Chapter Fifteen: Two Wrongs
SG-1 (with Carter substitute) stared intently at the bed where Thor's body lay, watching for any sign of his return. Had Loki been successful the first time? Had Thor ever reached Carter? They had no way to know.
Suddenly, the lights on the stasis pod went crazy, cycling through their colors and making the three humans jump a little – Teal'c, of course, remained stoic as ever. The glass slid back to allow the alien to sit upright. "The transfer was successful," he told them with a tiny nod. "Loki will soon attempt to return Major Carter to this universe as well."
"Oh, thank God."
Jack raised an eyebrow at the replacement scientist. And here he thought they'd been doing quite well. "We that bad?"
"I... no, of course not," she gushed quickly. "I didn't mean that, um-"
"He was messing with you," Daniel assured her before quickly averting his gaze. Again. Clearly, he would be the most grateful to have the old Carter back, although Jack was a very close second.
"Well," she said softly, "it's been-"
She shut off like a switch, eyes closing, knees giving way, leaving Jack scrambling to catch her as she wilted to the cool, hard floor. He pulled her gently into his lap and cast the alien an irritated look. "You could've warned us, you know."
If he'd had eyebrows, Jack was pretty sure the alien would have been raising them. "I believed that I had."
"Did it work?" Kneeling in front of him, Daniel cast a concerned look at the woman in Jack's arm. She just lay there, completely limp. Lifeless.
The archaeologist's question was a valid one, and the longer she stayed unconscious, the more concerned Jack got. "Thor? Buddy?" he asked finally. "She's okay... right?"
The alien merely blinked.
And then so did Carter, sucking in a breath. The men watched her as she blinked a few times, her gaze landing on Daniel, then Teal'c, before finally finding the colonel.
His heart pounded in his chest. Had it worked? Which Carter was he holding – his or Daniel's?
He almost choked on the thought.
She blinked once more, long and slow, and then murmured, "Sir?"
"Hey, Carter," he answered. It was surprisingly difficult to keep his voice as light as he meant it to be. "Welcome back."