612 Unnatural Selection
Thor saved O'Neill and the rag tag crew of the Prometheus from drifting endlessly lost in the void of space. Considering the task he sent them on Jack wondered if the former might have been better. Thor zipped them back to Earth, shuffled the crew, appropriated weapons and provisions and, without a by your leave, was off on the mission.
Jack had a mere minute to try to explain to General Hammond as Thor whisked them away. Just a few days ago O'Neill was in a rage over someone hijacking this vessel now it seemed he was doing it himself.
The Asgard world Halla had become desolate, completely encased in replicator blocks. The attempt to gather the replicators in one place and imprison them in time backfired. Here they sped up time to advance into beings similar to their creator Reese. The human forms were creepy beyond imagining. And when First drove O'Neill to his knees and slid his hand into Jack's head it was completely devastating.
The thing, Jack could not conceive of it as a creature, waltzed through O'Neill's mind and took every secret. Secrets O'Neill would die under torture before he would divulge. When O'Neill tried desperately to prevent the intrusion, First used the ultimate pain O'Neill had ever suffered and replayed it again and again. First observed every memory, every experience, every thought but could not manage to comprehend love or compassion. There was no humanity, not a shred of humanity in that thing. And it knew that Jack was the one that disabled and virtually destroyed their creator Reese.
In their clumsy way the replicators laid out a spread of food from the Prometheus' stores and bade the humans 'eat'. There was no kindness nor concern for their welfare. No, the replicators wanted the humans to keep up their strength so they might probe their minds again and again. Not three months ago a similar proposition of repeated torture had O'Neill begging for the reprieve of death. He wasn't sure he could endure this again. If they could not figure out a plan they would remain on Halla subject to repeated invasions of their minds until they were no longer themselves or until they died. He couldn't allow that to happen to Teal'c or Jonas or especially to Carter.
"Were you serious about blowing up the ship? It wouldn't have changed anything." Carter asked O'Neill when they were alone.
"I suppose. Would have saved us some pain. They were only feeding us to go in our minds endlessly."
"The energy released would have just fed them. And they know everything already."
"They are kicking the Asgard's ass, what choice do we have? We can't let them out to destroy our planet."
"We'll think of something. There must be another way."
The replicators returned and forced O'Neill again to his knees. The last thing he saw, as the hand slid into his forehead, was Fifth taking Carter away.
When Fifth shared himself, or that tiny private part of himself, with Carter a plan was formulated. With Fifth's help they would reset the time dilation field, again entrap the replicators and escape. Carter wanted to save the emotional, childlike Fifth, so unlike the sterile domineering others. O'Neill had another idea. Carter balked at betraying Fifth but followed orders. The countdown to the reset time dilation field was initiated. SG-1 boarded the Prometheus and took off. The replicators were once again trapped, including the surprised Fifth. On Halla time slowed to a crawl.
Thor again towed the Prometheus across the intergalactic void from the Othalla galaxy to the Milky Way and then quite a way toward the star system of Sol.
Sam dared not cause another celestial event, there had been too many lately. The international community's curiosity had been raised and in time would bring them to the SGC's doorstep along with the Russians. So she chose to come out of hyperspace at the heliopause and proceed at top sub-light speed. Then they'd take a route to Earth perpendicular to the ecliptic plane. It seemed to be the least obtrusive path. At least it gave her something to occupy her mind in the roughly four days it should take.
O'Neill found Teal'c and Jonas in the room holding the food stores. Jonas was working on a way to use the cold of space to keep the food fresh without reducing it to crystalline flakes of ice.
O'Neill and Teal'c searched the ship for the clothing Thor had appropriated, also sleeping quarters and bathrooms and finally for ways to prepare food. Previously they had found a powder room off the bridge but after their excursion to the home of the replicators and another couple of days in space, a shower would be appreciated by all.
The lower decks, where crew quarters, the galley and recreational areas were located, were unfinished and unfurnished. It seemed only the operational parts of the ship were finished, everything else left for after the completion of the drive engines.
Behind the bridge they found a coffee station, complete with microwave and even a toaster oven. This station was obviously well used by the crew building Prometheus. Judging by the crumbs left behind it was amazing they didn't have mice.
Finally they found the captains quarters. This and one crew cabin on a deck below were fitted out possibly as a sample of the furnishings for the rest of the ship.
Jack sent Teal'c off to help Jonas, and he went in search for Carter, finding her in the engine control center.
"Hey Carter"
"Sir"
"Everything okay?" O'Neill asked, looking at the engines and assorted displays. If they weren't they were in big trouble and he would be of no help at all.
Carter nodded in the affirmative.
"Have you eaten? Jonas is working on reinventing refrigeration and I hope Teal'c hasn't alleviated that problem by eating everything. Come on, I'm hungry."
Sam smiled. "Do you want me to stay and keep watch, sir?"
"Aren't these things" he waved his hand around the myriad monitors "… don't they run themselves, ya know, idiot proof." As soon as the words were out of his mouth and he saw the expression on her face he shook his lowered head and said "Sorry, you know I didn't mean you."
"Yes, they pretty much run themselves."
The preparation of the meal required a bit of hiking through the ship. Teal'c had been watching cooking shows of late and the meal was interesting, although the chef grumbled a bit about lack of spices and appropriate cookware. They found the neatly concealed mini fridge under the coffee maker and moved some perishable items there.
They all had been up for hours and were exhausted. They had all riffled through the clothing to find appropriate uniforms and underwear and hoped to find a shower facility and hopefully soap and water.
Jonas was sent off to the bunk on the lower deck. Teal'c chose to meditate in the engine room, just in case.
O'Neill took Sam to the captain's quarters. They chatted for a bit. He hoped she hadn't any repercussions from her being probed by Fifth. She feared what the replicators had done to O'Neill when they found out it was he who had killed Reese. As he was about to take his leave Sam asked "Where are you going to sleep?"
He lifted the clothing in his hand and said "There's a big pile of these in a storage room, I should be comfortable."
She caught his fingers and gently tugged him closer. "There's plenty of room here. We can share, like any mission. I think there's an attached bath."
O'Neill walked in to take a look. "Cool. Do you think there's hot water?"
"I was hoping there was water."
"Oh." O'Neill went into the bathroom and found hot and cold running water. Opening the many trimly fitted cupboards, he found assorted toiletries. "No bubble bath but most everything else."
Sam searched out the rest of the finely appointed room. A small deck with direct communication to every part of the ship, not yet operational. Cupboard for clothing and assorted supplies. The bed was more spacious than a mere bunk. It was at least a full size mattress.
Without any discussion they agreed to share. Showers done, they shucked their uniforms and climbed into bed. Once there and although tired neither could sleep.
"They don't know about us."
"Us? Like you and me or Earth or living things in general?" Jack wasn't sure which 'us' she was talking about. "With me it wanted to see everything I've ever seen, travel everywhere I've been."
"He was somewhat interested in my travels as well as our take on math and physics. He showed me his world."
"What was that like?"
"Bleak but they're learning from us."
"They're not real, mere imitations of life. You used to shoot them. Do you want to protect them now." He felt angry.
"Fifth wanted to help us, he did help us. He was different, more childlike."
"Like Reese."
"I don't know, not the willful or petulant behavior but immature."
"First didn't understand feelings. He could use them to hurt. He knew that when he showed me my son bleeding, dying, the sound of the shot. What he didn't comprehend was what a smell or a song or a kid playing baseball could conjure up" he took a breath and knew he had to get it all out. He needed her to know that part of him considering that glorified bug knew. He hadn't realized until then she was holding his hand. "Conjure up the overwhelming grief that would render me unable to do anything. To see death as the only way out to stop the pain, the despair. I heard the shot over and over again. Was covered in his blood again and again. You'd think you'd get numb to that after a while. They're not human Carter."
"I know."
"If it were only me, I suppose it wouldn't matter. They want it all. If they can or when they can they'll invade and destroy Earth and every planet in our galaxy. They have invaded our minds. They know all our defenses, all our bases, all our allies. The only thing protecting Earth is keeping them there until the Asgard can figure out how to destroy them. And I don't think that going to hold them. We can't kill them and we can't contain them."
"The Asgard will keep watch."
"Yeah, and call us again."
"How can we kill them if they're sentient. Isn't that genocide?"
"You and Daniel always see the best in everything." He realized he still harbored some resentment about Daniel defending Reese and his choice to ascend. "They're just machines and they need to be... unplugged."
"I'm not naive, Jack. I don't condone anything they've done to you, to all of us but maybe Fifth could have been a way to change their culture. Maybe Fifth was the answer."
"A willful child that's indestructible. It's still there with them so maybe it can change them."
"We should do something to get our minds off this or we'll never sleep." She still held on to Jack's hand.
"You're right Carter, you're always right."
She ran her fingers through his hair and down his back with only one hand. He held fast to the other, like a life line. She could feel the pain and anger still simmering below the surface.
"I love you, you obstinate, intractable man."
"Why?" He asked. He felt unlovable, undesirable. He had unwillingly betrayed his people and he ordered Carter to betray a trust.
"Are you really going to make me work for this?" She asked. Her smile and touch made the pain and anger fade. She kissed him and caressed him until he finally relaxed.
"How much time do we have?" He asked.
"Until morning?"
"Til we get to Earth." He said, smiling at last.
The rest of their night was more enjoyable with interludes of sleep.
They were directly over Nevada, having alerted the base of their ETA. The bay doors of the underground base were open to receive them.
"Does this ship have stealth or cloaking?" O'Neill asked, aware the ship, vibrating under his feet, could not go unnoticed for miles around, perhaps observable to the entire world.
"No Sir. I'm trying my best but I don't think we will be unobserved. We probably didn't leave unobserved."
It had been four days since Thor departed that Prometheus was safely back in Nevada. And shortly after landing SG-1 was back at the SGC for a debrief, a lengthy debrief.
O'Neill recounted that Thor had towed them back well into the Milky Way Galaxy and set their course for Earth. He, as usual, had places to go and people to meet, Thor, the Supreme Commander of the Asgard and Jack's buddy, was a busy guy. And the little grey fella owed him one.
Carter and Jonas went on at length about the advancement of the human form replicators. Waxing on about their complex structure and amazing regenerative abilities. They posited that these were sentient beings.
O'Neill had been totally disgusted at Carter's and Jonas' reaction to the human form replicators. They were fascinated, he was repulsed. He was glad there had been time before Prometheus reached Earth to cool his reactions. But they bubbled up to the surface as the scientific advancement of these bugs were recounted. And O'Neill felt in his gut he had betrayed his oath to his nation, the bug knew all his secrets.
Jack had trouble sitting at the debrief, he was agitated. His fingers roughly stroked back and forth across his forehead. He had just admitted that he had revealed every secret he knew, every code, every weapon system, every off world site, every ally, everything. There was nothing safe, it was a massive security breach and it was his fault.
The time dilation field was discussed as a means of containment of the replicators. O'Neill suggested further thought should be given to the destruction of them while they were all confined to one place.
"I'd have killed them all. Just cause they put on a pretty face doesn't change who they are. Perhaps Carter and Jonas had a different experience when Second and Fourth put their hands into their heads but let me tell you for me it was no picnic. And it let me know in no uncertain terms our total domination and destruction were its goal." He faced Carter and Jonas "You may see them as humans or as the next step on the evolutionary scale. They're machines and they are our enemy, ours and every living thing," He lowered his voice, he had become strident, "every living thing in our galaxy."
It was more than obvious he was still damned angry.
"Colonel, we can change all the codes. Anyway they're secure in the time dilation field." Carter said, trying to placate him.
"Yeah and that worked so well the first time."
It bothered him that Carter and Jonas thought differently. Carter was beyond brilliant and he wisely often followed her lead. But you could be brilliant and still be snookered.
Was he still angry because it tried to humiliate him by driving him to his knees or by...No, not the memory of his boy. He did that to himself often enough. The very thought of these arrogant soulless machines masquerading as humans angered him to his core. They were so much like the Goa'uld that wore the skin and flesh of a man.