Chapter Five

Jacob

Stunned silence hung in the air while everyone tried to comprehend what had happened. Just for a few seconds anyway. Not until Teal'c and Carter realized that they were the ones with working weapons.

Carter stood up and dragged Daniel with her pointing her P90 at Baal. Teal'c gathered his feet under him as well and pulled out his spare 9mm. He started to carry one when they kept running into technology that affected his staff weapon. Jack had trained him in the use of the gun. Teal'c had gotten pretty accurate with it.

Teal'c put his back to Colonel Carter and aimed at the Jaffas behind them.

Daniel had realized the implications and brought his weapon up as well.

I was without a weapon, but this did not slow me down. I moved to retrieve the device from the ground and returned to stand with the others.

Before anyone could speak a word all individuals began to glow. My first thought was, 'Just our luck.' Because I knew it had to have been Baal's minions beaming us up. But once the light faded, Sam, Teal'c and I were standing on an Asgard ship starring at Thor.

"Thor! What? How?" Spoke a stunned Sam. As she got her bearings she realized someone was missing. "Where's Daniel?"

Thor was at his console moving his jewels around. "I am attempting to retrieve him. It is very difficult. I am unable to penetrate Baal's shield."

"He's on Baal's ship?" How did that happen?" Sam asked, frustration evident in her voice.

"It appears that we were both beaming at the same time. I was unable to obtain a lock on Daniel Jackson, while I was successful with you."

I placed the box on a console near me and then moved closer to Thor before I spoke, "Have they left the system yet?"

"No, but they are preparing their hyper drive as we speak."

The room was silent while Thor concentrated on his job at hand. When the ship moved into hyperspace, Thor looked back at the trio and explained the situation. "They are in hyperspace as are we. I am tracking them and trying to maintain a specific distance to appear as a shadow to their ship. They should not detect us."

"That is a good thing," said Sam echoing what one General would say. "But I have a ton of questions. The first is how did you know where we were and needed your help?"

"Claviger."

"What?"

"I have not heard this word before," stated Teal'c.

"That is the name of this device," Thor pointed to the device that I had set on the console near by.

I looked at it for a moment but it was Selmac who spoke, "We have heard of it."

"The Tok'ra?" asked Sam as moved closer to her dad/Selmac.

"There is a tell from when we became Tok'ra. It was the Claviger that helped us find our humanity." Selmac breathed in awe while staring at the device. "It was said that our Queen Egeria was cured of the evil from within," as he pointed to the box.

"But the device did not take a Goa'uld. It took Jack and Tilly. Why?" Demand Sam.

"...and Kanan," added Selmac.

"Kanan?" Sam asked "Jack?"

Thor looked back at us with big ebony eyes and blinked. He appeared to be trying to weigh his words before saying anything, but he had a question of his own, "Who is Tilly?"

"A six year old little girl that vanished just like General O'Neill," growled Sam. Her patience for the day's events was starting to ware thin.

After a very pregnant pause, Thor began to speak again, "O'Neill was the one that activated the Claviger first?"

"Yes," I replied calmly, belying my inner frustration of my own.

"This is most unusual. Most unusual, indeed." Thor said with a tilt to the head showing a state of thoughtfulness.

"I believe that the little girl is O'Neill's daughter," said a stoic Teal'c to the room at large.

"What?" asked a stunned Sam?

"Really?" I was surprised. This was all new to me.

"Yes," was all Teal'c had said.

"That would explain why this Tilly was caught by the device," observed Thor.

Sam looked back and forth from Thor to Teal'c. Then asked Teal'c, "How do you figure?"

"There are several incidents that I have observed today. First: she had a high interest in our group when we first arrived in the village; second: the similarity of her eyes to O'Neill's, along with some of her mannerisms; third: is something I felt when we first found her at the Tok'ra ship. I cannot explain it, but it was so strong that it had left no doubt in my mind that Tilly is O'Neill's daughter. The fourth and final is the length of time from when O'Neill and Laira were together coincides with the age of Tilly."

Sam digested this rather lengthy statement for a moment. Then turned to Thor. "Thor, with all due respect, you have yet to explain why the device in question made General O'Neill and the others disappear."

As things tend to follow Murphy's Law, especially on Mondays, this one was no exception. Sam still did not get her question answered for at that moment the air near us began to shimmer. When it cleared there stood Lya of the Nox.

"Lya!" the pleasure was evident in Sam's voice when she noticed Lya.

Lya was the epitome of serenity, with flowing pastel blue & lavender dress and her delicate face aglow with genuine peace and sprinkled with a gleam of tolerance. She gave them all a pleased smile and a nod. "It is good to see you Samantha," as she spoke with a quiet and calming voice. "But we have a situation in which we need your assistance."

"I'm sorry, but we have a situation of our own," stated apologetic Sam.

"Yes, exactly," Lya said with a tilt of her head and a look of concern in her eyes.

"You're talking about the same problem?" I interjected.

"Yes," replied Lya in a singsong voice.

"What can I do to help?" stated Sam.

"You can help save O'Neill and the others," said Lya.

"I do not understand how Colonel Carter can help O'Neill, Tilly and Kanan. The Claviger caused them to vanish. Is there away to retrieve them?"

Thor moved forward to explain, "Not just Samantha, you as well Teal'c, but not until the process is complete. It will take a considerable amount of energy to help them back when the time comes"

"I'm sorry, how can we help with that when you obviously are more equipped for that than I am?" Sam asked with a perplexed look furrowing her brow.

Lya moved to Sam and placed a hand on her arm to convey her meaning, "That is not the same energy we are talking about. The energy that is needed is the energy from your soul, Samantha, only it will help them get back."

No one in the room said anything, just stared at Thor and Lya.

"O.K.," I finally said while I clapped my hands together, "So, what is the Claviger doing to Jack, Kanan and Tilly?"

"The device is modifying their genetic composition. When the metamorphosis is complete they will be able to change the Goa'uld, but they will need your help to return to our reality. The way will be shown to you when the time comes."

"How long will all of this take?" asked Sam.

Thor answered, "It will take one year of your Earth time in their reality, but one day here."

"Oh, holly Hannah."

Jack

I came to with a headache the size of Texas and with a groan I raised my hand to my head. I could hear voices but it sounded like it was from a distance. I slowly opened my eyes to see what was going on. I became more alert when I saw the Jaffas and Baal as my memories came flooding back. The box did something to me, not sure if it was a good thing. Especially with the way his head hurts, but everyone seemed to be ignoring me. I just sat there and listened to what was happening.

Baal looked very upset and his eyes were doing that glowing thing. "Jaffa, take them outside." Baal turns to address his First Prime, "You stay in here and see if you can find O'Neill and see if you can get the communicator to work."

"Yes my Lord," as he bowed his head.

Daniel and Jacob were ushered out of the ship by the remaining Jaffa with Baal following behind. The first prime tried his communicator, "Jaffa, kree!" Nothing happened. Not even static. He then proceeded to walk around the room using his staff as a probe in front of him. Swinging it back and forth working his way around the room. As he got closer to me, I started to get up, still with a headache and somewhat unstable, I slowly slid up the wall until I was finally standing when the Jaffa came closer to me.

'He does not see me,' I thought. 'Hmm. I wonder?" as I stuck out my hand when the Jaffa went by and watched him pass right through it. 'Cool!' so I did it again and again. 'Real cool.'

I stopped to take inventory of myself. I felt solid, my headache was finally starting to subside, and the shoulder felt well, but there was one thing missing.

"Kanan!" I mentally shouted for the Tok'ra. No answer.

"Kanan!" I tried again.

This time there was an answer, but not from inside my head. "He is there but out of commission for now."

I whirled around to see...himself. "What the hell? Who are you?"

"I'm you."

"No your not."

"Yes I am."

"No! Your not."

"I am."

"Not."

"Am."

"Not."

"AM!"

"O.K.! O.K.! I get the picture. So what happened to Kanan?"

"He will be alright in a while. Just give him time to recover from the change."

"So...what is up with this?" I asked as I waved a hand back and forth between the two of us.

"You want details?"

"Yes! If you are really me you would know that."

"You normally just shove things like that back to me and I would have to deal with it."

"No I don't."

The double just starts laughing. "Yes, you do."

"Will you stop that and just tell me!"

"Jeez, just keep your pants on."

During the exchange the Jaffa had worked his way through the cargo bay and was coming back into the room. He moved over to the center console to retrieve the device.

"What did that thing do to me?" I asked while watching the Jaffa lift up the device to carry it out of the ship.

The double became serious and looked at me, "We're changing. I'm your subconscious. We will be changing on a cellular level by harmonics.

"O.K. stop right there. I don't talk like that."

"No, but I do. I'm the part of the brain that understands Carter & figured out the information from the Ancient downloads. Still remember everything too."

Just then a noise caught our attention at the doorway. The Jaffa had just stepped outside when the device started up again. We moved closer to see what was happening. I saw the beams swing around to concentrate on a little girl near Sam and Daniel. 'How did they get here?'

When the girl stopped glowing she collapsed to the ground unconscious. We both moved to help her.

I reached out to brush her hair away from her face. She was solid to the touch. She is very cute with brown hair that did not know which way to lie. I placed my hand on the side of her face and rubbed my thumb on her cheek.

I felt like I knew her, but from where? After a small sigh from her, I knew, it is the only thing that made since.

"You are correct. She is your daughter," my subconscious stated.

I leaned over and scooped her up into my arms to cradle her close to my heart. "Laira's?"

"Yes, and ours."

"She is so beautiful."

"Yes she is"

I beamed a smile at myself. "This is weird."

"Yea, it is. Did you look around you, by the way?"

I took the time to look up and saw the strangest scene I have ever seen. The people where all just suspended in mid air, thrown out by the blast when Tilly was captured by the device, frozen in time.

"What in the...heck happened?" as I stared at the suspended bodies.

"When the Claviger was activated a second time it pushed us further into a time dilation. We are moving at a greater rate of speed than they are."

"Wait? What? Claviger?" I stammered.

"The device that you started with the amulet is the Claviger. It is an Ancient word meaning the holder or bearer of the key," my subconscious so informed me.

"So, where is the key?" I ask after soaking in the information.

"We are The Key."

"When we're through changing will we get back to normal time?" I asked while gazing at Sam next to me.

I placed a hand out to touch her and watched it pass straight through. "Wow, still cool!"

Just then Tilly began to stir. I shifted to get a better look at her. She opened her eyes and looked at me and I saw the chocolate brown eyes start to twinkle when she noticed who was holding her.

"Daddy!" she yelled and threw her arms around my neck for her first hug.

TBC

Disclaimer: "Satrgate SG-1" and its characters are the property of MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp., Showtime/Viacom and USA Networks, Inc. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author(s), and may not be republished or archived elsewhere without the author's permission.