Name: Better Ways To Self Destruct (aka 'Politics...Oy')
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Summary: And now, the conclusion…
Notes: Warning, this chapter is more than twice as long as any other part of this story. So settle down in front of your screen, and prepare yourself for the finale. (Epilogue to follow.)
Feedback: I'm hoping there are still people out there reading this, so review if you are! Come on, you know you want to.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG1 and the characters are the property of MGM. There is no infringement intended and no profit made.
-Part 11-
Better Ways
"Carter?"
"Still here, sir."
"I know. Whatcha doing?"
About an hour had passed since Sam had arrived back at their guest room. She had promptly told O'Neill about Matthew's denial of the situation and admitted they were no closer to finding a way to contact the other half of their team. Jack had encouraged her to keep looking for a way but told her she should rest a while first.
"I'm looking through the schematics of the technology the Triyans want help with," she explained, moving back and forth across Jack's gradually improving field of vision. "I think they're hoping I can lend a hand with fixing it. All of it."
"And can you?" Jack enquired.
"Well actually, sir, I think I can."
"Why so surprised, Carter?"
She paused for a moment in thought. "I suppose I'd been expecting their technology to be way in advance of our own," Sam told him. "I thought it would be unlike anything we've come across in the past -- after all, there's no evidence of Goa'uld interference here -- but their technology is incredibly similar to that of Earth. A few decades ahead of us, maybe, but even their weaponry seems to be projectile."
"They have guns?"
"Like ours," Carter nodded, "yes sir. And this gravity field generator -- they call it an alternator -- it's really not that far removed from the developments NASA have been making in their research. The war here was a catalyst for some incredible technological advancements."
"Cool," said Jack, wondering if they would be able to persuade Cain to let them 'borrow' the schematics currently in Carter's hands. He could imagine himself floating weightlessly through the SGC with a mini gravity alternator strapped to his chest.
"Now the thing I don't get," Sam was saying, pacing again, "is why it's all so different from the remains of the city near the Gate. Whilst the Triyans are using electricity and mechanical engineering, the Dueteri were using nuclear power and energy weapons."
"How do you even know that?" Jack asked, looking at her through the haze of his eyes. "The place was a pile of rubble."
"Colonel, the residual radiation showed a lot of nuclear activity there at one time. The scale of the destruction just confirms it - there was evidence of a massive chain reaction."
Jack frowned at her. "I thought you said they were all poisoned?"
"Yes sir," Sam agreed, "but the city itself was destroyed by a massive power overload."
"And yet you didn't mention this while we were there?"
"With respect, sir, I thought there was enough devastation to be getting on with, without dragging out the reasons."
There was a pause but Jack didn't allow it develop, pushing on with, "Alright, but how can you tell what kind of weapons they used?"
Carter had an answer for that, too. "The device that transported us here -- it used a beam, an energy weapon."
"Of course it did," Jack sighed, both exasperated and enamoured by her unceasing logic. "Okay, so what does this all mean in real terms?"
"Well, sir, it shows a divergence in technology uncharacteristic of cultures cohabiting the same planet. It's not like they were isolated from each other, either." Sam paused; then (to Jack's vague irritation) began to move again. "I just don't understand how two cultures of the same race can be at the same level of advancement but with technologies that are so totally different."
"We'll ask Daniel when we get home," Jack replied, waving the perplexity away. "Sit down, will you? All I can see is this blur of you pacing back and forth -- it's making me edgy."
"Sorry, sir."
He rolled his eyes at her apology but she didn't seem to notice, sitting down beside him closer than he had been expecting. He had no desire to question her proximity, however; so they sat, shoulder-to-shoulder in a room suspended over nothing. In his mind, Jack O'Neill had already fallen.
----------------
It took Daniel and Sarai about fifteen minutes to reach the co-ordinates they had been given. Teal'c stood waiting with his staff weapon gripped tightly in one hand; Ailah smiled proudly beside him.
"Ailah!" Sarai called as they came into sight. "What are you doing, out here in the bad air?"
"Exploring," Ailah beamed. "I wanted to show Teal'c my discovery."
"Discovery?" asked Daniel.
Teal'c confirmed: "Indeed. I believe it may be important to our plight, Daniel Jackson."
"This way!" Ailah called, having already started to make her way along the over-grown trail further into the trees. Teal'c took up his staff weapon and strode after her; Daniel glanced at Sarai and they followed.
The foliage grew thicker as they walked. Ailah ducked easily beneath the low branches but the others experienced more difficulty. Teal'c's staff weapon kept the leaves at bay until at last they emerged in a small clearing. In front of them stood a pillar, tall and weathered and covered in vines.
Daniel circled it, a small frown line appearing at the centre of his brow.
"Sarai, have you ever seen anything like this before?" he asked, pausing in front of the stone again.
"I do not recognise its form," she said, "but the writings are familiar to me."
"Yeah," said Daniel. "Me too."
Sarai stepped forward beside him as he brushed aside a layer of the vine and traced the engraved runes.
"What is the significance to these writings?" Teal'c prompted.
"They're Norse," Daniel replied: "Teal'c… I think these are Asgard."
"Asgard?" Sarai repeated the strange word uneasily. "Is this a bad thing, Daniel?"
"Oh no," Daniel replied, flashing a smile. "The Asgard are a technologically advanced alien race who know a lot about us humans. Trust me, they're some of the good guys."
"Valuable allies," agreed Teal'c, though his tone was heavier than Daniel's. "However, it appears they are no longer here to help us in our current dilemma. This stone appears to be very old."
"Well, you're right about that," Daniel nodded, turning to face the pillar once again. "Still, it must be here for a reason… Sarai, where do you know these writings from?"
"The museum," Sarai replied. "There were stones, I catalogued them when I volunteered to work there in my youth."
"Baldri," Ailah suddenly said.
"Baldri?" asked Daniel. "What's that?"
"Baldri, the hero of all the old tales," Ailah replied. "Nathan says that in those days they wrote with sticks, on stones."
"She speaks of old Dueteri legend," Sarai added. "Is it of meaning to you?"
"Baldri," Daniel echoed. "Baldri… The Norse god Baldr! Yes! Baldr, the gentle god, the god of peace!"
"What happened to this Baldr?" enquired Teal'c, tilting his head slightly at his friend's sudden enthusiasm.
"In Norse mythology Baldr was accidentally killed by Hoth. Hoth was blind and Loki misled him; afterwards Loki was apprehended by Thor."
"This sounds familiar," Sarai told them. "Though the names are strange, the story is the same. Years ago, my grandparents used to tell me these stories. They believed that our decline into war began when Baldri died."
"That would make sense," Daniel nodded. "No-one to keep a close eye on the planet and its two human settlements, no-one to persuade them not to start acting against their rivals."
"Could this legend be in fact the true events of Asgard politics?" Teal'c asked.
"Why not?" was Daniel's immediate response. "We know that the real Loki fell out of favour with Thor. If there was a fire fight in which the Asgard Hoth was seeking guidance from Loki, things could easily have gone wrong. Even if that didn't happen, Baldr might have been called back to the Asgard's home galaxy; for all we know, the legend was started to explain the absence of Baldr from an active presence on our two planets."
"But Baldr is gone," Sarai said; "what can this mean for us now?"
"It means we can contact the Asgard and tell them what's happened," Daniel explained earnestly. "They can clean up your atmosphere and you can carry on living here. They might even been able to help with your genetic diseases."
Sarai's face was lit with a hope she had not felt in an age. With renewed strength she scooped her granddaughter up in her arms and smiled at the ancient pillar of stone before her. The old gods were here to answer their prayers once again.
---------------
Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter had been sitting in relative silence for going on half an hour. It was a companionable silence in which Sam worked and Jack dozed; O'Neill had found that the more he slept, the easier it became to see. At last Sam checked her watch and decided to wake him for treatment. He grunted when she spoke his name and grumbled when she nudged him, but a few minutes later they were in silence again, Jack rubbing ointment onto his eyes as Sam continued her research.
They both looked up as the door opened.
"Cain," said Sam, rising to her feet.
"Major Carter," he greeted; "Colonel. How are you feeling?"
"Oh, y'know," Jack said, offering up a false smile. "Blind."
Sam glanced at him but his smile didn't falter. Until now he had refused to use such a strong word for his condition. It seemed that with the promise of fully restored vision, Jack was willing to play to his temporary disability.
"Cain?" Sam asked, reading his expression with a frown. "What's wrong?"
"It seems one of our scientists has found out about our government's pollution of the plains," he told them after closing the door. "They are accusing me of spreading discord amongst the people."
"Um," said Sam. "No… that was me."
Cain sighed. "No matter, I suppose. It is better the people know. Unfortunately, they have been convinced by officials that it is no more than vicious rumour. I fear all chances of stopping the pollution are now gone."
"Then we're going to have to pull them back," Jack responded, rising unsteadily from the floor. "Ya see, Cain, there's something we didn't tell you before."
"We came through the Stargate with two other people," Sam explained; "the other half of our team. There's a very good chance they're on the plains looking for us, but we have no way of warning them about the toxins."
Cain opened his mouth to speak but Jack interrupted him with a raised hand calling for quiet. He listened intently. "Or maybe we do."
Fingers tracing the walls for balance, O'Neill made his way out of the door; Carter and Cain followed quickly, and a moment later the three of them stood together outside.
Jack glanced at Sam. "You hear that, Carter?"
She concentrated for a moment, then looked back at him, wide-eyed. "That sounds like a UAV." She shielded her eyes against the bright mountain sunlight and followed the sound. Suddenly she pointed to the sky, and a small winged craft as it came into view.
"There it is, Colonel!"
"I'll have to take your word on that, Major," Jack answered with a grin. He picked up his radio and spoke into it: "SGC, this is SG-1, come in." A pause. "SGC, this is O'Neill. Daniel, Teal'c, can you here me?"
"Jack!"
"Daniel! Way to go with the UAV, buddy!"
"Thanks, but you should be thanking Teal'c. Where are you?"
"The device sent us to a mountain settlement. Don't worry, we're fine. Well, Carter's fine." He threw her a resentful glance. "Anyway, listen, you have to get out of there."
"It's alright," Daniel replied, "we know that the air's full of toxins, but look, we found evidence that this used to be an Asgard-protected planet. We're hoping we can contact them for help."
This time it was Sam who replied. "There's no time for that, Daniel," she said. "As soon as the winds change, you'll be completely bombarded by the poisonous gases. You have to get back to the SGC."
A pause. Then: "We can't leave these people here."
"People?" asked Jack. "What do you mean, people?"
"The Dueteri," Daniel replied. "They're living in caves but they'll die out if they stay here."
At this revelation Jack was ready to turn on Cain and demand to know what the hell was going on, but Cain had gone very white. Shakily, he reached for the ground and sat down on the step.
"How long?" Jack asked him. Cain looked at him, dazed, but Jack pressed: "How long until the winds change?"
"Half a day," he said. "Maybe less."
"You hear that, Daniel? You've got less than half a day to get those people out. If they don't want to go, then I am ordering you to evacuate. Do you read? I am ordering you to get your butts back to the SGC."
"It's not as simple as that," Daniel protested.
"Daniel…"
"No, Jack, listen to me! There's a barrier protecting the Gate. We can't get through. The only reason the UAV managed it was because Teal'c found a way to take out one section of its weaponry."
"Barrier?" Sam asked Cain. He nodded, still pale.
"A treaty was made," he said, "a treaty I helped to forge. Before the war we had one last go at peace. We built a barrier to protect both sides of the border. It can only be disabled by consensus."
"Can we do it?" Jack wanted to know. "Can we find a way to deactivate it?"
"I believe so. They must find their control panel, as must we. Theirs will be located where the barrier ends."
"Daniel, did you get that?" Jack asked into the radio. When Daniel confirmed it, he said, "We'll do our best. You do yours."
"That's the plan," Daniel replied. "What about you guys?"
"We'll follow if we can," Jack said, "but don't wait around for us. Your priority is to get yourselves out."
--------------
Back in the clearing, Daniel gave Jack a brief word of acknowledgement before turning to Sarai.
"Do you know about this control panel?" he asked, noting the renewed fear in her eyes with a wave of compassion.
"It's in the city," she said. "I'll show you."
It didn't take them long to get there. Ailah somehow managed to hitch a ride on Teal'c's shoulders, much to Daniel's amusement. The Jaffa gave the simple explanation of, "The child may otherwise slow our pace," and Daniel had to hide his grin behind a serious nod.
They slowed as the ruined city walls came into view. Teal'c bent down to allow Ailah to slide off his back; Sarai took the girl by the hand and said, "This is the place our people once lived. This is the city of the old tales."
Ailah's young eyes travelled solemnly over the scene of destruction ahead of her. The city she had so often dreamed about did not stand shining and resplendent, but blackened and crumbling, blanketed by thick, black smoke. The barrier sliced through the heart of the place, severing it in two.
"I wanted you to see this before we left," Sarai whispered to her granddaughter, quiet pain moving her tone of voice. "You see, Ailah, we are going far away from our homeland. We are going to a new world."
"A better world?"
"A better world," Sarai smiled, a dash of sadness in her eyes. "Go, now. You must tell all our family of what you have learnt. You must describe to your friends what you have seen here and persuade them to come with us to the new and better world."
Ailah nodded with open understanding of the enormity of her task. Teal'c knelt close to her and said, "I will accompany you, Ailah." The girl placed a hand on his arm in thanks; and when she climbed once more onto the Jaffa's shoulders, the spectacle had shed its humour for a heartbreaking display of poignancy.
"Good luck," said Daniel. Teal'c bowed his head, and they left.
O'Neill's first order was to gather their packs. Cain stood by, unspeaking, as the two military members of SG-1 shouldered their gear. Then they turned to him with an expectant look and he said,
"We did not believe that any had survived. We did not think it possible. There was no retaliating strike, no crippling response that I, at least, had expected." He shook his head. "They had alien technologies from a race that had visited long before our arrival on here. The Triyan people are relatively new to this world. We think our ancestors fled from another planet through the Stargate, but we have since forgotten how to use it."
"Lucky old universe," Jack muttered.
"Yes," Cain agreed, his tone turning bitter; "the universe is fortunate indeed that my people are unable to wreak such destruction elsewhere. I was ambassador to the Dueteri. I loved them as my own people. I left behind a wife and an unborn child when the war began, returning here in hope of deterring the full assault. But the Triyan are a selfish race: they would not listen."
Sam dropped her head a moment and Jack found himself drawn in by her sympathy.
"Cain," he said, stepping forward toward the old man and laying a hand on his shoulder. "I know this is tough for you… but if we don't act now, that fate you were scared of? It's going to hit those people again. This time you can make a difference. This time you can save them. We'll take them to another world where they will be safe - but to do that we need to deactivate the barrier. Can you help us with that?"
Cain squared his shoulders with new-found resolve. "I can," he said, and beckoned them outside, where he led them quickly towards the manufacturing quarter. Sam followed closely but Jack was having more difficulty, all the time feeling as though he were peering through a fine mist.
"The master controls are under strict guard," Cain told them. "Even if we get into the chamber, I doubt we'll get out."
"Why not?" asked Jack, but the other two had stopped abruptly. He drew to a halt beside them and heard a voice answer,
"Without the correct codes, the room will be sealed and gas released as soon as the control settings are altered."
"Matthew," said Cain and Sam together. Jack cocked his head to one side.
"Matty," he called to the blurry figure ahead, "heard so much about you. Sadly, squealing to your superiors about us really isn't an option this time."
Sam glanced over at him and saw his right hand, loose at his side, hovering discretely near his zat.
"Colonel," she said quickly, "maybe he can help."
"Help, Carter?"
"Yes sir. He might know how best to get us inside."
"Or he might even know the codes," replied Matthew, gazing at them levelly. "I'm offering to take the barrier down."
"Why?" asked Jack. Cain answered for him.
"Because he knows." He took a step towards the other man and surveyed him closer. "He knows what is at stake."
"Cain is right," Matthew sighed. "Major Carter, when you told me about the pollution, I didn't believe you. But I'm a scientist. When I don't believe something, I run my own tests, do my own research to verify that opinion. I found that you were right -- and more than that, there was evidence that some of the Dueteri may have evacuated before the final strike."
He let that sink in, then continued, "I know how to take down the barrier. More than that, I know how to sabotage the systems to make sure it stays down. You can get to a transporter before the government find out what I've done. You can get out of here."
"How do we know you won't just toddle off to one of your government officials?" Jack demanded, eyeing Matthew suspiciously as his outline became gradually clearer.
"You don't," Matthew replied, "but I can't see any other way for this to work -- can you?"
Jack sighed and removed his cap, running weary fingers through greying hair. "Cain? Do you trust him?"
Cain nodded slowly. "I believe him to be a good man."
"Alright," Jack nodded, tugging his hat back onto his head. "That's settled, then."
Sam looked between them and warned: "It's a big risk, sir."
"I know, Carter," Jack replied. "That's why I'm going with him."
"Colonel…" Sam began, turning more fully towards him in appeal. Her face came into focus and Jack fixed her in his gaze.
"Carter. Go with Cain. Meet Daniel and Teal'c and get out of here."
"Colonel," Carter repeated, "you're still injured. If what Matthew says it right, it's going to take some doing to get in and out in one piece. You can't run if you can't see where you're headed. We have to get that barrier down. If I go, I can give Matthew any military or scientific back-up he needs."
O'Neill considered this with tight-lipped resentment. He hated decisions like this. He didn't want to risk Carter's life, and he didn't need to see her properly to know she understood that. But she was right. For the success of the mission, she would have to go.
"Alright." His nod was reluctant. "You better get going, we don't have much time."
--------------
Daniel and Sarai had found and deactivated the barrier switch with haste. Now, as they made their way back toward the caves, they found themselves subject to a mounting sense of anxiety. Sarai, who had finally begun to understand the imperative need for evacuation, showed all the signs of intense worry; Daniel could only sympathise.
It was something of a surprise when they caught sight of her people on the ridge.
They were gathered in a clearing not far from the caves, murmuring uneasily amongst themselves. The ridge upon which they stood overlooked the road -- the barrier still stood, resolute and forbidding. In the distance, the Stargate was waiting.
"What's going on?" wondered Daniel aloud as they approached. Sarai shook her head, before Ailah came into sight.
"Look -- my granddaughter speaks."
The drew closer and Daniel saw that she was right. Ailah had climbed to the lower branches of a leaning fir tree, standing now with one arm looped over the branch above as she addressed her people. She was telling them of their need to flee, and Daniel was struck by the conviction on her face as she spoke. Teal'c remained near, his strong presence directing attention to the small girl.
Daniel stepped away from the scene as he heard Jack's voice calling him through the radio.
"Daniel, come in."
"I hear you, Jack. What's going on?"
"Carter's gone to get the barrier down from this side. I've just beamed down with a guy that helped us out, I'm just on the other side of the barrier. Are you ready to move?"
"Not yet."
"Daniel!"
"I know, Jack. We'll be ready, but until the barrier is deactivated, it's not going to really matter."
----------------
Carter was unsure whether she would be heard through the yells and rapid zat-fire, but she shouted anyway.
"Matthew! What's taking so long?"
"I'm sorry, Major! They've added more security measures!"
Sam could think of a thousand and one snide remarks to counter that excuse, and suddenly came to understand how Colonel O'Neill felt when she was fiddling with technology under fire. She threw herself against the opposite wall as plaster exploded near her ear; cursing, she shoved her zat back into its holster and grabbed her P-90.
Phasers set to kill, Mr. Spock.
Oh boy.
Colonel O'Neill often said she should spend an hour in his boots, but that really was going too far.
She propelled herself back to her previous position and opened fire. The first man she hit went down with a yell of surprise, and as his blood hit the blank wall behind Carter had to remind herself that sometimes killing was a necessary means to survival.
------------
Jack had been trying to look relaxed. Hands in pockets, jaw set, expression neutral. He had even managed to resist the urge to check his watch. Standing with Cain on a ridge above the barrier, his gaze travelled across the gully, discerning shapes and varying colours. In the distance, between the trees, shadows moved. He could have sworn they were people.
"You're anxious," Cain observed. Jack tossed him a look, but it lasted only a moment; he sighed and said,
"Yeah. Aren't you?"
"Yes," Cain nodded, and with a sly grin added: "I'm just better at concealing it than you are."
"Yeah, well…" His response was interrupted by a loud, mechanical grinding in the cutting beneath. "What's that?" The ground shuddered underneath their feet and Cain had to grip Jack's arm to stay upright; at the same moment, a blast of air hit them with force and bitter taste.
"Look!" Cain called above the rising wind. Jack followed his gaze and allowed himself the slightest moment of elation as the barrier began to retract into the open road.
There was growing alarm as the gathered Dueteri felt the ground tremble. Sarai, however, didn't hesitate; accompanied by Ailah and a few others Daniel assumed to be her family, she hurried out of the trees to the edge of the ridge. The others followed.
They were confronted by the sight some had hoped for and many had feared: the disappearance of their last protection. Two figures stood triumphantly across the cutting.
"O'Neill!" Teal'c called.
"Teal'c, buddy," Jack replied via the radio. "Good to …see… you." He frowned a moment at the slight inaccuracy of the verb, then gave a big wave. "We'll meet you down by the road. Bring those people, if they're coming home with us."
Teal'c turned to the Dueteri, who were filtering hesitantly out of the trees.
"You cannot deny your need for assistance," he told them. "Come with us."
"We can help you," Daniel added. "You can see for yourself that the barrier can't protect you anymore."
"And look!" Yosef exclaimed, pointing wide-eyed toward the horizon. "The wind brings clouds of poison! We must go!"
Somehow they managed to persuade the panicked group down to the road, where now the grass lay deadened. Having witnessed their only defence disappear before their eyes, they found themselves being grateful for some direction; but as they gathered their wits, their grumbling resumed.
"Well," said Jack as Daniel and Teal'c approached, "some people aren't happy to see us."
"Yeah…" Daniel replied with a grimace. "We haven't quite managed to convince them to come with us yet."
"Time's up, Danny," Jack told him with a stern look. "See the black cloud over there? Well, you may as well call it the black death, because that's what we're going to be in about fifteen minutes: dead."
Daniel opened his mouth to respond -- but before he could, a cry went up from within the crowd. They turned to see Sarai bursting forward, tears flowing through the lines in her wrinkled cheeks; and Cain stood, stunned, tears welling up in his own eyes, until he hurried forward into a long-missed embrace.
"His wife," Jack murmured. "He said he left his wife and unborn child behind because of the war."
Daniel gazed at the elderly couple a moment, soaking in their joy; then he turned back to O'Neill.
"Please, Jack, give them one more chance. If they don't want to go after this, then we'll leave."
"Make it snappy," was Jack's serious reply, gesturing Teal'c over to activate the Stargate. "You've got as long as it takes Teal'c to dial home."
Daniel nodded and stepped forward, calling for attention. One by one the Dueteri turned to him and listened to his final address.
It was the same as they had heard half a dozen times before and though Daniel's appeal was heartfelt and eloquent, they remained torn between the threat they knew and the life they didn't. The first to move forward towards the Gate were Sarai's family, led by Ailah; Yosef strode confidently after them, followed by a few of his friends.
The Stargate activated.
"Go on through, Teal'c," Jack called. "Tell Hammond he'll be receiving some refugees."
Teal'c nodded and disappeared through the wormhole. Jack turned to Daniel. "Get these folks to the Gate and send them through."
Daniel considered arguing, but a glance up at the sky told him it would be better not to. So instead he ushered the willing few up to the waiting ring. With words of smiling reassurance, he set them on their way to safety.
The rest of the crowd was moving hesitantly towards the Stargate. Some broke away from the protection of their number and took the risk of running straight into the event horizon, beckoned by Daniel.
"You see that?" Jack called to the rest. He was pointing to the sky, to the oncoming clouds and choking wind. "That leaves you with two options. Run or die." He looked around the group, clouded eyes bearing down upon their fearful reservations. "You're scared of going to a new world? Yeah, I understand that. But let's face it, guys, it can't be much worse than the situation you've got for yourselves here. We've got to go."
More murmuring and hushed discussion. Jack rolled his eyes and sprinted up passed the DHD to Daniel.
"Get back to the SGC, Daniel."
"Jack--"
"That's an order. I'm not having you choke to death for these people."
He thought briefly of pushing the philanthropic linguist through, but by the time he had decided in favour of it, Daniel had already gone.
"Last chance!" he yelled to the remaining Dueteri. "Time's up."
"Brothers!" someone cried. "Sisters! What other choice do we have?"
It worked. At last the people hurried forward, bumping into each other in their haste. The air was growing blacker. If Carter didn't turn up soon…
"Colonel!"
"That's the way, Major!" he found himself muttering as Sam seemed to answer his silent prayer.
Jack didn't let himself feel the relief -- not yet. He couldn't see her properly, but he could hear her voice more clearly than ever, even through the vicious wind. A second later she was beside him, blood staining her fatigues, and he caught her by the shoulder.
"Carter! Y'alright?"
"Yes sir. Matthew stayed to give me a safe passage out. I was worried it hadn't worked."
"No, Carter, it worked fine. Get yourself home."
"Yes sir."
He watched her through tainted vision as she paused to encourage a nervous family as they gazed at the fluctuating event horizon. They stepped through with her, and were gone.
Jack turned and saw the cloud was almost upon them. He beckoned the few Dueteri that were left towards the Gate, and they moved hesitantly towards him. They stopped, but Jack's deadline had been met.
"Trust me," he shouted over the growing gale, "there are better ways to self destruct than this! I'll show 'em to you once we get back -- but for now, let's go!"
And as the air began to close around his windpipe, he turned, and stepped through.
A/N: Now onto the Epilogue! -wink-