Getting nearer to the grand finale! Hope you like this chapter too? Thanks for all your reviews, and please continue to R & R – pretty please?

Danger Zone.

By Lingren.

Previously:-

There was a gasp of fright and Andrews, though deeply shocked at the sudden change, was quick enough to catch Sharon when she fainted.

Chapter 26

Sam removed the device quickly, stepping over to help Andrews. Sharon groaned, coming round already, though she glanced around the room looking for the Colonel.

Sam handed her a glass of water, hoping it would help and Sharon took it gratefully, her hands trembling from the shock as she sipped the cool liquid.

"I don't understand. How did you do that?" she gasped looking accusingly at Sam.

"It's not me. It's the alien device. We call it a mimic device because it creates a..." she broke off with a grin. She could almost hear Jack saying 'Ack! Carter. In English, and in one syllable words please!' "a perfect illusion of the person downloaded into it's memory," she finished with a smile.

"Are there others like it?" Andrews asked still reeling from the effect himself.

"Yes, there are. There were many more but they were destroyed in the resultant explosion."

"Was there one of you?" Sharon asked timidly.

"No. For reasons I can't go into, the process didn't work on me. Sorry." Sam sighed. There was no way she was going to explain about Jolinar, and besides it wasn't necessary for this. Need to know only. There's no trick. It's real. Mr. Andrews would you like to try this?"

Sam offered him the device which Andrews took, frowning down at the device as he examined it. He stood up and copied Sam's actions, by placing it under his shirt. Immediately he changed into the Colonel.

Sharon gasped again though luckily she didn't faint this time. She looked at Sam, realisation dawning in her face.

"So it wasn't the same Colonel O'Neill I'd met before?"

"Well that's partially true. The real Colonel O'Neill was kidnapped along with you and they did drug him. But the person who raped you wasn't him. The Colonel O'Neill I know would never have done that to you Sharon. He is by all accounts an officer and a gentleman; a more honourable man I've yet to meet. He would like, if you are willing, to apologise to you in person, now that you can see he wasn't the person responsible for your ordeal. Will you see him?"

Sharon looked at Andrews who suddenly found himself speechless, still gaping at the device he'd now taken it off in wonder.

"How can I be sure it wasn't him though?" she quavered with uncertainty. "That it was this device?"

"Will you let him explain to you about what happened to him? I think you need this as much as he does."

"Okay then," Sharon sighed in resignation, not looking forward to meeting Jack again.

Sam patted her shoulder and walked to the door. She met Jack pacing the floor of the corridor outside. He looked like a small boy about to face the Principal for bad behaviour.

"Colonel, Sharon's agreed to see you now," she called. Jack nodded and stepped in through the door, his eyes locking with Sam's for a moment. She nodded and smiled, saying with her own eyes that it would be okay.

"You want me to stay Sharon?" Sam asked knowing that she probably would welcome another woman in the room.

Sharon nodded, her eyes glued to the tall figure of the Colonel in uncertainty. She gulped nervously.

Sam stood beside her, her hand resting on the back of the chair.

"Miss Lloyd," Jack said, sitting on the edge of the desk, trying to relax and ignoring the Lawyer altogether, his eyes downcast, but looking at the young woman from under his long lashes. He was tense, but wouldn't reveal that fact to his audience.

"Colonel O'Neill," Sharon whispered, her voice tight and constricted by the lump in her throat.

"I take it that Major Carter has explained everything to you?" he asked, knowing that Sam would have done her best to go through the process with them.

Sharon nodded but remained silent, her eyes looking warily up at him.

"Good. I have to tell you that I would in no way, ever have done that to you, you must know that," he said; his voice soft and earnest. I think you're a very sweet, very charming young woman, and that I'm really, really sorry that you were dragged into this conspiracy..."

"Why did they do it? Why did they want to hurt you? Why me?" she cried plaintively, finding her voice at last.

Jack sighed wearily and scrubbed a hand through his hair, dragging it down his care-worn face.

"Because, I guess, I've trodden on too many toes while I've been here. There's a certain Senator, who shall remain nameless, that doesn't like me very much and would like nothing more than an excuse to shut this programme down, and would love to see me taken down a peg or two in the process and preferably kicked out of the Air Force altogether. Well, that's not gonna happen. We have the men now responsible, but unfortunately, we can't actually pin anything on the Senator. He's covered his tracks too well."

"So you're safe now? He won't try anything again will he?" Andrews asked, joining in the conversation. He didn't go much on being left out where his client was concerned.

"For the time being, until he figures it's safe enough and he has another damned scheme cooked up to have another go, then yeah," Jack sighed, pushing himself to his feet and shoving his hands into his pockets to pace a little.

"From my side of the coin," he continued. "I was drugged up so much I didn't know who I was or where I was. I vaguely remember you comforting me; and thanks for that by the way," he said, smiling tightly. "I only vaguely recall them taking me away the last time, after that I didn't know what they were going to do with you. I thought they were letting you go. In fact I'm pretty sure I actually begged them to release you. Ha!" he snorted in disbelief. "I was that stupid enough to believe they'd do it too. Anyway, I got dragged off to god knows where and they emptied a whole bottle of bourbon down me, literally, it was all over me. But, I was so out of it by then, I wasn't even sure I knew if I was sitting down or lying down. They shoved me out of a van. I don't recall how I got there, just them tossing me onto the road and driving off."

Jack paused, gathering his thoughts. It was still a little hazy after that but Sam had filled him in as best she could from the reports at the time.

Sharon was sitting there in shocked silence. She remembered being tied up in the back of a van only too well, then after she was raped a second time, she was unceremoniously dumped by the side of the road as well. It was sounding very much like Jack had suffered at their hands almost as much as she had. Her heart went out to him in sympathy, she had liked him, a lot, and couldn't really believe he would have raped her. Someone had really tried to disgrace him badly; they must have been desperate indeed.

"I can just about remember the cops picking me up from the side of the road, and arresting me for being drunk. They put me in the lock up, then all hell broke loose. I was set upon by a bunch of paid thugs. After that I was hospitalised, and that's when they suspected that I had driven the car they'd found smashed up against a tree, with my prints all over it and traces of your blood in the trunk." Jack paused again, reliving the nightmare was hard, and he knew it wouldn't be the last time he would have to tell the story. "With your evidence, it would have been enough to finish my career and put me behind bars for a very long time."

He walked to the opposite side of the desk and slumped into the chair, his head in his hands.

"That wasn't me Sharon. You've got to believe me, it wasn't me, I swear. I would never... never do that to you. You didn't deserve that and I'm truly sorry I got you dragged into this mess." He hadn't looked up from his position so he didn't see her rise from the chair and kneel down at his side. It surprised him a little when he saw her from the corner of his eye. She laid a hand on his arm.

"I believe you Jack. I found it hard to believe that such a person as nice as you could hurt me, now I'm sure it wasn't you. I'm sorry I blamed you for that. Please forgive me?" Fat tears rolled down Sharon's face and Jack felt the moisture gather behind his own. He stood, pulling her up too. He wiped his thumb across her cheek, drying her eyes. He leant down and kissed her forehead chastely, then smiled as he broke away, shoving his hands back into his pockets and going to stand beside Sam.

"Thank you!" he breathed. His voice was trembling with unaccustomed emotion and he swallowed hard past the lump obstructing his throat and cleared it noisily, trying to recover himself.

"Hey! I don't blame you. You wouldn't have known any different. To all intents and purposes that guy was...looked like me – he wore my face, but it wasn't the real me. Thanks for letting me explain all this, by the way; and for your...forgiveness?" he shrugged with a wan smile, then added as an afterthought. "It still doesn't stop me feeling guilty though!"

Sam looked up at him with raised eyebrows and wide eyes.

"What?" he said, questioning her evident surprise. "I do feel guilty," he pouted. That feeling would stay with him for years no doubt.

"Well with this new evidence, the court should reconsider the charges against you..." Andrews began, but Jack stopped him mid flow.

"Whoa! Hold on a minute! You can't tell them about this. This is top secret, remember. You signed on the dotted line. Sharon will have to drop the charges." Jack cried. How did this guy ever become a lawyer?

"I don't think so," Andrews declared. "You still have to prove you're innocent in a court of law! Miss Lloyd just can't accept your word for it," he said, standing up to face Jack.

"Oh fer cryin' out loud!" Jack cried in frustration. Lawyers! Any more arguments from this guy and was just about ready to take him out. Sam, gripped his arm before he could do anything rash. Instead he threw his hands into the air.

"It's okay Colonel O'Neill; I won't be pressing any charges against you. I'm dropping them in favour of accusing the other guy whoever he is."

Jack, Sam and Andrews gaped at Sharon.

Jack and Sam were more than grateful, while Andrews looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Jack didn't do it Martin. Of that I'm quite sure now."

His jaw wouldn't close, it seemed fixed open. With a huge effort he snapped it shut.

"Are you sure about this?" he said after he'd regained control over his vocal cords.

"Positively," she assured him with a serene smile. He had been so good with her over this business; patient, and kind, and understanding. "I now believe the Colonel is a man of integrity and honour. I should have believed in him before and followed my earlier assessment, though in the face of it, I could hardly be blamed for thinking what I did."

"Thank you," Sam and Jack said together. Jack blushing slightly; he didn't like being on the receiving end of such blatant admiration.

There was a knock on the door and Jack called out 'Come!'.

Teal'c entered the room, dipping his head to those present.

"O'Neill, Major Carter, Miss Lloyd, Martin Andrews," Teal'c rumbled.

"Great T! You're here. Sharon, Andrews, I'd like to introduce you to our friend Teal'c of Chulak," Jack said, relieved to have something different to deal with.

Teal'c bowed again gracefully.

"I am pleased to meet you," he said, his deep resonant voice filling the room.

"I'm not sure where Tuelak is?" Andrews queried. "Is that anywhere near Nigeria?"

Jack snorted, but kept control of himself, while Sam hid her smile behind her hand.

"Actually Chulak, spelt C.H.U.L.A.K, it a planet several thousand light years away," Sam told them, loving the reaction of surprised shock on Andrews' face. Sharon giggled and nodded to the Jaffa.

"So you're an alien then?" she asked with a smile.

"I am a Jaffa, but I am allied to the Tau'ri."

"What's a Jaffar? And what's a Toree?" she asked, stumbling over the strange words.

"A Jaffa is a warrior who serves the gods, false gods. A Tau'ri is the name for a person from the home world, what you would call yourselves," Teal'c informed them.

"Home World?"

"Earth. We believe that people from Earth were taken by aliens posing as gods and transplanted them elsewhere in order to populate other worlds, but they have now evolved into many different nations over the many hundreds of years since then. Some are friendly, some not."

"Wow! That's incredible!" Sharon gasped. "And you get to go there!" she sighed with longing. "I always thought there had to be life on other planets."

"Yes, well, now you know," Jack said feeling smug.

"Coffee anyone?" Sam said, cutting Jack off from any smart ass remark he was bound to make. Now would be a good time to end this meeting.

TBC