A/N: I took a few more liberties with this one, but I tried not to mess too much with the episode. I also thought that it was time for someone to get suspicious about the activities on L29…sorry about the cliffhanger; I'll try to get the next chapter out quickly. On with the show…

Spoilers: 118 "Solitudes"

Chapter 5: Two Ancients and a Human –

"What do you mean they're not there?!?!" Alexa demanded as she stormed to the front of the jumper and stopped behind the pilot's seat.

"Exactly what I said." Korin bit back. "The gat signature is there but no life signs."

"Damn it!" Alexa exclaimed. "I'm going in."

"What?" Thalin followed her to the back of the jumper.

"This is why we brought cold weather gear Thalin." Alexa answered as she pulled out her gear. "We can't fix the problem if we don't know what the problem is."

"Just…be careful." Thalin sighed, realizing that arguing with her was going to be pointless.

Alexa nodded as she buttoned up her jacket, slung some rope over her shoulder and stepped out the back hatch. Anchoring one end of the rope in the ice, she tossed the rest down a hole and rappelled into a large cavern.

Once on the bottom, Alexa turned around and took in the familiar site…with one major difference…

"Thalin!"

Thalin had already been getting ready to join Alexa when he heard her call. Grabbing the rope she had just descended, he followed her into the cavern.

"Ye-es." Thalin drawled as he landed next to her, his back still toward the stargate. When Alexa didn't answer he turned to look at her and saw her staring at the gate so he turned and followed her gaze.

"My god." Thalin gasped.

"The 'kawoosh' wouldn't break that?" Alexa fumbled for some way to disprove what she was afraid had happened.

Thalin shook his head. "The wormhole jumped gates, so there wouldn't have been a 'kawoosh' as you call it." He sighed. "At least they wouldn't have been aware."

The two stared at the gate in shocked silence. Across the entire event horizon gleamed a two inch thick piece of ice set in the same vicinity as the SGC's iris.

"They wouldn't have known what hit them."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Well that was an easy fix." Alexa commented after they blasted the ice iris from the Antarctica gate.

"Too easy." Korin muttered before dialing L29 at the present date.

Alexa and Thalin were busy stripping their cold weather gear when they went through the stargate.

"Ah, hell…" Korin cursed up a blue streak.

"What?" Thalin and Alexa asked together as they moved to the front.

"Shit." Alexa breathed as she saw the inside of the Antarctica cavern. "Please tell me we're not back at the present."

"I'll double check, but I'm pretty sure…"

"Wait!" Thalin yelled, interrupting Korin. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" he cursed as he moved to the back of the jumper and lowered the hatch.

"Thalin, what are you…?" Alexa, who had followed Thalin, was cut off when he pointed to two frozen bodies beneath them. "My god is that…?" She breathed. "They never found them."

The two stared in shock for a minute before Alexa spun around and slammed the button to close the hatch before hurrying to the front.

"We have to know what went wrong." She said. "Korin, take us tot eh surface, but cloak first, we have no idea what the situation is on top."

Korin nodded and cloaked the ship before using a drone to blast a hole in the ice. It wasn't until they reached the tip of South America that they began to see the devastation. Within an hour they had seen the utter destruction of every major city in the world.

Alexa was afraid to ask, but she had to know. "Any life signs?"

Korin lifted the jumper several thousand feet above the planet and scanned for life signs. The computer's positive beep brought all their heads up in surprise. Korin scrambled for an exact location.

"It looks like there are small pockets of humans in several locations around the world." Korin said. "Including deep underground a few miles from where Cheyenne Mountain used to be."

"Cassie." Alexa whispered.

"What?" Thalin questioned.

"There's an old underground nuclear bomb shelter not far from Cheyenne." Alexa explained. "It's possible that some SGC personnel managed to escape."

"Escape what?" Korin demanded. "What the hell did this?"

"I won't know for sure unless we find some SGC personnel, but the first thing that comes to mind is Apophis."

"A-who?" Korin asked.

"Several months after finding the gate in Antarctica, Apophis came to Earth in two ships. It was Jack's initiative that stopped that Goa'uld attack."

"And O'Neill and Carter are dead in Antarctica." Thalin filled in.

"Exactly." Alexa nodded.

"But that was over a decade ago!" Korin exclaimed. "You think these people have survived that long?"

"Like I said, I won't know for sure until I talk to someone, there were a number of Goa'uld attacks over the last decade. Anyone could have done this." Alexa answered. "Besides, you really shouldn't underestimate us Earthlings."

"So what now?"

"Now we head toward that group near Cheyenne, they're the most likely to be SGC personnel."" Alexa began. "What supplies do we have?"

"Not a lot." Thalin said. "We usually depend on local food."

"What about coffee or your liquid protein, I know you keep an emergency stash on board." Alexa asked.

Thalin thought for a moment. "How many life signs Korin?"

"I'm counting twenty." Korin called back.

"If we ration it, we should have enough for three to four days." Thalin estimated.

"That should be more than enough as long as we find someone who knows what the hell is going on."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The group of refugees was resourceful. They hadn't had much forewarning, but they'd made good use of what they had. Food and water had been stored quickly, but most important was the seeds – that's what had kept them alive so long, despite their dwindling numbers. The one thing that could be said about the Goa'uld weapons: they fertilized the soil very well.

Every day one or two would go up to the surface and tend the gardens. It just so happened that this day one of the leaders was taking his turn weeding.

"Daniel?!?!"

It had been a long time since terror had filled Daniel's heart, but seeing someone he didn't recognize – and who was clean and healthy – scared the living daylights out of him.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Daniel demanded as he pulled out one of their few remaining guns.

Alexa couldn't believe how different this Daniel was from the Daniel she remembered. When he pulled a gun on her, she was painfully reminded that this wasn't her Daniel. She slowly raised her hands.

"I'm here to help. I'm unarmed." Alexa answered softly.

"You're not from around here." Daniel grated. "You're too clean and healthy."

"I just came through the stargate, saw the devastation and wanted to help."

"The gate was buried under Cheyenne." Daniel's eyes narrowed.

"There's a second gate, Daniel." Alexa soothed. "Jack and Sam went through it, that's why you never found them."

Daniel's eyes got wide and his hold on the gun slackened a little.

"You found them?"

"That's why I'm here Daniel. You were supposed to find them. This…" Alexa motioned around them. "…was never supposed to happen."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Daniel wasn't sure what to believe. Especially when an alien ship uncloaked in front of him. He saw two men inside and then the most heavenly smell reached his nostrils.

"Coffee?" Daniel lowered the gun completely. "I haven't even smelled coffee in over seven years."

"Unfortunately it's not brewed." Alexa motioned to the back of the jumper. "But Thalin works wonders with a French press."

Daniel moved toward the back of the jumper, but hesitated at the entrance. "Who are you?"

"I'm Lt. Alexa Stephens, USAF. I'm stationed at the SGC as part of a team that's so classified you don't even know about it."

"Why is that a big deal?" Daniel asked skeptically.

"For seven years you, Colonel O'Neill, Captain/Major Carter, and Teal'c remained a team and saved the Earth countless times from the Goa'uld."

"Seven years?"

Alexa nodded. "After that the team lost Colonel O'Neill when he became a General and commander of the SGC. SG1 then gained two new members. But to this day SG1 is still traveling the galaxy kicking bad guy ass when necessary."

"We defeated the Goa'uld?" Daniel was amazed.

"Most of them went down after your eighth year; it took three more years to bring down the last one – after defeating a new big bad enemy."

"And where do you fit into all of this?" Daniel asked as he finally stepped into the jumper and accepted a cup of coffee.

"That requires me explaining them." Alexa pointed over her shoulder at Thalin and Korin. "They are an ancient race from Earth known as the Alterans. You may know them as the Ancients or gate builders…"

"They're of the race that built the gates?!" Daniel interrupted. "But…how?"

"That's a really long story…so I'll give you the cliff notes version. Epidemic hit 10,000 years ago - the only way to survive was to ascend. These two de-ascended in order to fulfill what one might call a destiny." Alexa paused. "Throughout the years SGC personnel have had numerous close calls - turns out many were circumvented by two Ancients and a human."

"Time travel?" Daniel scoffed. "So what went wrong with this one?"

"That's what we're trying to find out." Alexa answered.

"You don't know!?!?" Daniel exclaimed angrily.

"This isn't an exact science, Daniel." Alexa explained. "We need to know what actually happened so we can figure out what went wrong."

"You screw up the timeline and you want me to tell you what went wrong?!" Daniel yelled. "Go screw yourself!" He slammed down his mug and moved toward the back of the jumper.

"How are your food supplies?" Thalin spoke up, stopping Daniel in his tracks.

"We're surviving." Daniel grumbled.

"We don't have much to offer," Thalin continued, "But we do have a supply of pure protein in liquid form. It's sustained many an obsessive scientist in my time."

"Liquid protein? Right."

"Do you feel full?"

"There was protein in my coffee?"

"Ten drops and suddenly coffee is could almost be considered a complete meal."

Daniel looked down in silent contemplation. "Any help would be greatly appreciated." He looked up with a steely gaze. "But that doesn't mean I'll help you – or that I even believe you."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Two days later, the perimeter alarm on the jumper went off. Alexa, who had been standing by the open hatch of the cloaked ship, stuck her head out instead of waiting for Korin's report.

"Hi Daniel." Alexa smiled.

Daniel remembered that the ship could cloak, but was still caught off guard when Alexa's head, and only her head, appeared out of nowhere.

"Are you trying to scare the shit out of me?" Daniel demanded.

"Sorry." Alexa stepped fully out of the jumper. "What can I do for you?"

"That liquid protein…" Daniel paused. "Some of these kids have never been this healthy…"

"It's been what, two days?" Alexa hedged. "I imagine you're almost out."

Daniel nodded. "I still don't believe your bullshit story, but I'll give you the information you want in exchange for the recipe."

Alexa shot a triumphant look over her shoulder at her two teammates. "I think we can come to an arrangement."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I figured there was a chance that Jack and Sam went through another stargate." Daniel explained. "But when all the gates between here and P4A-771 came up empty, the search was called off." He paused. "Everything just went downhill from there. Kinsey showed up, the SGC was shut down, Teal'c was stranded here, and then Apophis showed up. The rest, as they say, is history."

"You mean you never…"

"No one ever figured out the tremors?" Alexa interrupted Korin before he could lay the blame at Daniel's feet.

"Tremors?"

"Sam tried dialing Earth a couple times but it never worked…"

"…because she was basically dialing herself." Daniel finished Alexa's thought. "The gate shook a couple times like it had when the SGC first began!" Daniel's eyes got big. "My god…it was right in front of me the whole time…"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I don't like it Alexa." Thalin argued. "It's still a prototype."

"What other choice do we have?" Alexa countered. "This has to be Daniel's idea and we don't have time to create a false ID for me."

"Then let me go…"

"Are you kidding?" Alexa scoffed. "I know the SGC a lot better than you do. Besides, if anything goes wrong I'll need you to come save my ass…"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alexa had debated the best way to enter the SGC, but finally decided that blowing the escape hatch open would cause more problems, so she opted for slipping in the front. With Thalin's personal cloaking device (PCD) prototype stuck to her arm, Alexa made it down to L27 and headed through the halls toward the briefing room.

About halfway between the elevator and the briefing room, the PCD began to fritz – parts of Alexa's body began to shimmer in and out of sight.

"Frickin' a!" Alexa muttered as she took stock and dashed to the nearest supply closet. "Thalin!" she hissed over the radio once inside.

"I told you this was a bad idea." Thalin replied.

"Save the I told you so for later…I need a solution." Alexa barked quietly.

"Korin's hacking into the security system…you'll have to go the rest of the way without the PSD."

"Damn it." Alexa muttered as she shut the PSD off.

"Okay…go!"

Alexa stepped out of the closet, hoping Korin and Thalin knew what they were doing. Twenty-seven levels above her, Korin had set the cameras on a temporary loop so that, even though she'd be visible to people in the hall, the cameras would have no record of her randomly appearing on base.

Although she passed several base personnel, not one was fazed by her presence – the base was huge, it wasn't possible for everyone to know everyone – a fact for which Alexa was extremely grateful. With dozens of thoughts running through her head from security tapes to how she was going to give Daniel the requisite information, she wasn't completely aware of her surroundings…until she ran into a large body. Alexa was by no means short at 5'8", but she had to nearly tip her head completely back to see the face of the person she'd run into.

"T…teal'c." Alexa stammered. She'd never been afraid of the large Jaffa…until now.

Teal'c simply stood in silence, watching Alexa. "What is the urgency, Lieutenant Stephens?"

Alexa wracked her brain for any chance Teal'c may have had for learning her real name. Chronologically speaking, this was the first time they'd met. And then it dawned on her, she was wearing her own uniform and insignia. Crap! She thought.

"No hurry, Teal'c." Alexa explained. "Just lost in my thoughts. They tend to be all over the place on a good day, but are nearly impossible when I'm seeking a solution to a problem."

"You were not thinking of disturbing Daniel Jackson?" It was more a statement than a question.

"Disturb Dan…Dr. Jackson?" Alexa corrected herself. "Oh, no of course not. I would never dream of doing such a thing…"

"Teal'c!" General Hammond's door opened behind the Jaffa. Teal'c turned in acknowledgement. "I'm going home for the day; keep an eye on Dr. Jackson."

When Teal'c turned back around, Alexa was gone.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Change of plan, guys." Alexa muttered into her radio. "I'm going to have to approach through the control room."

"Make it quick." Thalin answered. "We – and they - are running out of time."

Suddenly Alexa stopped in her tracks. "Thalin…"

"What's wrong?"

"If we have to repeat a loop does that mean there are two versions of us in the same time?"

"If we were using Janus's device, yes. But there are some idiosyncrasies to the tenth chevron that keep that from happening, why?"

"Nothing, just thinking ahead if we have to do this again." Alexa shrugged as she started moving again.

"What kind of thinking?"

"I lost the most time with Teal'c." Alexa explained as she stepped onto the elevator to go down a level. "It would be great to use myself as a distraction."

Thalin chuckled and shook his head. "We'll keep that in mind, but let's just finish this mission this time around, huh?"

"Yeah."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alexa couldn't believe how easy it was to slip into and through the control room – no one gave her a second glance. Not wanting to test her good luck, she hurried to the stairs leading to the briefing room. She stopped halfway up, closed her eyes, and mentally focused on Daniel. He was tired and full of caffeine which made him easier to read.

Finding what she was looking for, Alexa glanced at her watch and mentally counted down. 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…

At "one" the stargate began to rumble and the room shook slightly. Using that as her cue, Alexa mentally pulled the memory she'd been holding to the forefront of Daniel's mind, immediately followed by a more obscure one.

Daniel turned and walked toward the observation window, his thoughts racing. My god…they're on Earth! That's why we couldn't find them!

Alexa smiled as she turned to go, only for it to fade instantly when her eyes landed on Teal'c standing behind her. Again, the thought that he was a lot scarier than she remembered flashed through her mind.

"Teal'c…I wasn't both…" Alexa began, but stopped when Teal'c pushed passed her and continued up the stairs to the briefing room.

"Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said as he entered the room.

Alexa waited with baited breath to make sure she'd been successful.

"Teal'c." Daniel replied with excitement. "Did you see that?"

"Why are you here?" Teal'c deadpanned.

"I couldn't sleep. I was thinking that I must be missing something, and now I just realized we ruled out a world we shouldn't have."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Heading back through the base the way she'd come, Alexa was surprised to see Thalin waiting for her at the elevator.

"What are you doing here?" Alexa hissed as she pulled him into the elevator.

"You're welcome." Thalin answered. Alexa shot him a look. "Well someone had to clear Teal'c's memories of you. And as I recall his mental agility was a little too much for you."

Alexa glared at Thalin before turning her attention back to the task at hand.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sitting in the commissary in the SGC, Alexa couldn't help but be thankful that they'd managed to put everything right again. As she enjoyed her piece of apple pie, she was a bit surprised when Teal'c joined her at the table.

"Hey Teal'c." Alexa greeted with a smile.

"Alexa Stephens have you seen combat?" Teal'c asked as he studied her.

"Combat? You mean recently?" Alexa clarified. Teal'c inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Not that I recall, why?"

"Because you possessed such a bruise the first time we met." Teal'c said.

Alexa frowned. She didn't remember having a bruise when they met. Crap! She thought as she realized where – and when – she'd gotten the bruise. She'd been in such a hurry to hide when the PCD began to fail that she'd hit her cheek on the corner of a shelf in the storage closet. That had been just a few minutes before running into Teal'c outside the briefing room…

TBC…