Part 1 - Fires of Revolution

Chapter 24 - What Am I?

Gwen woke up early the next morning. She looked over to Miles on the other side of the double bed. Some people would frown upon the pair sharing a bed, but they weren't doing anything they shouldn't. It was a simple matter of the fact that they were scared to be separated again. That, and the fact that this relatively cheap hotel didn't have any rooms left with separated beds. Miles was still asleep. She got up and walked to the window. Her hand crept up to her implant. It felt cold; she couldn't feel the physical contact with it unless she pressed it, and then she certainly could feel the excruciating pain of the screws shifting in her skull. She took a deep breath and looked out the window. A few floors down, a family had just met up on the street. They were hugging and looked so happy. How could anyone be this happy with so much going on? Gwen wondered what she would be doing now if she had chosen not to find Miles and to run from Conall. Would life be normal? Or would the war still be waged and she be dragged in fighting for the other side? Would they still even be alive? She felt tears trying to well up in her eyes, but none physically formed. Clearly the Borg had stopped her from crying. If she couldn't cry, what was she? Her implant burst into a flurry of pain. She gasped and took a step back, tripped on the corner of the bed and hit the floor with a thump. Miles woke up instantly. He offered her his hand which she took and pulled herself up. She hugged him tightly.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I don't even know who I am anymore, Miles."

He held her tighter.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what I mean. I feel like somewhere along the road I left Gwen Stacy behind. I don't know where."

"The war has changed everyone."

"I wish I could cry it away, like everyone else seems to be able to do. It worked in Minas Tirith."

"Then why don't you?"

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I just physically can't. The Borg must have done it. It hurts to even try."

Miles pulled away from the hug a little and looked deep into her eyes.

"I'm not a surgeon, so there's nothing I can really do about it except be here when you need someone to talk to."

He gently ran his hand across her implant.

"Everyone gives me weird looks as well because of it. Did you see the receptionist last night?"

"I did."

"It impairs my judgement too. If I think too hard I start getting really bad headaches. I'm guessing that's the Borg trying to crush my individuality."

"I'd guess the same. You can't go into a fight like that. I've been thinking about what the High Aether said. Conall specifically hunted for the Plate he has because of its power to give immortality. That must mean each plate has different powers. In that case..."

"His plate is stronger than mine. If he gives it his all I'll be crushed, and that's if I can think straight in the first place."

"If there is a way we can remove it then we have to try it."

"We can't. It's tied into my brain, drilled into my skull. Removing it could kill me."

"There has to be a way. If there is, then I know who would know how."

"Who?"

"The Quintari."

"I don't want to go back to headquarters."

"Maybe we don't have to."

Gwen took a step back.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we could go to the Quintari home world."

"How?"

"They're an ally of SGC. That means the home world is in Edward's dimension."

"You're forgetting we have to get to the Quintari home world once we actually go to the dimension."

"There must be an embassy which could help us out."

"It's worth looking into, if nothing else."

"Yeah. Come on, let's go and get some breakfast. I'm starving."

Miles' stomach rumbled as he said it. Gwen grinned.

A few hours later, the pair were standing in an alley, suited up and ready to go.

"Dimension 9559." Said Miles, typing it into his watch.

Gwen did the same.

"See you in a second."

She didn't wait for Miles to respond. She disappeared in a display of colour. Miles hit his own watch and followed.

The pair emerged in the middle of a city somewhere on Earth, Edward's Earth.

"This isn't New York. Those cars...if they can be called cars...are driving on the left." Miles pointed out.

"We're definitely in the right place. Look at that skyscraper: it has the Sol insignia." Replied Gwen, nodding at the largest building for miles around.

"Maybe we should ask someone?"

Gwen waved at a pedestrian.

"Excuse me? Can you tell us where we are?"

The pedestrian rolled their eyes and kept walking, muttering:

"Stupid kids are still on drugs these days."

Miles shrugged at Gwen.

"The last time I took drugs it was some paracetamol."

"Lucky you. Last drug I took was some sort of morphine."

They tried their luck with a few other people but were either entirely ignored, or in one case, were given a friendly response of:

"Fuck aff tae yer shite hole country, yankee bastards."

Miles turned to Gwen after that last one, his eyebrows raised.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say we're in Scotland."

"Is it the accents or swear words which give it away most?" She replied light-heartedly.

Miles chuckled.

"At least we know which bit of the world we're in. Let's go to the Sol building. Maybe Edward will be there and can point us in the right direction of the Quintari embassy?"

They tried their best to get to the SGC skyscraper. It was quite easy, they found, since the roads were in a grid pattern. The skyscraper took up an entire block. They stared up at it.

"It's a bit of a statement, isn't it? I mean...the rest of this place is three or four floors tall, tops, then you just have this thing sticking up out of nowhere." Miles commented.

"Staring at it won't help."

They walked through the sliding doors and found themselves in a grand atrium. The pair came to the reception desk. The receptionist looked up and smiled.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"We were wondering if we could speak to Admiral Melbourne?" Replied Gwen.

The receptionist frowned.

"I'm afraid not. He's away on a mission right now. He isn't scheduled to be back until...there isn't even a date on the system, actually. Shall I take a message for him and give it to his secretary?"

Gwen shook her head.

"It's OK. In that case, can you tell us where we can find a Quintari embassy, or some equivalent?"

The receptionist chuckled to themselves.

"It's right next door. Out the front door, left across the street, first door on the left. You'll see the symbol."

"Err...could you show us the symbol? We're...not from around here."

The receptionist frowned, but nodded. A screen suddenly appeared on the desk in front of them. It displayed a hexagon surrounding a ring of ten diamond shapes. Gwen nodded.

"Thanks very much."

"No problem."

The pair turned and walked away.

They followed the receptionist's instructions and found themselves staring at an old converted tenement building. The Quintari symbol was carved into the stone above the entrance. The spiders climbed the steps. The door opened automatically. They were in a small corridor which led up to a desk. Behind the desk, a grey, six limbed Quintari was sitting minding their own business. The Quintari looked up and gave a smile as they approached.

"Greetings! How may I be of assistance today?"

Miles let Gwen do the talking again. She was always better at the serious part.

"We were wondering if you could help us get passage to the Quintari home world? I'm guessing it would be quite easy if we had money, but we don't."

"I'm afraid free passage to Ardveer is only available to political refugees, or people with some form of notability."

Miles' shoulders sank, but clearly Gwen wasn't going to give up easily. He didn't blame her. He could only imagine the pain her implant caused her.

"What counts as 'notability'?"

"Well...someone close to the High Aether, the High Aether...someone with an ancient relic of the Quintari. That's a very good question, to be honest. I must speak to my superiors about putting a definition in the manual."

"What about a person with an Ethereal Plate? From what I gather, those are relics of some kind, and given the age of the Quintari species, I assume are notable."

The receptionist laughed.

"If you had an Ethereal Plate, it would grant you passage. Most certainly. They are the greatest of all relics to the Quintari."

Gwen glanced at Miles, then double tapped the hourglass on her suit. The Infinity Stones shot together and formed the Plate in its slot. She gently removed it. Magenta energy crackled in her eyes, and the odd spark shot from where her hand and the Plate made contact. The receptionist stood up and took a step back, their eyes wide with shock.

"That's...that's..."

"The Plate of Infinity, from stream two."

The receptionist bowed their head.

"My lady, when would you and your friend like to depart for Ardveer?"

"As soon as possible, I guess."

"A Premis Class warship is departing in half-an-hour. I can let them know you wish to travel with them, if that is agreeable?"

"That sounds fine."

"OK, you can take a seat in the waiting room, that door on your right there. I'll come and get you when they're ready."

"Thank you for your help. I'll ask the High Aether to speak to your superiors about putting a definition for 'notability' in your manual."

"Oh...thank you very much."

The pair sat down on a couch. Gwen placed the Plate back in its place and broke it down again. When the energy in her eyes had faded, Miles cuddled up to her. She lay her head on his shoulder. Her implant randomly began to hurt. She clutched her head; Miles squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Twenty minutes later, the pair were teleported aboard the QTA Terra. The captain of the ship was waiting for them as they boarded.

"Good day, friends. Welcome aboard. May I show you to your room?"

"Of course, lead the way." Replied Miles, stepping in for Gwen who he felt had done enough talking for now and was probably exhausted from it all.

The captain showed them to their room, pointing out a few key places on the way. As soon as they were alone, Gwen collapsed onto the bed and closed her eyes.

"It still hurts?"

"A bit. It happens every now and then. I'm glad I wasn't in the Collective as long as Seven. She has to regenerate in a Borg alcove instead of sleeping."

"Sounds horrible."

Miles lay down next to her.

"I still wonder if the Quintari will be able to help." Said Gwen.

"They've had a hundred billion years to figure this out. If my maths is right, that's eight or nine times older than our dimensions."

"I think it's nearer seven, but I get your point. If they can't, though. Who will I be? Who will fight Conall in my place?"

"You'll be Gwen Stacy. Maybe not quite the same as the one who's hair I got my hand stuck in, but you're still Gwen to me."

"I should hope I'm not like how I was two years ago. She was really lonely."

"Then she started dating a kid who was attacked by pigeons on a school wall."

"He had a lot going on. Maybe she just felt sorry for him?"

"Oh...so she doesn't love him? It's a sympathy thing?"

"You know that's not what I meant."

"I know. I'm just messing with you."

Gwen laughed. She pressed herself against Miles' body and kissed him, just to make sure he knew she loved him.

Crossovers in this Chapter

- Star Trek