told to expect you by 0815… and since it's nearly 0845 we thought we'd –"
"Disobey your superiors and have a look around this top secret encampment?" Teal'c finished sharply. "Such conduct is not becoming of an officer, Lieutenant, however little experience you might have."
"Sir!" The young man flushed red at the slight, but did not protest as such.
Good, Teal'c thought. "Lieutenant, I have encountered unexpected business that has delayed our schedule, however we will begin shortly. You will all report back to the training arena and you, Lieutenant, will lead the entire group in stretching exercises."
The slack airman who had been so slow to acknowledge the Jaffa's presence earlier snorted. At least one other airman looked as though she was stifling a giggle.
"Do you have something to say, Airman?" Teal'c growled, facing the young man directly, their faces now mere inches apart. This… child… would need to learn manners if he was to succeed as a member of the SGC – let alone today.
"Uh, no sir – nothing." The words sounded nervous, but the boy's laughing eyes belied his tone.
Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back and marched along the short line, inspecting these recruits. They did not appear bad in the first instance, however if this one airman's unruly antics were copied by others – and it already appeared that some of his peers found him… funny… – then Teal'c's job would be that much harder. The big Jaffa stopped pacing and drew himself up to his full height, knowing that the combination of sheer physical presence and a dominating personality should impress the importance of his words upon all but the most idiotic of beings.
"You may convey to the other recruits that you will all be assessed in a running exercise this morning, with obstacles and several distractions. There will be further strategic training following this, then a live fire exercise in the afternoon – all personnel will wear Kevlar armour, and you will all be carrying MP5s loaded with rubber bullets. I will be your sole opponent, carrying a zat'n'ktel."
Teal'c paused for effect, glaring at the ill-mannered airman who looked half-way to crying 'no fair!'. When no such comment was made – though conflicting emotions were evident on the young man's face – he continued.
"This afternoon's portion of the training will be a pass/fail exercise. Among other penalties, being hit by the zat'n'ktel once will stun you and twice will mean almost certain failure. Either will be a painful experience, not merely a simulation. The SGC needs soldiers, not timewasters, and those who do not meet the required standard will find it hard to gain a place on guard duty, let alone as a member of one of the SG teams. Is that understood?!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" The five cried out.
He passed his eyes over them all one last time, in the hope that all would see the logic of imparting his seriousness to the rest of the recruits. "Move out."
Teal'c's eyes followed the group as they quick-marched back to the central training area, then decided to speak with Major Pierce before heading to the medical centre. If the recruits were confused by the delay, it was likely that the Major was also – particularly since General Hammond had left it up to him to contact the man directly.
"MajorPierce!" He hailed as he entered the signals tent. "I greet you."
"Teal'c, welcome back to the Alpha site," the Major met him with a handshake. "It's obvious that something's going on, but the Marine Lt Johnson sent me wasn't exactly forthcoming on details – would you mind filling me in?"
As Major Pierce was the current commanding officer of the Alpha site, Teal'c obliged by passing on all relevant information. It was necessary that he knew of the potential security risk within his jurisdiction, particularly since General Hammond had not yet indicated whether "Colonel O'Neill" was to be removed to the SGC's own holding cells. The man's face became longer as he absorbed the news, and when Teal'c was done he sat down heavily.
"Well of all the things… You get used to the unexpected here – hell, I still get a shock when I see two moons in the sky – but Colonel O'Neill under guard has to be one of the weirdest so far. I really hope this works out… somehow."
"As do I, MajorPierce," Teal'c agreed. "However GeneralHammond's orders are clear. Will you be able to assist me in the manner that he has requested?"
"Of course – like he said, I was meant to be monitoring the camera feeds anyway, and I can shuffle some other work into next week if need be." Pierce chuckled, then sighed. "O'Neill and I have similar feelings about paperwork, though if this place gets any bigger I'll be swamped with it."
Teal'c bowed his head, empathising. While it was not yet clear what had happened to Colonel O'Neill, it was likely that the SGC's enemies were somehow behind it – and none of them were particularly kind toward captive Tau'ri.
"Will you use the observation post, as O'Neill had planned?" he asked.
"No, I wouldn't have thought so," Major Pierce shook his head. "I'll need to flick around the CCTV network and monitor the tracking beacons in case some of them are faulty. I'd rather find that out this morning than later on when we'll really need them. Normally I'd leave all that to Senior Airman Bosworth here, but with the current situation I'd rather patch calls between the doctor and General Hammond myself – I can also take down orders for our next move if necessary. He's had field experience himself, so Bosworth can keep an eye on things as Colonel O'Neill would have done. You can't be everywhere at once, and some of those kids need a wake-up call."
Teal'c nodded his assent. "I agree – I have already met a young Airman named Petro–"
"Petrovich," Major Pierce completed the sentence. "Yeh, we'll have to watch out for him – he thinks he's God's gift."
"God's gift?"
"He thinks very highly of himself," Pierce explained. "Likes the sound of his own voice and seems to believe he's funny. Personally I think he's played one too many computer games – he aces every simulation, but has yet to prove that he can actually shoot straight with a real weapon."
Teal'c frowned. These computer games seemed to be a big problem. "He shall have his chance this afternoon."
"Gotcha," Major Pierce nodded. "So I guess you'd like me to look in on the nuggets while you say bye-bye to our mystery guest?"
The Jaffa raised an eyebrow at Major Pierce's choice of words, but bowed his assent. "I shall not be long."
The pair of them walked out of the tent and parted company, Pierce slapping Teal'c on the back with a wink before jogging toward the training area. Teal'c reflected on the fact that despite not knowing him very well, Major Pierce was as open toward him as he was all individuals – at least until he was crossed, at which point he might bear a grudge for several years. Teal'c found this odd, but not unlike certain Jaffa with whom he had served. He also decided that it was better to stay on Major Pierce's good side, as his amicable nature meant that he was friends with most SGC personnel – and there were already too many who still distrusted Teal'c for his origins.
Teal'c made his way to the Alpha site's medical centre (and sole permanent structure), nodding to the two Marines on duty as he entered, and noting the presence of four others closer to the tree line. Inside he realised that the already small facility was now crowded, at least in part, with Dr Raste and two nurses working hurriedly while two Marines lounged upon a pair of gurneys.
Lt. Johnson jumped off his seat and rushed to salute the Jaffa. "Sir, tests are nearly finished as requested and the suspect remains under guard. How should we proceed?"
"Yeh, what's next T?" came the wry voice of the supposed Colonel Jack O'Neill. "A trip on the ferris wheel to see if I still barf the same way?"
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "You are to place this man in the holding cell and maintain a suitable watch. Further orders will be coming from GeneralHammond via MajorPierce."
"Sir!"
Teal'c nodded and made his way closer to Dr Raste and her patient, bowing slightly as he introduced himself. "I do not believe we have met, doctor. I am Teal'c."
"Yeh, it means 'strength'. See, I knew that…" 'O'Neill' muttered.
"Meghna Raste –" the doctor raised her hands. "Sorry, I'm in the middle of all this so forgive me for not shaking hands or saluting. Interesting patient you've brought me here."
"Indeed," Teal'c smiled slightly. "Are the tests progressing well?"
"They are," she affirmed, grabbing an alcohol wipe and unwrapping a sterile needle. "Apart from his knees, this man is in surprisingly good health for his age. In fact, after I've taken one more blood sample you can get him out of my way."
"Why are all female doctors obsessed with jabbing me full of needles, goddamnit!"
"Probably because you enjoy it so much," Dr Raste retorted, completing her work with a relieved sigh. "There's no sign of an ankle injury, by the way."
"Lt. Johnson?" Teal'c called.
"Ready and waiting sir, the men are lined to accompany this gentleman to his new home," the Marine reported.
"Yay me…" their captive commented, clearly not impressed. "Y'know, I can see why some aliens see us as unfriendly. Where's the red carpet, the cheerful bedside manner?"
Teal'c frowned, filing his observations for later review. This man did appear extremely similar to the O'Neill he knew, however the unusual nature of his ankle's recovery was now certain. At some point, O'Neill had been replaced by an apparently seamless copy – and it was not yet clear whether this man was the clone or the original.
"Who are you and what is your mission?" He addressed the prisoner, unwilling to name him O'Neill.
"T, I already told you – I don't know! And my current mission to get as far away from from Dr Raste and her precious tests! But yes, I do know the protocol so I will try to sit this out until someone figures out what's happened. Which I'm sure will involve even more poking and prodding and other supposedly healthy forms of torture…" the man finished in a resigned tone, then glared at Teal'c. "I just want to know how that bastard replaced me so easily, and why you guys were taken in!"
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "I too wish to know how Colonel O'Neill was replaced."
"Yeh, but you still think I'm the copy," the captive asserted derisively. "Come back when you believe me T, because until then we don't have much to talk about."
As the Marines led their prisoner away, Teal'c glanced in their direction and quashed his uneasy thoughts. He passed on Dr Raste's orders to contact Dr Fraiser as soon as her report was complete, then jogged over to his recruits, praying all the while that this technology to mimic others so precisely did not truly exist, for if it did… it would be an extremely dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. And why did he feel like he was missing something?