Chapter Nine
Jack
The pain was so intense. It was ebbing over me in waves. It did not come from any injury I might have sustained, that I'm sure. No this was different. It was more like an open wound in my soul. Every emotion that I had through my life was spilling forth, beginning to swirl around in a cyclonic fashion with me as its center. Faces and places were merging as debris within the storm. Instead of the Ol' Ms Gultch on her bicycle, it was the asshole from Iraq leering at me, along with the fear, humiliation, anger and rage that I felt at that time.
The pain varied according to the concentration from the debris that came forth. As each one bombarded my senses the storm around me intensified.
With every onslaught of the manifestations, I tried to fight for control of the emotions, but the pain radiating through my mind and body was like surging electrical currents causing me to arch my back with the anguish. I cried out to no one, for I'm alone in my suffering.
Every new face, some without names, came another assault on my soul, some more powerful than others.
No sense of time was noticed. I flowed in and out through it all as if the winds buffeted me around. One time I am in High School hidden behind book selves in the library. The next I was facing Baal. The tempest swelled to engulf me. I began to see more of Jack O'Neill's life, my life, but I noticed that it was not warped by the horror of the monstrous experiences or the atrocities of others. No my life had faired well. I began to notice the family that I have surrounded myself. Their faces evoked the love I have for them. Diminishing the force of the deluge of my psychic storm. There still was pain...pain that only love could bring. The love for a son taken so early in life, the love for a wife I pushed away, love of friends I feared I would not be able to protect, and love that is unrequited.
With the love and faces of those associated with it, I began to experience something strange but familiar. The faces began to morph into others, but I know they are the same people.
No, not the same people, but same souls.
Yes, that was it, but how?
As I watched I started to understand, they were my friends and family from past lives.
Now, I'm not one to believe in such things. But the knowledge is there within me. I know. As each life I led passes by another replaces it. They are increasing in speed, chronologically moving back in to time.
I do not know how I'm able to keep up with it all but I do and I'm beginning to see.
It is not just Jack O'Neill's life that brought me here but also the life of my soul.
As this revelation hits, the storm stops abruptly.
"Mercurio," whispered a soft singsong voice that was spoken from everywhere but nowhere. I turned to see who it was but I saw no one.
"Who is there?" I asked. I know I did not imagine it.
I looked around me again but all I saw was the palest blue everywhere. No horizon. No clouds. No grass. No nothing. Just blue. It almost felt as if I was suspended in the middle of all it.
Then, in front of me, I began to perceive a hint of a haze. It started to thicken and swirl in a mass of white smoke, condensing to form a shape of a small being. There was a head, shoulders, arms, torso, and legs. But it was different than a human, as I knew it, because it also had what appeared to be wings.
Yeah, wings.
I watched as its face came into focus. The face of an angel, that was all I could come up with for a description of the being in front of me. There was a glow surrounding it as if energy was radiating from every pore of its body. This being seemed similar to the Nox in coloring, with the blues and lavender jump suit it was wearing. The hair was white and fluffy like a halo of clouds. The wings were of the same color and texture as its hair. It stood no higher than 5 feet and its body was thin and fragile looking as an Asgard's.
I looked closer to its face and saw eyes looking back of deepest ebony with multiple pinpoints of sparkling lights within. It was like looking through a window into the Universe.
"Mercurio," said the being before me. But the mouth did not move.
"Who are you?" I asked
"I am Parcae," she said. I assumed it was a she for the softly spoken words in my head gives me the feeling of a gentle touch of a female.
"Who is Mercurio?" I enquired.
"You are," answered Parcae.
"Ah!" I said. That explained everything. NOT.
"Your sole is one of the oldies in this galaxy. You are also the fated one, the one that had walked this path before and was not as successful the first time. Do you not remember?" she asked.
I do not know how I comprehended it all, but I just looked at her and gazed into her eyes and saw the truth. I was the one that helped bring the Tok'ra into being, but I was also the one that brought the plague of the Ancients. Forced my ancestors to take the next step into our evolution. But I chose to stay and try to correct the mistake with the new Claviger and by the path of reincarnation. I was able to mingle with the second evolution of humans on earth to help blend the genetics to create the next Key. Me.
I was not alone. I had a group of supporters that decided to go with me. Plus I had my soul mate with me as well...yeah...Sam. She has been with me from the start.
You probably wondering why she does not have the Ancient gene, well it's because of the ratio of Humans to Anceints over the 1000's of years. It's like playing Roulette. A very small number will have the gene. Lucky me.
"I remember and also understand," I said.
"Then you know that there is still a part missing," she coached.
Flashes of memory breezed by us, ruffling my hair. A face...my face...but not my face at all, it was Mini Me, Jon. The clone of me that the Asgard Loki created when he stole my ass to experiment on me, the clone I have begun to accept as my son.
The genius. Yeah, Jon decided to go a different route than I did. He decided to become a 'Scientist'. Go figure.
"Yes. He is needed to be here as well," Parcae said.
"How?" I asked perplexed.
"Reach out with your mind and search that which is familiar," she said.
"Yes...I..."
"How many do you feel?"
"I...wow! There are a lot out there. I feel everyone," I said with amazement.
"Good. Now, narrow it down to finding a piece of yourself."
"There are two?" I asked questioningly.
"Yes. One is Tilly. The other is..."
"Mini Me."
"Yes. If that is what you call him. Concentrate on him. Reach out with your mind and merge with his."
I did just as she said and mentally stretched out and touch Jon's mind. "Jon!" I called and felt a response. Weak at first, then like a jolt of lightening we were together within a column of white light facing each other.
"Whoa! Ah, what's going on?" Jon asked. "You're not ascending are you?"
"Let me share with you what I have learned," I said as I reached out to place my hand to the side of his head. Jon's body stiffened at the touch and became catatonic as I showed him everything that I experience through my 'brain storm'.
Hammond
I had no idea where Jack was; Jon was in the hospital; SG1 was missing as well; and the alpha site was over run by the Edorains. Oh, and they were on my case about a missing little girl as well. I was on the verge of wondering if it will get worse when I caught myself before I jinxed it.
I had gotten to the Hospital just after Jon and was waiting for the doctor to come and tell me what is wrong with Jon. I had always hated waiting. Over the eight plus years I had to do it a lot especially with SG1.
Just as I was about to get up to check on the Doctor he came through the door to the waiting room.
"General Hammond?" the doctor said as he reached for my hand to shake.
"Yes. What can you tell me?"
"I'm Doctor Jeff Weber," he stated. "I'll try to make this as succinct as possible. We have no idea what is going on with Jon. He is experiencing something similar to a coma, but it is not a true comatose state. We did a brain scan and there is a huge amount of brain activity. More than the average person that is not in a coma."
"Is he stable enough to transfer?" I asked.
"Transfer? Why? Where? This hospital is more than adequate for helping Jon. Well, when we know more of what is going on with him. Plus, we would need General O'Neill's permission for the transfer anywhere." Dr. Weber declared.
I was about to answer him when Dr. Brightman from the SGC finally arrived to handle Jon's case. She had been delayed at the infirmary earlier with SG7. "Dr. Brightman here will be taking over the case and please fill her in on Jon's condition. The Air Force is taking over this case," I said as I held my hand up to forestall the retort. "This is not negotiable. Now, I need to see Jon."
"Yes, sir. This way Doctor...General." said Dr. Weber as he waved his arm to the door and nodded his head at each of us when addressed.
As I walked in I saw Jon's body stretched out on the bed with wires and tubes coming out from everywhere. I went closer to the bed and reached for his hand that did not have any obstructions and held it. The Doctors did not leave yet. Dr. Weber was explaining everything to Dr. Brightman. I was rubbing my thumb over the back of his hand when I felt his hand give a tingle, like static electricity. I dropped it quickly and stepped back.
"What is it General?" Dr. Brightman asked.
"I don't know. It felt like a static shock," I stammered. Before anything else could be said Jon's body began to glow with an aura of blue light. His body started to arch up of the bed and the glow became more powerful. Then there was an eruption of light and energy that waved out and threw all of us to the ground. When we regained our senses and got to our feet we saw only the empty bed with all the wires and the tubes lying there. Fluids where staining the sheets from the IV and catheter, all of this was eluminated by the emergency lights that came on with the sudden power outage.
Sam
I am confused and disoriented. I hate that. I do not like not knowing about everything. It is something I have always strived to control. That is why I have always tried to seek the answers for everything. It gives me that control.
I looked around to see where I am. I saw nothing but darkness everywhere. For the life of me, I do not remember how I had gotten there. Nor could I remember what had happening before.
"Sam?" came a voice from the dark. "Sam?" It spoke again. It sounded like a child.
"Who is there?" I asked. Hoping a shred of memory would surface.
"It's me, Tilly. Do you not remember?" the voice sounded hesitant. Then in front of me the out line of a little girl formed. As she became more solid my memory started to filter back. "Tilly?" I stammered. "Where...are we?" I asked like she would know. Well she did come back from being with Jack. She just might have a better idea than I.
"I don't know. One minute I'm telling you about what happened to Daddy and me, the next I'm here," throwing her small arms out to the surrounding darkness. "Sam? I think I'm scared now."
I felt the same way. So I knelt down and held out my arms to bring her in for a hug. "So am I, Tilly. So am I."
"Do you feel something?" Tilly was shivering in my arms and trying to burrow deeper into the hug I had her in.
"No. Only you right now. We will be alright." I tried to comfort her. Pulling her out a little to see her face. "It will be alright. We just need to stay together and we can work this out. O.K.?" I reached up to push a strand of hair from her eyes.
"O.K., but there is something here with us," Tilly whispered.
"How do you know?" holding her a little closer.
"I...I feel...him," as she continued to shake.
"Ssssh. I've got you." I rocked her back and forth to comfort her.
"I see why Daddy loves you."
"What?" I looked at Tilly to see her face.
"Daddy never told me. I peeked into his mind. I was curious about his feelings about my mother. I just want to see if she was in his heart. But I did not see mom there, I saw you. In fact that is why...I...ah...
"What? Why you what?"
He is here," she said as she ducked her head into my shoulder.
"Who?"
Laughter filled the gloom. A cloaked and hooded figure appeared in front of us.
"Anubis!" Standing up and moving back away from him while still clutching Tilly. "What do you want?"
Laughter rained again and he pointed to us and said, "You will be my guaranteed against O'Neill. He laughed one more time and left.
"Great! This is just great!"
Jacob
Thor had just placed Sammy and Tilly into a stasis pod when an alarm went off on his console.
"What is it?" I had asked.
"Baal's ship is dropping out of hyperspace," Thor had informed us.
"Are you able to retrieve Daniel/Jackson?" Teal'c asked as he proceeded to the console from the stasis. Thor continued to move his jeweled controls around on his console and then a bright light appeared near us.
"Hi, guys. Ahm, what's going on?" he asked after spotting Sam and Tilly.
"Welcome back Daniel/Jackson. We do not know what is happening yet, other than...
As Teal'c explained everything that occurred since he was gone, I moved over to speak with Thor about Sam and Jack's daughter.
"I'm sorry Jacob Carter, but I do not understand what is ailing them. All of the vitals are within the norm of human physiology. The only thing that is puzzling is their cerebral cortex utilization is very low, almost non-existent. This explains the comatose state they appear to be in. As to why I do not know," he had shaken his head as he showed the confused status of his mind in regards to their condition.
Teal'c and Daniel moved over and heard Thor's conclusion to his statement.
"Thor, do you know about the Claviger? I know what Teal'c had told me and he mentioned what Lya had said, but what, or more importantly, how is it supposed to 'help' the Goa'uld?" he asked while using an O'Neillism with the finger quotation marks for emphasis on the word help.
It had always amazed me how Jack could be such an influence on so many people, including my daughter. I turned to look at her and wished there was something Selmak or I could do, besides waiting. Just as I was starting to refocus back to Thor, another one of those waves hit again. This one seemed more powerful then all of the others put together. It left me breathless in its wake.
"Dam! That was strong!" exclaimed Daniel.
"Indeed!"
"What is it, anyway?" I asked. Knowing I was probably not going to get an answer.
Right then a glow materialized three beings next to Thor. One was Lya of the Nox. As to the others I did not know. However, Daniel was able to provide an answer to the identity to one of the others.
"Oma! Lya! Ah...what is going on? Please tell us." pleaded Daniel.
"Hello Daniel, Teal'c and Jacob." said Lya with a serene smile and a nod.
"Daniel," Oma said in a way of greeting. "Let me introduce everyone to Parcae. She is here to represent the Firlings." she motioned with an arm towards the winged being beside her. "She has been in contact with O'Neill and will be able to provide a few of your answers.