Saturday, May 1
Reality A001
Samantha picked up another nugget of ore, then froze as the tunnel around her shook and vibrated. It was deeply alarming. This planet, or at any rate, this portion of the planet, was highly seismically active. There were small tremors at least once a week, sometimes more often. The locals seemed to take it in stride and said it had always been that way. How they could calmly mine underground with this type of seismological activity was beyond her.
A bright light drew her notice and she looked down at the still slightly rocking floor. The light seemed odd when compared to the sketchy electricity the Panu used to light their mines. She lowered herself gently to her knees and carefully examined the thing. It was a broad, flat brown knob that was firmly attached to the stone beneath it. A ring of yellow lights ran around the edge, with a blue one in the middle. Gradually, the yellow lights dimmed and the blue shaded to green, and as it did so, the tremor eased. When the central light was fully green, it flashed three times, then went out.
Samantha sat back and stared at the device she'd discovered, wishing she hadn't found it. Tanako came up suddenly behind her. "Have you found more . . ." She smiled. "This has nothing to do with the ore you wish to study, Lt. Carter."
"What is it?" Samantha asked.
"They are the last of the tools left to us by the ancient ones. They still the rocking of the earth so that we may live and mine peacefully."
"I don't understand. How do they do that?"
"I don't know," Tanako said. "It is enough that they do. Some of the more skilled miners can use them to create very localized movement in the ground to shake free the ore we need."
"So, this tunnel, you said it was only about ten years old."
"Yes. We still get a great deal of ore from it," Tanako said, nodding.
"So, how long has this been here?"
Tanako's smile broadened. "Now you make fun of me. Your people have many advanced machines, you must know."
Samantha wet her lips. "It's been here since this particular tunnel was built," she guessed.
Tanako nodded. "And it will be moved to a new tunnel when this one is tapped out. We move the town with us when we change from one area of the hills to another, and the t'kaio are placed in the most appropriate places. There are four around the stargate at all times, however, so that we may continue to trade our ore."
Samantha nodded and they returned to searching out nuggets of ore that had been left behind. As they walked back to the town, she contemplated her find and the ethics of keeping it to herself. The choice was taken out of her hands, however. When she reached the house that they had been given to stay in, she could hear yelling from inside, though she couldn't understand what they were yelling about. She nodded politely to Tanako, who returned to her own house.
Opening the door, she walked into a huge argument between Kowalski and the colonel that eliminated her little ethical issue.
"I say we should have just grabbed the damn thing," Kowalski was shouting. "The general will want a couple of those babies to get a look at to see if they could be used on Earth, or elsewhere. Can you imagine what a good weapon that would be against the Tok'ra?"
"Since when are we looking for weapons against our allies?" the colonel asked.
Kowalski grimaced incredulously. "Alliances shift, sir, you know that. It's good to have all your bases covered." Samantha gazed at Kowlaski, a dreadful surmise growing. Alliances shift . . .
She cleared her throat. "I'd say they'd make pretty rotten weapons against the Tok'ra. How would you plant them without being noticed, even if you could find the right planet?"
Kowalski's expression darkened, and he opened his mouth, but the colonel forestalled him. "That hardly matters. The elder said that if we take one at random, it would shift the seismic balance and possible destroy the whole town."
Samantha stepped forward. "As the scientist on this mission, I'd say it would be wiser to study them in place for awhile," Samantha said. The way they both looked at her made her wonder how long it had been since she'd offered any opinion at all, much less a dissenting one. "After all, they may interact with the local environment in ways that aren't immediately apparent to the casual observer."
Kowalski looked at her with open contempt, then turned to O'Neill. "You're turning into as big a bleeding heart as Jackson."
Jack's face underwent a sudden, violent change. With a snarl of incoherent rage, he took two steps forward, grabbed Kowalski and slammed him against the wall. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Kowalski's eyes widened and he stared in shock and anger at Jack. "You've gone soft. You can't do what needs to be done." It was clear to Samantha that Kowalski wasn't seeing the level of pure madness that was present in the colonel's eyes. This was not good.
She walked forward and put a tentative hand on his arm. "Jack?" she said softly.
He looked sideways at her and some sanity reentered his eyes. He took a step back, releasing Kowalski. "Damn, but you've lost it!" the major growled.
She shot a warning look at him. He gave her a scornful look. She narrowed her eyes. "Damn, but you've lost it, sir," she said in a deadly voice.
He lost the cocky attitude and crossed his arms. "Sir," he said insolently.
O'Neill raised his chin, seeming much more his old self. He gestured with his chin towards the next room. "Kowalski, you're with me. Carter, get some rest."
"Yes sir," she said, but she didn't sleep much. What was Hammond going to say? What was Kowalski going to tell him? What would he do? Would he have the sense to recognize the value of the ore and balance that with the folly of possibly destroying their only chance of getting at it? She was terribly afraid he would see only the technology that Jack had left behind.
Sunday, May 2
The debriefing had been a shambles. She still sat in a chair at the table with Kowalski, feeling kind of stunned. Hammond had ordered Jack into his office, gone in and slammed the door behind them. Kowalski was leaning back in his chair and smirking, which made her want to go over there and smack him one. She hadn't been dismissed, so she wasn't sure she dared leave, but . . . she could see them in the general's office. Hammond's face was red with apoplexy, and she wasn't sure what was holding Jack back from attacking him physically. Berman wasn't much of a threat.
The door slammed open. "Lt. Carter, get in here," Hammond called.
She was up and moving before she really understood the order. She noticed when she entered that Berman had lost his legendary iron man look and seemed distinctly apprehensive. Jack was breathing hard. She saluted the general. "Yes sir?"
"Lieutenant, what do you know about those devices?"
"Very little, sir," she said. "The natives believe that they somehow control the seismic activity and make it safe to live and mine in the region."
"So you think we should allow the natives to keep these devices and study them there?" She nodded. "Why?"
"Because we need a firmer understanding of how they work before we uproot them and bring them here. We don't know how they function in any way. All I know for certain is that they are movable." She shrugged. "It's possible that with enough study we might be able to duplicate the effect. Frankly, I think the mineral is of great –"
"The mineral will be there whether those devices are or not."
"But it might not be accessible, sir. We'll have trouble getting at it if the ground is shaking constantly under our feet. Even more so if there's a few tons of molten lava over the top of it."
"That's a worst case scenario, lieutenant, correct?" Hammond asked.
"Yes sir, but not an unlikely one. We were there for five days and we experienced two severe tremors and multiple minor ones. If they're that frequent with a palliative, then they'll be even more frequent and violent without." Hammond looked thoughtful. She sensed an opening and dove in. "Besides, the natives are a ready supply of miners, already experienced and in place." She shrugged. "Who knows? If we offer them superior mining technology and a better way of life, they might be persuaded to give us some kind of an exclusive deal."
Hammond's eyes grew calculating. "Oh, they'll give us an exclusive deal. I can guarantee that." She shivered uncomfortably at the tone in his voice. "But your observations are noted, lieutenant, and will be taken into consideration. I believe Dr. Jackson has planned a special dinner for you both." She nodded. Jack remained stoic. Hammond smiled. "Dismissed," he said.
They saluted and left the office, heading silently for the elevator. She could sense the colonel simmering beside her, but he was keeping a lid on it, so it wasn't too obvious. They walked through the corridors without speaking until they turned the corner onto the hall that led to Daniel's room. There she stopped, staring, struck dumb by what she saw.
The door to the room stood wide open, unguarded, allowing free view of the empty shelves and untenanted desk. Jack stopped beside her for a moment, then slowly walked forward into the center of the room where he turned and looked at all the walls. His expression was blank, but his neck muscles were taut with unexpressed emotion.
She walked to the door to the monitoring station and pounded on it. When there was no answer, she opened the door and gazed into the empty room. The monitors, all the equipment was still there, but neatly put away and not in use. What was going on here? What was Hammond thinking?
Jack barrelled past the door, and she took off after him, deeply alarmed that he was going to do something dreadful. When she reached him, he was standing by the elevators, practically vibrating as he waited. She walked up and put a hand on his arm. "Sir, calm down."
He turned incredulous eyes on her. "Calm down?" he exclaimed. "That bastard set us up . . . he smiled and deliberately set us up!"
She nodded. "I know, sir, but getting angry won't help. It will only –"
The elevator doors opened to reveal Hammond with Berman and a couple of other burly young men. Strength in numbers, she thought dryly. "Colonel O'Neill, Lt. Carter, I'm so sorry," Hammond said in a voice that was just oozing with sincerity. "I forgot that you didn't know I'd moved Dr. Jackson to his permanent quarters."
Samantha stared at him in stunned disbelief. What the devil was the man thinking? Why was he goading the colonel? Was he so lost in the power struggle that he didn't see that what he was doing was counterproductive, not to mention dangerous? Glancing at the bodyguards she amended that. He clearly knew it was dangerous.
She was very surprised when Jack responded in a relatively calm, if brittle voice. "Permanent quarters? Where might they be, sir?"
"Follow me."
He led them through the maze of corridors until they reached a seldom-used area that was mostly storage. Past door after door he led them till they reached one at the end of a hall that had a guard standing outside it. When the general nodded, the guard stepped aside and opened the door with his key card. It was thick, like a vault door at a bank, and moved slowly. Sam glanced at it uneasily.
They proceeded through it into another hallway. There were three doors, one in each of the side walls and one down at the end. The side doors looked pretty ordinary, though the one on the left was marked 'Observation,' but the one at the end boasted a guard and strongly resembled the one they'd just come through. As they approached, the guard stepped aside and opened that door.
Samantha felt her stomach knot up as they passed through the layers of security. Why had Hammond buried him so deep in untraveled passageways? Why the incredible level of security? She bit her lip. How were they going to get him out of this?
The simple answer was that they weren't. They would have to wait until he ventured into the main part of the base to make any kind of move. Was he going to be permitted trips outside from here? She shook her head as they emerged into a final hallway. There were several doors along it, but Hammond stopped at the first one.
"This is his apartment," the general said. "The next room along is an exercise room with weights and other similar equipment." Nodding at Jack, he added, "It's large enough to permit you to train with him when his arm is better."
"I see," Jack said. "And all this security is for his protection?" he asked.
Hammond chuckled. "I am not the only person in the universe to recognize that a Daniel Jackson is a valuable commodity. I don't plan on anything happening to this one. If he wasn't an absolute necessity on some missions, I wouldn't let him leave the base at all."
Samantha cleared her throat. "Sir, what about his trips to go outside? How will they be arranged?"
"I've had a couple of ideas, but we'll talk later in the week. Right now, I'm sure you want to see him. Enjoy your evening." He turned away.
"How do we get in?" Samantha asked.
"Either of your key cards will open the door," Hammond said. "Then, when you're ready to leave, simply pick up the phone and someone will come and let you out."
Samantha nodded and watched them go, the door sealing shut behind them. She took a deep breath to collect herself, the put a hand on the colonel's back. "Sir, maybe you'd better take a minute to calm down. We don't want to alarm Daniel."
He nodded and pushed his hands through his hair, pressing the heels of his palms against his forehead for a moment, breathing deeply. Then he shook his head. "Hell, Daniel's probably plenty alarmed already," he said, then pulled out his keycard and swiped the door open.
She followed him in, and her first thought was that this was much nicer than even the general's office. Then she considered that . . . Hammond planned on making the man live in this space for . . . for years, she guessed. It had better be nice.
Shutting the door behind her, she noticed that it made no sound. Creepier and creepier. Now Hammond could sneak up on him.
Jack seemed stuck in the office. Sam walked to the door on the left and knocked. "Daniel?" she called. There was no answer, so she walked down, past rows of books, to the other door where she knocked again.
The door opened almost instantly and Daniel came in. "Samantha, Jack, hi," he said with bright, forced cheer. "Please, come in. I'm sure you'll want to get a look at all the amenities. Or have you seen them already?"
It took a moment for the true meaning of that question and Daniel's brittle tone to sink into Samantha's mind, but the colonel picked up on it immediately. "No, Daniel," he said urgently. "I swear to you, I didn't even know this place existed."
Daniel nodded, looking guardedly relieved. "Well, then, you should see them . . . fully appreciate them."
"Sure," Jack said, and Sam walked along behind him as Daniel demonstrated such things as the dumbwaiter, the garbage chute and the laundry chute, all of which ensured that, barring illness and injury, Daniel would never have to leave this room or see another living person ever again if Hammond so chose. That he was quite aware of this fact was made evident by his body language and the sardonic way he listed off all the advantages of the room features he was showing them.
Suddenly, as Daniel was explaining that he got cable but that a lot of the shows were censored, Jack grabbed him in a fierce hug. Daniel's eyes widened, and he put his hands uncomfortably on Jack's back, looking nonplussed. "You okay, Jack? How'd the mission go?"
"I'm sorry, Daniel," Jack said, his voice choked with emotion. "This is all my fault. I killed you, then I kidnapped you and brought you here. Hammond wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for me."
Daniel shook his head and Samantha saw his hands move as he started really hugging Jack back. "It could be worse," he said, his eyes crinkling with an emotion she could not identify. "Hathor could be in charge."
Jack shuddered. "God, Daniel, do you have to bring her up?"
"I'm just saying, it could be worse."
"That wouldn't just be worse, that would be catastrophic."
Daniel squeezed again then pulled tentatively away. She could tell that he wasn't sure how to tread with the colonel in this mood. "Well, it's not the case, so we don't have to worry about it." He glanced over at her and smiled. "So, you guys in the mood for some roast salmon?"
Samantha's eyes widened. "Roast salmon?" she repeated. "Where'd you get that?"
"It was suggested by the cook," Daniel said, smiling. "I'm supposed to send a message down when we're ready to eat within the next half hour."
"Samantha?" the colonel asked, pulling himself back together.
"I could eat," she admitted.
"I'm not hungry yet, but I have a feeling that the smell of food would get me there," Jack said.
Daniel nodded and walked over to the dumbwaiter. Opening it, he stuck a note inside and pressed the button. Then he turned back to them with a grin plastered on his face. "So, what would you like to do? I have a selection of movies, a few cable channels actually come in, there are some games on the shelves over there, a selection of books . . ." His good cheer was wearing thin. She glanced at the colonel and saw that his emotional state was hanging by a thread. If either of them broke . . .
There was a mute pleading in both men's eyes. They clearly wanted to hold things together, and just as clearly, they couldn't manage it on their own. She stepped forward and said, "Why don't we play Scrabble?"
This broke through the welter of emotions for both of them, and they both began to speak at once.
"Sounds good, I'll get a dictionary," Daniel said, heading towards the door to his office.
"So long as no jargon's allowed," Jack said. "None except military jargon, that is."
The last part of the colonel's comment seemed to catch Daniel by surprise. He turned at the door and looked at Jack suspiciously. "Why military jargon?" he asked.
Jack grinned and shrugged. "Think of it as a handicap in favor of those of us here who don't have a doctorate in words."
"Huh," Daniel said, his eyes widening disingenuously. "You're right. It's only fair." Then he went through the door into the office.
Jack tilted his head thoughtfully, then looked at Samantha. "I think we've been insulted," he said.
"You walked right into that with a great big 'hit me' sign," she said. He shrugged and walked over to the shelves to grab the game. They played on the coffee table until the food came, then they ate. It was incredible. Samantha wondered vaguely if the regular cook had really prepared the food, then shook her head. A meal for three had a completely different set of requirements than a meal for three hundred that had to stay ready and edible for several hours at a stretch. She was probably doing the man an injustice by assuming that he couldn't prepare a meal like this.
The meal finished off with the cook's amazing chocolate cheesecake. Samantha leaned back in her chair, replete. Both men seemed equally satisfied. Daniel leaned forward after a couple of minutes, an intent look on his face. He looked at Jack and said, "Do you know who I am?"
Samantha looked to see how the colonel was taking the question. He blinked several times and took a deep breath. "Sometimes," he said, shifting in his chair. "Sometimes I . . ." He gulped and met Daniel's eyes. "Sometimes I know that I kidnapped you and locked you up, and sometimes I think you're my . . ." Jack's voice choked up and he didn't seem to be able to get any words out.
Daniel nodded. "I know," he said, looking . . . Samantha stared in shock . . . he looked sympathetic. "Has that ever happened before? With any of the others?"
She glanced over at the colonel. She might not have known with one of the others, but Jack shook his head. "No, I never confused any of the others with our Daniel," he said. "I . . . you're so like him, but not. I don't know what the difference is."
"What happened with the others?" Daniel asked gently. Samantha really wasn't sure this was a good conversation to have. She wasn't sure what Hammond would think of it, and she didn't know how long the colonel would be able to keep his cool.
"I got so angry with them, because they weren't Daniel, but they were Daniel . . . I want my Daniel back so badly." His fists were clenched on the table in front of him. "I didn't . . . I wanted . . ." The knowledge of their Daniel's body, lying in stasis, waiting for revival, weighed heavily on her mind, but she didn't dare speak.
"Don't think about it," Daniel said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Jack sniffed like he was trying to keep from crying and said, "When I'm with you, it's so easy to just pretend you're him and things are normal, but then Hammond starts . . . or you look at me like I'm nuts, or something. I keep shifting in and out of focus."
Daniel grimaced. "I wish I could offer help, but there's not much I can do."
Jack shook his head, seeming incapable of speech. After a moment he got up and blundered into the next room, and they could hear him in the bathroom. Daniel leaned back, biting his lip. "I hope I didn't just make things worse."
"I don't know how you could," she said frankly. "What's your Jack like?"
Daniel shrugged. "Very stoic, very reserved and contained. He's . . . I don't think he thinks of me like a brother, certainly. We're friends." It sounded so anemic, and he seemed to hear it. He leaned forward, a bit of energy coming into his face. "Let's go sit by the game. Then Jack will have something to think about when he comes out."
"Right," she said. He walked over and turned on the stereo to some classical music. He then started . . . the only word for it was babbling . . . about a novel he'd read earlier in the day, clearly trying to avoid emotion-laden topics. When Jack came out, they started playing again. Slowly the verve came back into the conversation, and after awhile, Jack slipped out of focus again, calling Daniel Danny. After the game, Daniel insisted that they stay and watch a movie, and around midnight, Samantha knew they really had to go. As it was they were going to have to stay on base overnight to have any hope of getting sleep.
She stood up and stretched. "I'm sorry, Daniel, but we have got to be going."
He stood up, looking extremely unhappy. "I know," he said. "I'm sorry, I've dragged this out longer than you probably wanted."
"Don't be silly, Danny," Jack said, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Thanks for dinner."
Daniel nodded. "Well, good night," he said, and walked them to the door. Feeling distinctly awkward, Samantha picked up the phone. It rang twice and then a male voice said, "Lt. Carter, would you please ask Dr. Jackson to step away from the door?"
She blinked and felt her face settle into angry lines. "No, I don't think so," she said conversationally. "Please just open the door."
"Ma'am, I'm not –"
The colonel took the phone. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked. Then he listened for a moment. Samantha saw Daniel looking perplexed and worried, and raged internally at Hammond's idiotic orders. "Open the door now," the colonel ordered. "I don't care what Hammond said. He's not going to break your nose if you don't open the door right now."
Daniel looked at them both. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Why aren't they opening the door?" Samantha shook her head, not wanting to say it. Daniel walked up to Jack and held his hand out for the phone, but Jack just shook his head. Daniel looked down at the floor, taut as a bowstring. She thought he was trying hard to maintain his self-control. Then he raised his head, looking as if he'd guessed the answer. He took three steps back from the door, looked up at the ceiling and spoke loudly. "Is this far enough, or do I need to be across the room?"
Jack reached out and grabbed Daniel's right arm and yanked him back towards the door. "No!" he growled. He would have said more, but the muffled sound of pain Daniel made, the alarmed look in Daniel's eyes, stopped him. His hand opened immediately, releasing Daniel's arm. "God, Danny, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "I didn't – I just don't . . ." He pulled him into a tight hug, continuing to babble apologies and explanations at him. Samantha picked up the phone which he had dropped and placed it on the receiver. They weren't leaving any time soon, from the looks of it.
After a couple of minutes, though, Daniel pulled back from the hug. "Jack, it's all right," he said. "I know what you were trying to do, and I appreciate it, but we have to play the game by the rules that have been laid down. You guys have to go, so I'm going to go over there so you can."
He suited actions to words and there was an audible click as the door unlatched. They went out of the room and shut the door behind them, locking him in. Each successive door was opened for them until they were in the normal hallways again. Jack took her arm, very gently, and pulled her into a storage room. "Samantha," he said in a harsh whisper. "Don't let me . . ." He paused, and she wondered what he was trying to say. "Don't let me hurt Danny again! Promise me."
She stared at him in shock, her own emotions raging in several different directions at once. She was angry that this couldn't have come sooner, she was glad that he was asking for help, she was furious with Hammond for driving him to this level of insanity, she was worried that he would never be quite right again, that he would never cope with what he had done under the influence of drugs and craziness. The desperate sincerity in his eyes tore at her heart. She took both his hands in hers and squeezed them tightly. "I promise, Jack."