But she's here!
Chapter 6: Proving reality
Jack sat in a chair on the opposite side of the desk from General Landry. Dr. Lam was sitting beside him. Daniel was leaning against the wall near the door and Teal'c was standing tall behind Jack's chair. Cameron paced the room.
"So what can we do to help her understand this is real?" Daniel searched the room for a face holding an answer. No one immediately spoke up.
"Could we not bring her brother or Cassandra to see her?" Teal'c offered the suggestion in his standard monotone. Jack's eyes widened and he smiled, but Dr. Lam instantly began to shake her head.
"I'm afraid there isn't much we can do to convince her that this is real. She believes someone is using the information within her brain to construct a false reality. There isn't anything we know about her that she doesn't have in her brain that we could use to convince her this is real."
Jack frowned. It scared him that he'd followed her logic. "I see your point. That means there isn't anything we can do to convince her."
"I didn't say that. It will take time, possibly a lot of time but Colonel Carter will slowly begin to accept this is real. I recommend that she continue to see a psychiatrist for the time being."
"Oh, she'll love that." Jack smirked, allowing the sarcasm to fill the room. "She's going to wish this wasn't real." He leaned back in his chair and shook his head.
"You aren't going to make her stay locked in the mountain until she accepts this as reality are you?" Daniel pushed off the wall and stepped towards General Landry as he spoke.
"No, of course not, Dr. Jackson. Colonel Carter is to have full access in the SGC restored immediately. I will decide when she can leave the mountain in a couple of days." The General examined the long faces in the room and wished he had a better answer for them.
--
Sam's first stop after being released from the infirmary was her lab. She slid the door open and stood gazing at the computers and her lab bench. Her laptop was closed and lying on the bench. The picture of Cassie was beside her CD player. Sam stepped in and ran her hand over all the familiar items. She searched for something out of place and finally she found it. Her in box was on the wrong corner of the lab bench. Sam gripped the edge of the bench and stared at the mesh box that was the first evidence she had that everything she was living wasn't real.
"Carter? Are you ok?" Jack stood in the doorway and watched Sam staring at her bench. He'd seen a moment of either panic or resentment cross her face, and it scared him. He didn't want to lose her, and he wasn't even sure who he was fighting against to keep her.
"This isn't right."
"What isn't right?" Jack stepped into the room, but allowed Sam to maintain her personal space.
"My in box. It sits on that corner of the table. It's in the wrong place."
Jack nodded. "And that's how you're going to determine if this is reality."
Sam's face erupted in anger. "That's all I've ever had! A clock in the wrong place, a picture sitting on a different table, a phone not where I left it, being sent on a mission alone and knowing it didn't feel right but not being able to voice it. It's the small stuff. It's always the small stuff." Sam voice trailed off to a whisper.
"You've been gone a long time and people have been in your lab looking for things. If you'd like I can check and see if things were moved."
Sam shook her head. "An explanation won't help. There were always explanations."
"Ooookaaaay. How about we go get something to eat? Commissary food isn't great, but I hear it gets worse when they carry it down to the infirmary." Jack forced himself to smile as she glanced in his direction.
"Sure. I guess the others will join us?"
"Probably."
--
Sam picked up her tray and walked through the line. She took the mashed potatoes, beef stew, and peas without much reaction. The last item she picked up was her usual cup of blue jello. She saw Daniel sitting across from Cameron and Teal'c, so she headed in that direction.
"May I join you?" Sam hesitated as she stood beside Daniel.
"You need not ask, Colonel Carter. You are always welcome at our table." Teal'c smiled at her.
"Thanks." Sam sat down beside Daniel whose face lit up with a beaming smile.
"It's fantastic to have you back." He bumped his shoulder into hers. "We really missed you."
"I missed you guys too." Sam picked up her spoon and dipped it into the blue jello. She slowly moved the spoon from the cup to her mouth. The guys shared looks as they watched her. Sam was a creature of routine, and she always saved her jello for last. This change was making the guys nervous. Sam stared at the jello, but didn't open her mouth.
Jack broke the tension. "Doesn't it look right?"
Sam glanced over at him and then realized all four men were watching her. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little concerned it won't taste right."
"Oh?" Cameron's confusion played across his face. What possible relevance could the taste of jello play?
"If it doesn't taste right, then I'll know."
"So if it does taste right? Does that mean everything real?" Daniel questioned.
Sam glanced at Daniel and shook her head. "I wish it was that simple, Daniel."
Daniel reached out for her hand. "So do we."
"Now eat that jello, and let's get on with lunch before this slop gets cold." Jack pushed some of his peas into the mashed potatoes and began to stir. Sam tentatively placed the jello in her mouth. Her eyes closed and she savored the taste.
"So?" Sam looked over at Cameron.
"It's just as I remember it."
Cameron smiled at her words, but Daniel and Jack frowned as they glanced at one another. They understood her phrasing and although they hadn't lost this battle, they also hadn't won.
--
"She's been working in her lab for three days without any problems. She interacts with SG-1 and the lab techs just fine. There isn't any reason to keep her trapped in here."
"I understand your point, Jack, but we both know she hasn't yet accepted this as her reality."
"That could take years. How long is she going to be a prisoner?" Jack sat forward.
"She's not a prisoner, Jack. Please calm down."
"Sorry, Hank, but this is driving her insane." Jack saw Hank hide a smirk. "Bad choice of words. What if she came back to Washington with me?"
"Jack?"
"Ok, it's a stretch I know, but there's things she can do at the Pentagon, and I'd be able to look after her."
"True, but do you think she'd go for it?"
"You're not letting her off world any time soon are you?"
Hank hesitated and looked out the large window that separated his office from the briefing room. "I don't think it's safe to let her go off world until she has accepted this as reality."
"I agree, and until that happens, she needs to be contributing. She can't stay here watching her friends and teammates going off world while passively working in her lab. It's just not who she is…she won't come back to us that way."
"And she would in Washington?"
Jack shook his head. "I honestly don't know."
"Don't you think it's about time we include her in this decision?"
"Probably."
Hank reached out to press the intercom button when the red light began to flash.
"Unscheduled off world activation. Unscheduled off world activation."
Hank pulled away from the button and stood. "Let's go see what we've got." Jack trailed along behind him, still deep in thought over Sam.
Hanks and Jack stood behind Walter. "There's still no IDC, sir."
"Keep the iris closed."
"Yes, sir."
All eyes were drawn to the gate when a very short man walked through the iris as if it were not even there. The guards raised their weapons, waiting for an order to fire.
General Landry grabbed the microphone. "Who are you?"
Before General Landry finished speaking all of the armaments in the gateroom disappeared and reappeared as a pile in the far corner. The security forces were looking around them, confused and angered by the sudden loss of their weapons. Jack had seen this trick before and he hurried down the steps, followed closely by General Landry.
"I am pleased to meet you both. I have come in search of the newling birther recently returned to your care."
Jack and Hank looked at each other in confusion. Hank stepped forward. "Do you mean Colonel Carter?"
"Is this how you refer to it?"
"It?" Jack stepped up beside Hank. The little man smiled and looked around the gateroom. "This room appears just as we saw in its mind. You newlings have done well in a short time by acquiring the skills necessary to control travel through the gate, but we are concerned about your lack of understanding about the importance of reproducing. I have been sent as an emissary to work with you." The little man bowed.
"Please follow me. We can sit and discuss…things." Hank led the little man up the stairs to the briefing room. Walter paged all the members of SG-1.
Sam stopped in the entrance. Teal'c stood behind her, giving her a bit of strength. She stepped into the briefing room and took her seat. It took them less then five minutes to congregate around the oval table.
"Ok, Mister…"
"You may call me Brin." The little man's head barely came above the table. Jack was working hard to not laugh at the sight before him.
"Mr. Brin, why have you come here today, and why did you kidnap Colonel Carter?"
"It was an extraordinary specimen. We learned a great deal through our studies. It is because of what we learned that we have come to you today. Normally when we finish with a specimen and release it, we do not follow up by visiting, but things are different this time." The serious small man looked at all the people around the room as he paused.
"Based on our research we fear you are all in danger of ceasing to exist, and we can not allow this to happen."
Hank shook his head. "What did you discover that you think will impact or existence?"
"Your choice to not bear young. Several hundreds of years ago, we along with three other races designed a biological weapon to end the existence of a powerful and dangerous common foe. It worked, but there were consequences we had not expected. Within three generations all four races found a significant decline in live births. Our scientists determined the biological weapon that wiped our enemy was eliminating our ability to reproduce." The small man looked down at his hands under the table as he paused. No one interrupted him.
"The old ones chose to seek a different existence where reproduction was no longer necessary. The Asgard turned to cloning, where their consciousness is placed in an empty shell of a body. The Nox create new individuals using artificial reproductive methods. We have also been using artificial reproductive methods but like the Asgard we are running out of variety in our code. If we do not find a solution soon our existence will end. We thought you were our answer."
"Why us?" Jack placed his hands on the table and leaned far forward, so he could see the little man's whole face.
"You are the descendents of the old ones. We hoped to find in you an answer to how the old ones created you. The specimen has not been affected by the weapon and this gave us hope until we discovered the specimen has not borne any young."
Sam blushed at his description of her. "She wasn't thrilled about being discussed as a specimen, and didn't think her reproductive choices should be open for debate."
"But Sam is only one individual. You can't judge us all by one person." Daniel jumped to the defense of Sam and all earthlings.
"We have not. In its mind we found memories of others who had also decided not reproduce. We also quickly scanned the minds of the two seed bearers. We applaud that you believe in having one lifelong mate, but the prevention of reproduction while you test potential mates, and the rules you maintain preventing mates from reproducing, could potentially lead you to the same end as your forefathers. I am here to warn you and instruct you on how to prevent this from happening." The little man placed his hands flat on the top of the table as he ended his speech.
Daniel stood up and walked over to the sergeant in the corner. He whispered in his ear. The man exited the room quickly. Daniel returned to his seat. "With your permission, sir, I'd like to share our population data with Mr. Brin."
"That may be appropriate once we get to know each other better. Mr. Brin, you spoke of the Asgard and Nox. Does your race know them well?" General Landry wasn't willing to share too much until he knew more.
"As I said we formed an alliance with them to defend ourselves against a powerful enemy. Our relationship lasted until the old ones left. We are still in communication with the Nox and Asgard, although we are not as close as before."
"You're the Furlings!" Daniel bounced in his chair as the answer spilled from his mouth.
"That is indeed what the others called us." The little man smiled.
"And you kidnapped Carter why again?" Jack still wasn't comfortable with their visitor.
"We have long remained hidden from potential enemies and those who would exploit our technology, but our diminishing genetic variability has forced us to study other races. Because you so closely resembled the old ones, we were desperate to learn more about you without risking our security. The only way to do that was to take one of you without your knowledge. We picked the birther to study long term because we are most interested in reproduction."
"Yeah, we get you're a bit preoccupied with…" Jack was interrupted by Hank.
"How did you convince the other members of SG-1 that Colonel Carter left of her own accord?" General Landry wasn't sure what Jack was getting ready say but he did know whatever it was it wouldn't have helped the situation.
"We have technology that allows us to scan brain patterns as well as create new patterns. Once we finished studying the seed bearers, we placed memories of the birther in their minds and released them. We were more interested in the anatomy of the birther's incubator. The additional time allowed us to determine the birther had mated several times, but chosen to not bear young because the mate it wants is not accessible." Everyone tried to avoid looking at Sam, but slowly their eyes drifted in her direction. Sam stiffened and sat up straight in her chair.
The sergeant broke the tension when he walked over to Daniel and handed him some papers. "Sir, I have some information I'd like to share with Mr. Brin."
The General was glad to have an excuse to look away from Sam's suffering. He waved his hand towards Daniel. "Please do, Daniel. I think we could all use a diversion."
Sam sucked in a big breath. "The US population, that's just our country, is just under three hundred million. The world population is over six billion. It is estimated to exceed seven billion in six or seven years. As you can see, if we have a reproduction crisis it's not because there are too few of us." Daniel laid the paper down on the table and looked at the diminutive alien.
"That is impressive. We were not aware of this information. Is it not commonly known among your people?" The alien glanced in Sam's direction.
Daniel coughed. "There are some among us who know these numbers and I'm sure if you had probed Sam's mind far enough you would have found some indication." Sam grunted and frowned at his suggestion.
"I assure you we probed deeply into its mind. We found it left one of its mates because the seed bearer was violent." Jack's head swiveled in Sam's direction as the alien spoke. Sam got a shade paler. She gripped the edge of the table.
"There were other mates who lived far away or did not suit its needs. It fought us as we waded through its thoughts about the seed bearer with whom it most desires to bear young."
"Enough. First of all I'm not an 'it'! You can also stop talking about me like I'm not here! And third, stop talking about my private life as if it was any of your business!" Sam was standing and panting. She suddenly realized what she had done. She was yelling at an alien in the briefing room surrounded by her teammates and two Generals. She turned to General Landry. "I'm sorry sir. I just…couldn't take it any longer."
"That is perfectly understandable, Colonel." The General focused on the alien again. "If you hadn't put a stop to this discussion, I was going to."
"I am sorry if you are offended. It was not intended." The alien looked so darn innocent it made Sam feel wretched.
"All cultures have social taboos. We highly value our individuality and privacy." Daniel smiled at the little man.
"I see. We picked up some hints of this desire, but we did not realize it was so strong. I apologize. I would like to find a way to continue to study your people, in the hopes a cure for the disease could be found."
Jack and Landry exchanged glances. Jack was the first to speak. "You said you knew the Asgard."
"Yes." The little man smiled.
"I think they've been studying us for years. It might be best to ask them what they have learned before you go and repeat all the same work."
The little man touched his chin and nodded. "You are very wise. After we speak with the Asgard perhaps you would consent to be scanned."
"Not a chance." Jack shook his head and frowned.
--
Daniel smiled as he dialed Jack's cell.
"O'Neill."
"Hey, Jack. It's Daniel."
"What can I do for you?"
Daniel was glad Jack sounded like his mood had improved since the earlier meeting. "Are you going to be in town for a couple of days?"
"Planning on it. Why?"
"How about dinner tonight?"
"Just us?" Jack used a high falsetto voice just to annoy Daniel.
"Be serious, Jack."
"Dinner sounds fine."
"Seven at Giovannis?"
"1900 it is." Jack smiled as Daniel groaned and hung up.
--
"Hey, Sam." Daniel strolled into Sam's lab. "How's it going?"
"I'm fine, Daniel. I promise. There's no need to worry about me."
"That's good." Daniel wandered around her lab bench. "I thought maybe dinner would be good tonight."
"I don't know…I've got a lot to catch up on after being gone for so long."
"It's nothing that can't wait another night if it's waited this long." Daniel gave Sam his best puppy dog eyes. Daniel watched her face soften and knew he'd won the battle. "Good! Giovanni's at 7:00!" Daniel fled the lab before Sam could refuse.
--
Sam walked up to the hostess and smiled. "I'm meeting friends."
"Name?"
"Jackson."
"You're party has already arrived. Vanessa will show you to your table."
Sam glanced at her watch. She was a few minutes early. She was surprised Daniel hadn't made it before her. Vanessa led her to a small booth. She saw the short gray hair as she approached. He heard her steps. Their eyes met and they smiled. Sam slid across the bench seat across from Jack.
"Good evening, sir. I guess we arrived first."
"Seems that way. I just got here a minute ago."
The waitress arrived and asked for a drink order. They both ordered lemonade. She left them. Jack played with his napkins.
"So how've you been?"
"Ok, considering my love life became part of today's briefing."
"Yeah, that was…unusual. Good thing they didn't pick on Daniel. That would have been really boring." Sam grinned. Jack was pleased he'd gotten a smile out of her.
"Do you think this table's a little small for the four of us?"
Jack nodded. "I've been thinking the same thing."
The waitress returned with their drinks. "Are you ready to order?"
"We're waiting on friends." Jack smiled up at the waitress.
"Oh, I didn't realize. Your reservation was for two. I can have you moved to a larger table if you'd like."
Jack looked over at Sam. Her mouth was slightly open and she was smiling.
"Did Daniel invite you also?" Sam kept smiling.
"Yeah, I'm getting the feeling we've been set up." Jack looked up at the waitress. "Please give us a minute."
"Certainly." Sam and Jack both watched the waitress as she walked away.
"I should probably leave, sir." Sam placed her hands palms down on the table. Jack reached across the table and placed his left hand on her right.
"Why?"
"You know why." Sam looked down at their hands, but she didn't pull away.
"Tell me anyway."
Sam sighed and shook her head. "What do you want me to say?"
"Just tell me why you're so reluctant to do this." Jack kept his eyes on her face.
Sam turned to look out the window. "For the same reason as you, we're still technically in the same chain of command."
Jack nodded. "That's not my reason." He squeezed her hand.
She swiveled her head in Jack's direction and tilted it to one side. The question was written on her face, but she voiced it any way. "It's not? What is?"
Jack looked down at the table and took a deep breath. "I worry more about hurting or losing you."
Sam stared at him. The waitress returned. Jack looked up at her and awkwardly smiled. "We still need a few minutes."
She gave him a puzzled look but back away. "Of course, sir." He watched her join two other waitresses and begin talking as she glanced back at him.
"I'm not easily scared."
Jack turned back to Sam. Her face was soft and glowing. He smiled and began to relax. He rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand. "No, I guess you're not."
"So what are we saying?" Sam's eyes locked with Jack's as she spoke.
"How about we start with dinner and see what happens?"
Sam nodded. "I think I can handle that."
Jack gave Sam's hand a final squeeze and let go so he could motion for the perplexed waitress. They ordered dinner and sat silently for a moment. Jack began to fidget. Sam reached back out for his hand. He watched her slender fingers glide over his palm.
"Does this feel real?" Jack looked up at Sam as he spoke.
Sam smiled and ran her fingers lightly over the inside of his wrist. "Yes, and if it isn't, I'd be happy to keep dreaming." She rewarded him with a huge grin. He responded in kind, resulting in a giggle from his dinner mate. Jack shook his head and kept smiling.