Chapter 13
… Double Trouble …
"The Asgard over there," Teal'c indicated the tied up alien, "attempted to replace you with a clone. He was unsuccessful."
"How long was I gone?" Jack asked.
"About seven days," Daniel responded.
"Wow," O'Neill replied, and then he turned to the clone, "So you're… me."
"You?" the clone said with a frown. "Yeah, and believe me when I say it's creepy," he indicated himself. "And I'm the damn copy."
Daniel walked over to the alien as he noticed him stirring.
"What is going on?" the Asgard sounded confused.
"Well," Daniel nearly snarled, "I was hoping you could tell us."
"No," the alien said as he shook his head. "This is not right."
"Hey!" Jack snapped as he headed over to the Asgard. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You stole my ass and made a… mini… me."
"Who are you anyway?" Daniel said as he tried to maintain a calm tone to his voice.
"I am Loki," the alien answered.
"That explains it," Daniel said sarcastically.
"Say what?" Jack said as he looked at Daniel. He had not expected that kind of tone in the archaeologist's voice.
"The god of mischief, according to Norse tradition. The Trickster," Daniel said with a frown.
"Why did you take Jack O'Neill?" Teal'c asked as he moved closer to everyone.
"I do not have to answer to you," Loki responded with a flat tone.
"Hey!" Jack snapped, "We just saved your asses from the Replicators. Is this how we're thanked?"
"At least you'll live," the clone said in a depressed tone.
"What?" Jack said as he looked over at the teen.
"Yeah," Daniel said quietly at Jack's side, "Something didn't go right when Loki did what he did to make your mini… you. His body's gonna break down if Loki doesn't make it right."
"I cannot," Loki said with a frown, "The same thing happens to all clones."
"Okay," Jack said, "Why the hell did you do this anyway?"
"I am a former geneticist with the Asgard High Council."
"Former," Daniel said as he glared at the little alien.
"I was removed from my position after they caught me experimenting on humans."
"Like that didn't tell you anything the first time?" Jack snapped.
"I merely did what was necessary to perfect our cloning technology," Loki continued, "Our population cannot withstand duplication much longer."
"How can experimenting on humans change that?" Daniel asked exasperated.
"Your bodies are similar to our original form. I hope to find a way to construct a clone that will contain our superior intellect with you reproductive capabilities. My research thus far has been unsuccessful."
"Superior intellect," the clone snarked, "Is that an oxymoron?"
Jack eyed the teen, "I woulda said that."
The clone smirked at the original.
"I would have eventually been successful if allowed to continue," Loki protested.
"Why come back here after being forbidden?" Teal'c asked with a frown.
"Because I thought he would bridge the gap," Loki said as he looked at O'Neill.
"Me?" both the clone and the original asked simultaneously.
"He was physiologically advanced enough to carry and utilize all the data from the ancient repository of knowledge. That would not be possible for any human one generation ago. He is a significant step forward on your evolutionary path." Loki said.
"You just found this out?" Sam asked as she looked at the colonel and his clone doing a freaky twin thing.
"O'Neill is a legend," Loki said, "I learned about his status at the same time as all Asgard learned of it.
"So, with the war against the Replicators," Daniel deducted, "you thought the others would be too distracted to notice you heading back here."
"And, you thought the opportunity was too good to pass up," the clone extrapolated.
"I am trying to save my people," Loki defended himself.