Jacob, now appearing a little older, sat in Sam's embrace on her bed in the isolation room. He picked up items of food from the plate before him, appearing to scrutinise each one, manipulating its shape with his fingers. Daniel perched on a chair next to the bed watching the proceedings with interest. Though she considered she may have been lulled into a false sense of security if the boy was a threat, she couldn't help but feel some affection for the child. He was a child after all and he had not posed a threat thus far. It also brought to the fore occasional thoughts of what motherhood might have been like for her had she settled down. She hesitantly at first rubbed her cheek against his downy hair, saying with a slight smile,
"Jacob, you're meant to eat food; not play with it."
Jacob gazed back at her with deep blue-grey eyes, the gaze, not for the first time, startling her a little. He said with a slight frown, "But Mother, I find this fascinating. The shapes and the colours of these foods are intriguing."
Daniel quipped with a smirk, earning a look from Sam, "You wouldn't say that if you had to eat it regularly."
Sam looked down at Jacob affectionately and said, "Jacob, eat something; you did say you required nourishment."
Jacob looked a little disappointed before trying a baby carrot. He looked up at Sam in shock, "Mother, the taste is indescribable."
Daniel retorted, earning another look from Sam, "Overcooked is an accurate descriptor."
Sam was about to admonish the archaeologist, when the doors to the isolation room burst open. Daniel got to his feet, staring confusedly at Jack, Teal'c, SG-3, and some SFs, all with guns raised; the medical team trying but failing to get into the room. Sam held Jacob protectively, just as confused at the intrusion as Daniel was, and concerned for her son. Daniel positioned himself between the throng of SG personnel and the bed, saying cautiously, hands raised,
"Jack, Teal'c… what is this?"
Jack, his gun still raised, said, "Daniel, get out of the way."
Sam got up from the bed, still holding the child, who cowered, shielding his face into her shoulder. She said, looking at the others as though they had lost their minds, "He's just a kid."
Jack snapped, "He's causing the problem with the 'gate. The same energy thingy that's causing the problem is here too."
Daniel repeated Sam's assertion, continuing to place himself in the line of fire, "He's just a kid."
Teal'c said, his staff weapon also raised, "The child is an alien intruder who has caused a Stargate malfunction. DanielJackson, ColonelCarter, you must leave this room."
Sam said defensively, "No."
She was about to move closer to Daniel when the child, suddenly feeling a lot heavier, released himself from her embrace. Now appearing older and taller again, closer to the appearance of an eight or nine-year-old, he stepped onto the floor, standing in front of Daniel, both he and Sam attempting to restrain the child. The sight of the child made Jack falter a little, his gun lowering a little. They couldn't shoot a damn kid. Teal'c glanced at Jack, and lowered his staff weapon. There was no honour in ending the life of a child, regardless of the threat he may pose.
Jacob glanced back at Sam, smiling at her reassuringly. He glanced up at Daniel, the archaeologist's hands on the child's shoulders, the child now reaching his chest in height. The child took a step closer to the soldiers, and said, regret in his eyes,
"I am sorry. I did not mean to cause you any problems. I just wanted to know you." He paused, sadness evident in his expression. "I must leave otherwise you cannot continue in your work."
As everyone appeared confused at his remark and the situation overall, Jacob collapsed, Daniel grabbing him before he could hit the floor. A distraught Sam called out as she dashed to his side, "Jacob!"
As Daniel and Jack both yelled for Doctor Brightman, the boy looked up at Sam, his weak countenance a stark contrast to how he had been moments ago. As Daniel continued to hold onto him, the soldiers finally letting the medical team into the isolation room, Jacob smiled slightly. He began to cough violently. He then said, his voice quite hoarse,
"I have to go, Mother. My presence means that you cannot fight the Goa'uld and the Replicators; you cannot continue all of your good work and exploration."
Sam appeared helpless as Daniel assisted Doctor Brightman in lifting him onto gurney, a nurse working on inserting a cannula into the child's elbow. She turned to look at the soldiers, their guns all forgotten at their sides, Teal'c's staff weapon now vertical. She said, running her hands through her hair,
"He's just a kid. How…?"
Her question died on her lips as the medical team appeared to part the crowd of soldiers with the gurney, Jacob now unconscious as a nurse fitted a bag of fluid to his cannula. She instantly followed, overtaking Daniel and the other soldiers who had followed, the Colonel breaking into a run, seemingly not noticing that her uniform jacket was falling off one of her shoulders.
She stopped when the gurney had stopped in the observation room of the Infirmary, the medical team attaching monitoring equipment to Jacob's unconscious form. She ran both of her hands through her hair, anguish in her face as the medical team thronged around him, each doing their silently assigned tasks. She had barely had him for a day and she was already losing him. Tears fell down her face as her frustration and grief grew.
As Daniel silently stood at her side, the others standing at a distance, trying to be out of the way, the bustle and din gradually grew still. The medical team all looked at one another, then at Doctor Brightman, each doctor, nurse, and specialist appearing grave as a gradual realisation came to the fore. The Doctor stepped out from her team, moving to Sam's side. She couldn't bring herself to say it. She had been a doctor for fifteen years, had seen far too many horrific things within the Air Force, much of it prior to her tenure at Stargate Command. But children always got to her.
Instead, she grabbed Sam's hand, silently leading her to the trolley where Jacob lie. The medical team, looking at Sam with pity in their eyes, parted. They and Daniel moved to near where Jack, Teal'c and the other soldiers were as they continued to watch. Meanwhile, Brightman, gazing sombrely at Sam, let go of Sam's hand, moving away a short distance.
Sam sniffed back tears as she looked at her son. She held his hand, her heart aching at the monitor leads and tubes everywhere. This wasn't how it was supposed to be; she wasn't supposed to bury a child. Though it had been a far from conventional pregnancy and birth, she felt as though Jacob was hers; she had bonded with him far more than she thought possible. She stooped, about to kiss his forehead, when his eyes flickered open.
He looked up at her, a soft smile upon his pallid countenance. She lifted the hand that she held, kissing it before holding it against her cheek. Jacob spoke, weakly at first,
"I must go, Mother. Please do not be sad."
Sniffing, she said, "But why? Why do you have to go? Why can't we save you?"
His smile faded. "My presence is not beneficial to this base." He looked at her in earnest. "I do not wish to leave."
Choking back a sob, Sam said, "Don't. There has to be another way!"
She turned to where Doctor Brightman was, the doctor slowly moving to her side, her eyes on the boy. Brightman said, eventually meeting Sam's gaze, "He is dying, Colonel; there is nothing we can do."
"What about the Tok'ra!? My Dad… my Dad, or Thor could help us."
Brightman looked at Sam sadly, not saying anything. They couldn't use the Stargate. To transmit a message without it would take more time than they had at their disposal. And that plan relied on their technologically superior allies not being entangled with the Replicators. A distraught Sam turned her gaze back to Jacob.
He smiled softly as he gazed at her. "Goodbye, Mother. Thank you for the experience."
Sam watched in horror as ripples of yellow coloured energy, similar in hue to that which had come through the 'gate prior to his conception, rippled beneath his skin as his body began to thrash against the trolley, his body wracked with seizures. Sam screamed at Brightman to do something but suddenly the energy engulfed the child's body. She and the others shielding their eyes, Sam stepped back from the trolley as the light grew brighter and brighter. The others stared in a mixture of horror and fascination as the light then softened, Jacob's body disappearing into its mass. The mass hovered above Sam, soft tendrils of light gently emanating from itself.
Sam looked up towards the light, closing her eyes as an overwhelming sense of peace washed over her. Images appeared in her mind of the cosmos, of worlds unexplored by humanity, of unimaginable landscapes and moonscapes. In awe, she opened her eyes at long last, and the speech began to emanate from the mass, the voice sounding like that which had been Jacob's, but which took on the timbre of a bell, the sound feeling as though it was making her bones vibrate.
"Mother."
She smiled softly, still feeling sad at what she had witnessed, but feeling as though it wasn't the end. The mass continued, "This is how my race and I explore the Universe. We meant you no harm." The mass grew closer to her, Sam feeling at peace once again as she felt a warm glow. "The only way to understand a people is to live as them." The mass paused. "I was exploring the world that your people had been on and I thought I would follow you, to learn about you." Though she could not see a face, she felt as though the mass was smiling. "You have so much potential as a people."
The mass rose a little, addressing the gathered personnel who had moved a little closer in fascination. "Thank you, and I apologise for the disruption I have caused."
With that, the mass rose again, turning slightly before darting out of the Infirmary. Shaking himself from what felt like a crazy, surreal dream, Jack and the soldiers gave chase, the General instinctively knowing where it was headed. In the relative darkness of the Infirmary, Sam sighed, her head lowered as she suddenly felt alone. The medical team slowly dispersed, some glancing at her in concern but leaving her be. Daniel slowly approached her, reaching for her hand as they looked at the empty gurney. This job got crazier and crazier.
Meanwhile, Jack and Teal'c ran into the gateroom, followed by the other soldiers. The Stargate had already been activated, the sirens blaring to announce that fact, and the mass hovered above the 'gate ramp. The soldiers had their guns raised, a default reaction for each of them after their respective years of experiencing the unknown. The mass grew brighter and brighter, seeming to draw energy from the dialling computer above them.
Jack yelled up at Walter in the control room, "What's going on?"
His voice barely audible over the sirens, Walter replied, appearing confused, "We have regained control of the dialling computer and the Stargate, Sir."
Jack yelled back, "Shut the damn thing down!"
As Walter replied that he could not, the mass appeared to stop gathering energy. It then shot through the event horizon, disappearing with a watery gloop. At last, Walter succeeded in his efforts to activate the Iris. He looked down at a screen on the console before him to see the words: 'Thank you' just before the 'gate deactivated, the Iris opening. The Sergeant looked down at the soldiers in the gateroom, not knowing what to say; the General and Teal'c looking back at him with similar expressions and perhaps thoughts. Though he wouldn't change his job for the world, it had a habit of throwing up something unexpected on a regular basis. With a sigh of relief, he leaned back in his chair. He was going to have to use up some vacation time.