SG1 in Atlantis
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me, though I really wish they did. Neither does the whole concept of Atlantis or a city control mentally, I'm just playing with it.
AN: ok, this is a future fic, only three years but still in the future. As any of you who have read any of my fics know, I'm a shipper. So, here I'm making a couple of assumption that should really come as no surprise to anyone that has read my other fic: Sam and Jack are together and so are Tayla and John. Ok, that's it for author's note.
Chapter 6: Ancient, who?
As the others started speculating about what Jack could possibly have or represent, Jack got this weird look on his face and started to leave the room.
"Jack? Where are you going?" Sam asked as she saw him leave.
All of the sudden, John and Carson got the same look and John answered Sam, "I think he's going to the hologram room." And he turned and followed Jack out of the room.
"The hologram room?" Sam asked looking around at the others. "What's that? And why are you going?"
"It's a room where we found a hologram of an ancient when we first got here," Carson answered. "As to why we're going, well, I'm thinking that the General thinks the answers are there."
Sam looked around the room and when she caught Daniel's eyes, he said, "Then, I guess we better go too, huh?"
"Yeah, let's go." Sam agreed with him as she started to walk out, followed by everyone.
They hurried to follow Jack and John that were the ones in the lead. Sam run to catch up to Jack and asked him, "Jack, how do you know where you're going?"
Jack looked at her and said, "I'm not sure. But I think that somehow or other I know almost everything there is to know about Atlantis."
That answer took Sam aback and she wasn't sure how to respond to it. The idea that in less than half hour her husband had received enough information that now he knew everything there was to know about Atlantis was, well, it was weird, to say the least.
As the group walked down the corridors of Atlantis, they heard a voice call out, "Daniel! Wait up." They stopped and turned to see how was calling and saw Vala hurrying up to them. "I'm glad I found you. I spent the last ten minutes walking around trying to find where the heck you guys were beamed down."
"Hey, Vala. Sorry, I didn't look for you, but things have been a bit crazy here." Daniel explained as Vala joined the group and they resumed their trek to the hologram room. "Where did you end up, anyway?"
"Oh, I ended up in the infirmary with the Doc. She's still there by the way. All of those cool new gadgets have totally grabbed her attention. She's like a kid in a candy store." She then looked around a bit and said, "So, this is the Lost City of the Ancients, uh? So, are you going to be like a kid in a candy store, too?"
"Yeah, probably. Well, as soon as we solve this latest mystery." Seeing Vala's puzzled expression, Daniel went on to explained just what had been going on since they beamed down.
"Wow, that's unbelievable." Vala said shaking her head in awe.
"Tell me about it," Daniel said just as they crossed the doorway to what turned out to be the hologram room. They were the last ones in the room and came just in time to see Jack stepped up into a platform. As soon as he fully stepped on it, the hologram of a woman came on. It was the same woman, Melia, from the hologram that Carson had found all those years ago. But it was a completely new message.
"Hello. I'm, we're, so glad you're here. If you're hearing this message then that means we were successful. Not only did Atlantis survived for ten thousand years but our line has also survived." That bit drew made everyone looked at each other with a mixture of confusion and surprise. As if she knew the confusion she'd cause she said, "I know you must have a lot of questions right now, so let me begin at the beginning and see if that answers them.
"A few days ago, a Dr. Elizabeth Wier was rescued from the bottom on the ocean. She was aboard one of our ships, one that had been modified by Janus and had actually brought her back in time. She's from ten thousand years into the future. Presumably from your own time. The council has denied her and Janus's requests to send her back to her own time – time travel is not something to be taken lightly. The repercussion could be disastrous if not undertaken with the utmost care." At this, Sam nodded her head and shared a knowing look with the Jack, Daniel and Teal'c – they knew very well how dangerous time travel could be.
"Especially now, when we just don't have the resources to spare for a true study. We're in the process of preparing the evacuation back to Earth and cannot devote neither the time nor resources needed. However, we know Janus; we know how stubborn he can be when he thinks he's right. I'm sure that even as I'm leaving this message, he's devising a means to ensure that Dr. Weir gets back to her time and a means for the shield not to fail." The Atlantis crew shared a look as they remembered the story that the other Elizabeth had told them and thankful that Janus had indeed found a way to keep the shield from failing completely.
"Janus thinks we don't know about his activities. He should know there's very little that goes on in Atlantis that we don't know about." There was something about the way she said 'we' that had Jack raising one eyebrow.
"While we may not officially endorse his endeavors, we do hope that he'll be successful. And if you're playing this message, he was." She paused for a minute and took a big breath as she looked to the side for a minute. "Dr. Weir's told us quite a bit about the journey that led you to find Atlantis. It's quite a tale. And it's the reason why I decided to leave this message. You don't know how glad we are that you, the heir, exists." That once drew perplexed looks from all those gathered – except Jack, John and Carson, who for some reason seem to know where this was going.
"It is a bit strange to be talking to you. We weren't sure you'd ever exist and now we don't only know you exist but thanks to Dr. Weir we even have a name for you: General Jack O'Neill." The one piece of information one would have thought would have blown them all off, only seemed to surprised Cameron, Vala, and Rodney. Sam, Daniel, Teal'c and Elizabeth seemed to have seen it coming.
"You're probably asking yourselves how do we know you're the heir and what that means. Well, the easy answer to the first question is that only the heir's genetic make up could have activated this message. The answer to the second question is a bit more involved.
"As you already know, Atlantis is an interactive city. All of our citizens are able to communicate with it and to a certain extent they can also command the city's functions. The extent to which a person can command the city depends on his or her status. For what Dr. Weir has told us of your culture you value equality highly and so do we. However, you must know that for any society to thrive, there must by necessity be some form of governmental body to rule over the citizens. In our case, that is the ruling council. The council is made up of prominent citizens from a variety of fields and representatives of what were once the ruling families.
"It is only the council members that have the ability and power to command the sensitive aspects of the city's functions. The most sensitive aspects, however, are only accessible by the representative of what was once the royal house of Atlantis. This is a security procedure that was implemented generations ago for the protection of all Lanteans; it is a fundamental component of the city. To dismantle it would take longer than we have; our evacuation back to Earth is imminent. But our leaving with this safeguard in place means that Atlantis won't fully awake and won't revealed all of its treasures to you until and unless the descendant of our house comes to the city and interacts with it.
"Only you, our rightful heir or your descendants will be able to truly awake the city and access all of its secrets."
With that the hologram ended and absolute silence descended on the room, as the group tried to assimilate all they've just learned. It was Cameron that voiced the question they all were thinking of, "Does that mean the General O'Neill is an ancient?"
Predictably it was Sam that answered, "Well, I think that it means that he's the closest to them of all of us. But, Thor had already told us that he was our next step in our evolution. I guess that makes sense if he's their direct descendant." Even though she spoke thoughtfully and calmly as if this was just another puzzle, it was obvious by an undertone in her voice that she was as surprised as the rest of them
Suddenly, Daniel pointed to the hologram platform and stated in a 'I just remembered voice', "I know her!"
John, who looked more preoccupied than surprised said, "Yeah, that is the same lady that we saw when we first came to Atlantis."
"No, I mean I actually know her." Daniel said while looking directly at Jack.
Jack came out of his absorbed silence and asked Daniel, "What do you mean? As if you knew her while you were ascended?"
"Exactly," responded Daniel, he knew Jack would get it. "Her name is Melia. I saw her around back then. And it usually was whenever I came back to check on your guys – especially on you, Jack." Another significant look passed between the two friends.
"You think she was checking up on me, too?" Though it was a question, Jack already knew the answer.
"Yes, I do. But I think she was doing more than just checking up on you."
"But I thought that the Ancients did not interfere in our affairs. That that was a no-no." Cameron observed, while Jack and Daniel kept looking at each other.
"Not usually, no." Daniel answered turning to look at Cameron. "But, remember that Oma helped people she considered worthy. That was interfering; it just was shy of the line that they had set that shouldn't be cross. It's reasonable to assume that there were others that were also interfering without crossing that line. And this lady must be one of them."
"So, she . . .what?" Asked Sam. "Guided Jack? Protected him? What?"
"I'm not sure. Whatever she did, and is probably still doing, must be subtle or she'd run the risk of the others stopping her. But I think it is fair to say that she was looking out for him."
"What? Like my guardian angel?" Asked Jack and there was an undercurrent of bitterness in his voice that was noted by all, but only Sam, Daniel and Teal'c guessed its source.
Daniel shrugged his shoulders and looking somewhat uncomfortable nodded, "Yeah, I guess."
As Jack snorted, letting everyone know his opinion of that idea, a white light appeared where the hologram had been standing. When it cleared, the same lady from the hologram was standing there. But it was clear to all that this was no hologram; this was the real thing. There, in front of them, a real, live Ancient was standing.
"Hello." She said as they all stood there looking at her with dumbfounded expressions. Her gaze finally rested on Jack and noting his tight expression went straight to the point and asked, "You don't like the idea that I checked up on you from time to time? Or is it the idea that I looked out for you that you don't like?"
Jack frowned as he looked at her for few seconds and then in a flat voice said, "I actually don't like either one. But I have a really problem with the idea that you're out there supposedly looking out for me but still letting tragedies occurred when you could prevent them." By the time he finished speaking his voiced had gone from flat to bitter and Daniel and Sam both winced while Teal'c just raised an eyebrow. The others had no idea what was going on, but knew that Jack was talking about specific events. They weren't left in the dark for long.
"You're talking about Charlie's death." It was not a question, really.
"Yes. If you really are the good guys everyone seems to think you are, I don't understand how you could have let such a senseless accident happened without stopping it."
Melia just looked at him for a while and then said, "I regret more than you'll ever know that he had to died and that I could do nothing to prevent it. But as Daniel has already explained we are not allowed to interfered in your development or your fate."
"And yet you do. Oma interferes when she helps others ascend and you do when you meddle in my life." Jack pointed out in a decidedly unfriendly tone of voice.
"Yes," she agreed with a nod of her head. "But as Daniel has also explained, there are levels of interference. What Oma did was permitted because she only chose people that were already on their way to ascension and that were at the end of their lives in this plane of existence."
"But Daniel wasn't, though." Sam objected. "My dad was curing him using the healing device." Sam said as she looked at Jack and Teal'c and saw in their eyes the same grief she was feeling – even after all this years and with Daniel back with them, it was still very hard for them to think about that time.
"He was making some progress, yes." Melia once again agreed with a nod of her head. "However, there was no guarantee the he would have succeeded. And at the end, it was Daniel's decision. The only thing Oma did was present him with options that he had been well on his way to discovering by himself. If you want to call that interference, that's fine – but that kind of interference is permitted."
"It sounds like a lot like splitting hairs to me." Jack grumbled.
"Not really," Daniel said with a look on his face that the members of SG1, Jack and Vala knew meant that he was trying to recall his time as an Ancient. "I mean, Oma never really interfered in my life. She never make things happened to me, or kept from doing things or make me do things. She just presented me with information and options and what I did with them was completely up to me. She never pushed me one way or the other. And she only did it when as a result of my own actions I was on the brink of death. I guess you could call it interference if you really wanted it to; but it wasn't really. At least not the kind of interference that'd have affected the development of human kind."
"Ok," Jack said, taking Daniel at his word. "So, what kind of interference did you do? Because according to Daniel here, and yourself, you did interfered with my life in some way, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did." She answered and if Jack was waiting for some form of apology form her, he would have had a long, long wait. "And it was of the same type Oma used. Unobtrusive, subtle; nothing that would have changed the path you were destined to travel or that would have intrude with you free will. I simply tried to make things a bit simpler, easier for you whenever I could."
"Easier?" Jack repeated and would have gone on in a tirade about how watching your only son died hadn't been easy at all, but Sam interrupted him by asking, "How did you make things easier, if you don't mind my asking?"
"I just tried to make his injuries a bit less severe so that he wouldn't be in too much pain and his recoveries would be faster. Though he didn't need my help much with that; he has a naturally stronger physiology than normal."
Daniel noted the way she said that and wanted to ask about it but she was still explaining and he didn't feel right interrupting her, so he made a mental note to ask about it later.
"Also, whenever he had to make a big decision, I'd nudged him in the right direction." Seeing the look in Jack's face at that revelation, she hastened to add. "But I never made the decisions for you. I only nudged in the right direction when you yourself where already leaning that way. I knew you would have eventually reached the right conclusions; I just made it a little easier by giving you a slight push in that direction."
Jack snorted a bit mollified with that explanation but not completely sold on the whole idea yet. "That still doesn't explained why you just let Charlie died when you could have prevented it."
"Actually, Jack, yes it does." Daniel began to answer but seeing the glare Jack was sending his way, decided it'd be better if he sat this one out.
"As I said, we can give nudges and maybe make some things that were going to happen anyway, easier. But we can not interfere with anyone's fate or with the development of human kind as a whole."
"So, what? You're telling me that it was his fate to die? Or that preventing his death would have interfered with our development?" Jack asked.
"Both," in contrast to Jack's voice, Melia's voice was calm and quiet.
"What the hell does my son's life have to do with the development of human kind?" Jack asked incredulous; but as he looked at Sam, Daniel and Teal'c, he could tell by their expressions that they had a pretty good ideal where this was going and that, as much as they didn't like it, they agreed with what was being said. And if he was honest with himself, he had to acknowledge that in some part of his mind, he also knew what this was all meant - that didn't mean he had to like it.
"It had a lot to do with it," she stated. And seeing from his set expression that he wasn't going to budge, she continued, " If he hadn't died you would not be here. You were already thinking about stopping your field work because you were missing so much of his life." At this Sam and Daniel turned towards Jack with equally surprised expressions, this was the first they've ever heard of this.
"If Charlie had been injured but had not died, you would have quit the Air Force if they hadn't let you retire from the field. You would have been determined to dedicate your life to your family. A most noble goal." Melia paused to see if Jack would say anything. But there was nothing that he could say – she was right. He would have the Air Force rather than missing more of his son's life.
"If you had quit the Air Force, and even if you hadn't, you would have never been given the Abydos assignment." She didn't say it, but he knew why not: the only reason he'd been given that assignment to begin with was because he was suicidal. If Charlie had lived, Jack would have had no reason to be suicidal and would have never been called for that mission. The others in the room, with the exception of Sam, Daniel and Teal'c and maybe Elizabeth, didn't know why she was so sure of that, but since O'Neill didn't bother to contradict her, they figured she was right and that they would just have to live without knowing the whole story.
"And if you hadn't gone to Abydos, you wouldn't have met Daniel; you wouldn't have met Skarra and the other Abydonians. Chances are that whoever was sent in your place wouldn't have bothered to help them fight. Ra wouldn't have been defeated and Daniel may well have died there. But even if he didn't, what are the chances that anyone else but you would have failed to followed orders about the bomb? Or be willing to falsify his report when he went back and said everyone was dead? You know that the only reason the others went along with the story was because they respected you. They wouldn't have done it for anyone else."
"So, you're saying that Charlie had to died because I was supposed to go to Abydos and kill Ra?" Jack asked bitterly.
"Yes," she answered simply. "It may sound cruel," at that Jack couldn't help another snort and a bitter, sarcastic, "Ya think?" "But that's the truth. You were needed in Abydos. And you were needed after. Only you could have led SG1 and have them accomplished everything they have."
"Please," Jack said shaking his head. "Anyone else could have led them just as well. They," pointing at Sam and Daniel, "are the brains of the outfit."
"Maybe, though I know just how smart you are, so don't even bother playing dumb with me." At that Jack made a face but kept his silence, knowing it would have been useless to argue. "But you were and are the heart."
"I was the brawn, Danny here is the conscience." Jack argued, not comfortable with being called the 'heart'. It didn't do anything for his 'tough General' reputation.
"Yes, but you were the soul." Seeing the look on Jack's face, she knew she would have to say more if she was to convince him of how important he had been to the continued survival of the human race. "Sam may have dealt with the scientific, mechanical aspects of gate travel; and Daniel may have dealt with the cultural aspects and they both may have advised you and pointed out moral arguments. But at the end of the day, it was you that made the final decisions, you, who had the responsibility, not only for the safety of your team but ultimately, for Earth. Can you imagine what would have happened if Sam or Daniel would have been the ones making the decisions?"
"Hey," Jack protested as Sam shot her a glare. "Sam is a great CO."
"Yes, now she is. But back when you started going through the gate? Would she have made the right decisions? She would most likely been carried away by her awe, her sense of scientific discovery and in some cases her emotional reactions to the situations." Sam grimaced but couldn't really deny the charge. "And Daniel, Daniel would have also been swept by what his own sense of discovery. He wouldn't have been able to see beyond wonder of meeting all those new people. As brilliant as they both are and as a good a soldier as Sam was, neither one of them had the tactical training you had. Neither one was trained to see the bigger, complete picture." Jack turned to looked at Daniel and Sam and found both of them reluctantly nodding.
"She's right, Jack." Sam acknowledged. "I wouldn't be soldier I am today if I hadn't had you to learn from. I wasn't anywhere near ready to lead the team back then. I couldn't have made half the decisions you had to make."
"Yes, whether you choose to admit it or not, you and only you were needed, Jack." Melia said and then looked at his eyes and sighed before saying, "Jack, making the hard decisions, the ones where you sent good people to where they could die or stop them from coming back – that's what makes you a leader. Making those decisions doesn't mean you're heartless. It just means that your heart is strong enough for you to do what needs to be done."
Jack looked into her eyes and saw only truth and honesty there and, surprisingly, he found that the he was able to let go of some of the guilt he carried over some of the decisions he'd had to make over his long career.
Melia saw the acceptance of what she was saying and pressed her advantage. "And Teal'c. If anyone else had gone to Chulak, do you think that Teal'c would have turned his back on everything he knew, left his family to follow them?" Jack and everyone else in the room turned to look at Teal'c.Teal'c looked at Melia and raised an eyebrow; he then turned to look at Jack and said, "Indeed not."
"It was you and what he saw in your eyes, your strength and determination, that convinced him you would really be able to help him and his people."
"Melia is, indeed, right, O'Neill." Teal'c acknowledge.
"Hump," Jack didn't know what else to say. Sure it was flattering to think Teal'c helped them because he believed in Jack. And somehow, he'd always known that if Charlie had lived he would never have gone through the Stargate; but to hear that he had to die because Jack had some destiny to fulfill? Or because his life would have interrupted human development? It was a bit more than Jack was ready to accept.
"Look, I've dedicated my life to the military and to the defense of my country and Earth. And I've also accepted the fact that at any moment I may be called to give up my life for my country and planet. But that is my life – not my kid's." Jack said adamantly.
Melia said looking Jack straight in the eye, "Unfortunately, there are some things that can not be changed. No matter how much we may want to, there are some things even us can not prevent." Just as Jack opened his mouth to comment, she continued. "However, while there are things we can't change, there are also things that we can."
Jack closed his mouth at that pronouncement. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts and then he said, "What do you mean exactly?
"I mean that you are our heir, our direct descendant. As such you have our gene. And it is that gene that allows you to operate our technology; that allows you to connect and awake the city. And it has also given more gifts that you are aware of."
That little revelation once again stunned everyone in the room. It seemed that Melia had thrown one bomb after another since she first appeared.
Typically, it was Daniel that spoke first. "'Other gifts?' Is that what you meant when you said that that Jack had 'stronger physiology than normal'?
Melia looked at Daniel and smiled. "You were always very observant, Daniel. Yes that is exactly what I meant. Having the gene means that he's stronger, more resilient and has more endurance than your typical human."
Despite the seriousness of the moment, Jack couldn't help a small smirk at that
"That kind of makes sense actually." Sam admitted. "I mean given all the injuries Jack has had, all the torture he's been through and all the times he was near death . . ."
"Don't forget all the times he's actually died," Daniel interrupted. "I guess having the gene is a good reason why he's beaten the odds time and time again." He then paused as he thought of something. "Wait a minute. Is that why he was able to go through the sarcophagus as many times as he did and not loose himself?" That one had always bothered Daniel (well, ever since he'd remembered it). Sure, he'd been there to try and keep him sane, but as many times as Jack had gone through it, he should by rights gone insane. "That's why there wasn't any of you there to offer him ascension. You knew he'd be all right!"
"Yes, we knew it was not yet his time. And we knew that his mind was strong enough to resist its effects. Though, you shouldn't discount the help you gave him, Daniel.
"Yes," Daniel said absent-mindedly; obviously his mind had already moved on or back as was the case. "Anya and that plague." Though, he hadn't been with the team when they've encountered the plague, he'd been around and he'd read the mission's report.
Sam was obviously thinking along the same lines. "Why was he the last one to come down with the symptoms? If he has so much of your physiology, why didn't he come down with it before the rest of us? After all, it was the plague that brought you down, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was. And that was why he was able to resist it as long as he did; his immune system was able to combat it longer than yours. However, that was also why when he did come down with it, it affected him so strongly and so fast."
"Is that why Anya wasn't able to cure him?" Daniel asked
Sam looked at him sharply and said, "We've always assumed that was because she no longer had any energy after curing the rest of us."
"Yes, that was part of the problem, but not all of it. Even if she had tried to cure him first, she wouldn't have succeeded. While Jack does not have our exact physiology, he's close enough to us for the plague to affect him the same way as it did us; and we weren't able to cure it by our healing power. Anya knew this, that's why she cured all of you first and then went and tried to help him. If she'd have done it the other way, she wouldn't have saved any of you."
"But why did taking the Tok'ra symbiote cured him, if he'd been so affected?" Sam asked, the scientist in her once again coming to the front.
"The symbiote was a completely alien organism. His make up was somehow able to counter the effects of the plague. If we've known of them back then, we might have been able to do something about it."
"Ok! Listening to why I'm still alive after so many close calls if fascinating, really!" Jack cut in sarcastically – listening about the time when he had taken the Tok'ra was not something he enjoyed, at all! "But that does not tell me what you meant when you said you were able to change some things. That did have something to do with Charlie, didn't it?"
"Yes," she answered with a small, secretive smile.
"Oh, my God!" Exclaimed Daniel. "I think I know what she meant."
"Great, then maybe you can tell me." Said Jack.
"I can't believe I didn't see it sooner." He said looking at Melia with his eyes wide open. "It's so clear now. That's the real reason no one was there and why no one tried to stopped me. He wouldn't have really needed any help, would he?
"What help? Who wouldn't have needed help?"
"No, he wouldn't." Melia answered.
"Can SOMEONE please tell me WHAT you guys are TALKING about?"
"Don't you see, Jack?" Daniel answered. "The reason no one tried to stopped me from helping you ascend was because you didn't need any help!"
"What? What do you mean?
"You would have ascended anyway, on your own - eventually." Then he turned to Melia and asked, "But how would that have worked?"
"Daniel!" Jack yelled and then asked Melia, "WHAT is he talking about?
"What Daniel is trying to say is that as our descendant, you'll be able to ascend once you feel you have completed everything you needed to accomplished in his plane."
"Ascend? Me?" Jack asked incredulous. "But I've never wanted to ascend."
"That's because somehow you've always known that there was still things you needed to do here. But once you do everything you need to do, you'll move on to next stage. As everyone in your family has done before you."
Jack was so preoccupied with the idea that one day he'll actually be ready to ascend that it took him a moment to process what Melia had just said. "Everyone? You mean Charlie . . .?"
Melia nodded smiling, "You didn't really think that we would let one of our families just go, did you?" And she turned to look to a spot close to her where a bright while light suddenly appeared. As the light disappeared a nine year old – a very familiar nine years old – was left behind.
"Charlie?" Jack asked in a trembling voice
"Hi, dad." Charlie said with a wave and a grin that was Jack all over.
AN2: First of all, I'm sorry for taking so long. It's just that while I knew what I wanted to say, I had trouble actually saying it in a couple of places. I hope you guys like this chapter as much as the ohters. And I'm really, really sorry about stopping at such a cliff hanger but the chapter is already long enough and I wanted to post something before too much time passed and that was a great stopping place. I promise to try and post faster. Please, let me know what you think: If you like it, love it, hate it, just review and let me know.