Fools Said I You do Not Know6
"Daddy, daddy!" The two little boys swarmed their father. Engulfed him in hugs as he knelt to catch them. "Daddy, where mommy! Where mommy go! Can we watch the mammuts on big scree now? Daddy, can we have popcorn? Daddy, daddy, are we code pwurple or blue?" Their voices blended together as the dog barked, jumping round them.
"Boys!" he ordered, silencing them. The dog paused, also silent but violently wagging its tail. He gentled his tone. "Easy now, boys. Everything's fine. Mommy is, um, doing some science stuff." He glanced at Maggie who stood in the doorway, holding the baby. "Maggie, can you look after them a little longer?"
"Of course, colonel," the older woman assured with a smile.
"Thank you."
"Where daddy go?" Seamus asked, frowning.
"I've got to go help mommy with her, um, science stuff," he explained. It sounded lame even to him and he inwardly winced.
"Huh? Daddy no scientist," Johnny remarked, brows furrowing in confusion. Looking so much like him than John smiled.
"You got that right, junior. Nevertheless I am going to help her."
"Daddy, daddy, I want mammut!"
"You want a mammoth, Seamus? What, for dinner?"
The boy giggled. "No, daddy! Not for dinner!"
"Oh. Are you sure?"
"Yes, daddy!"
"Okay, then. You can't have one as a pet."
"Why not?"
"Because it wouldn't fit in Atlantis."
Seamus considered. "Oh. Okay, daddy."
"Here we go!" He stood, swung each boy under his arm. They laughed as he carried them to their room. Set them down. "All right, boys, now behave yourselves! I'll be back ASAP, with your mother. Let me see Ems." He turned, took the baby from Maggie. "How's my precious princess?" He kissed the baby.
"Dada! Dada dada dada dada," the little girl prattled, all smiles.
"Yeah, that's more like it. No more earache? Good." He lifted her high to make her squeal with delight. Lowered her and kissed her. Handed her back to Maggie. "If she has any problems page me immediately. Boys, best behavior, all right? We'll watch the mammoths on the big screen soon enough. Get this room cleaned and behave for once, all right?"
"We always behave, daddy," Johnny said.
"We be good," Seamus agreed.
John smiled. "Well, maybe sometimes. Like now. Do what Maggie says. I'll be back."
Moira stood in the cell, staring at her doppelganger. The other Moira was pacing, pacing. Stopped suddenly and became very still. "What are you doing? What are you doing?" Moira turned to find the room empty, except for one marine who was shaking his head. She glanced up to see the security camera's little red light blinking. Until it flared brightly before going dark. "Oh oh. What are you doing? You–" Moira paused as the other woman smiled at her. A cold, chilling smile before she stepped to the front of her cell. "Shit! Marine! Call for help now!"
The man appeared oblivious. He approached the other cell, dropping his gun onto the floor on his way. Staggered, as if drunk or drugged. He deactivated the cells. Both force fields vanished in a haze of blue. The door opened.
"Damn it! Can you hear me? Leave him alone!" Moira moved to the opening of her cell, hesitated. Before she could say more it happened.
In the blink of an eye the other Moira was on the marine, tackling him to the ground. Thrusting not her palm but her mouth to his as they hit the floor hard. The man struggled, trying to scream but his pain was devoured by the creature on top of him.
Moira suddenly recalled that the sucker was in the mouth, not in the palm. That these Wraith were more evolved. "Stop! Stop! John! John!" she shouted, hoping he would sense her strong emotions and come to the rescue. She ran out of the cell, dove for the gun and fired. The bullet hit air as the other Moira sprang back, lashed out and flung Moira across the room.
The other Moira was upon her. Lashing out with sharp nails, with incredible strength and speed. A fist knocked Moira's face sideways. Moira fought back, squirming and punching, pushing. Realizing too late she had fallen right into the trap the creature had set. Moira cried out as the other Moira yanked off her wedding ring, nearly taking her finger with it. She flung the gem across the room. The gold band flew in the air, hit the floor and rolled out of sight. Diamonds winking in the lights. Moira shoved, kicked, and the two women rolled, locked in a vicious battle. Matching strength for strength. Anger for anger.
Boot steps pounded into the room, John in the lead. "Stun only! On my mark!" Shots were fired. The blue bolts of energy sizzled, hitting both women. Knocking them apart. They fell to either side of each other, both unconscious. Bodies twitching, then becoming still. Inert. "Moira!" John ran, but paused. Seeing neither bore the wedding ring he froze. Uncertain which one was his wife. He looked from one to the other, desperate for a clue, any clue.
There were none.
"Johnson is alive! He doesn't look injured, sir," Evan Lorne noted, kneeling by the unconscious man. He looked over at the two prone women.
"Camera's fried, sir. I don't know how," stated a marine who was examining the equipment.
"John! What the...oh my God! Moira! Quickly, get her to the–" Carson rushed towards them.
"Wait! Which one?" Richard halted the doctor, staring down at the two women. "My God! What happened?"
"What happened?" John rounded on the man, furious. "This is what happened! I knew which one was my wife, which one was the imposter! I knew, and yet you wouldn't believe me! None of you would believe me! And now thanks to you and your damn insistence on imprisoning my wife I don't know which is which either!"
Richard visibly paled. Looked at the women. At the accusatory faces of the men surrounding him. At John's ire. "You're right. I am sorry. I had no idea something like this could have–"
"You should have! I should have! That damn thing was biding its time, clouding your mind and making you do what it wanted! Moira was right! You should have listened to her!" John glanced at the two women on the floor. Both battered, bruised, beautiful. Identical. Even the wounds on their arms were identical now, and he wondered how that had happened.
"The one with the ring, no, the one without, that's the–" Richard stammered.
"The ring's gone," John noted. Met Carson's gaze. "And now...I...I'm not sure which one is my wife," he was forced to admit again. He scowled. Felt sick.
There was a stunned silence. As if everyone was holding their breath. Until Carson moved to the prone women. "In any event we need to get both of them to the infirmary. Something's not right here. They are stunned, but with one blast they should be coming out of it by now. I'll run a full series of tests. Maybe we can tell when they are unconscious. Maybe their brain patterns will be significantly different enough for a positive analysis."
"And if we can't?" Richard asked quietly. Avoiding the glare of John. Avoiding the accusatory looks of the men around them.
Only silence met his question.
John was pacing, pacing. It had been hours. Hours in which Carson ran his tests. Hours in which the two women remained unconscious, vital signs mysteriously slipping to dangerous levels without any discernible cause. John knew he didn't have hours. Didn't have any more time to wait for yet another test, another theory, another delay. The children needed their mother. He needed his wife. So he paced, paced, trying to figure out a way to tell the two identical women apart. A way that didn't involve any scientific test or analysis. A way invoking his heightened senses which so far had been useless.
He knew he had to make the decision. The choice. And pray to God that it was the right one.
"I'm sorry, John." Carson shook his head, set down his data pad. He stood looking at the beeping monitors. The squiggly lines that were indicating both women were declining. At exactly the same rate. "It has to be now. If we wait to see we may lose one, or both. One is draining the life from the other, but I can't tell which. The scans tell me that both are being drained of life. This thing...it's fooling the machines, John, and that scares the hell out of me, because it means the machines are useless. Do you think Johnny could–"
"No." John turned to eye the doctor. Saw Rodney hovering near, concerned. Yet loath to intrude. Uncharacteristically tactful for the normally blustering scientist. "I won't involve him in this. It would be too much for him. And if he made the wrong choice..." John swallowed.
"You can't do anything to tell them apart?" Rodney asked, unable to help himself. He moved to the two men. "What if we waited. One would rally, right? And that one would be the imposter."
"Aye, and if we wait that long it would leave our Moira to be a, a..."
"Vegetable," John supplied. "I know. It has to be now. But if I choose the wrong one..."
Carson touched his shoulder. Seeing doubt in the military commander was an unusual thing. "I know, son...it's a terrible chance you have to take. But take it you must. I wish my readings could tell them apart, but they can't. Even now they both read as fully human, fully Moira. Machines can be fooled. Minds can be manipulated. But your heart, John, your heart cannot be fooled or manipulated. Trust yourself, John. You know which one is the real Moira."
John snorted his derision. "Do I?" He looked at the two women.
"You do." At Rodney's voice John turned to view him, surprised. "He's right, John," Rodney continued, confident. "Apart from all that emotional Hallmark stuff, you know Moira better than any of us. There must be some way you can tell them apart. Some little thing. Anything. No one knows her like you do."
John nodded. Wishing he felt as confident as his friends did. He pursed his lips together, racking his brain for an answer, a suggestion, an idea, anything. He moved to stand between the two women. Looked from one to the other. "Is the ship ready?" he asked, evading.
"Yes. I've got the programming to lock it into auto-pilot and to trigger the anomaly. It should go over to that reality without a hitch. I think. I mean I've never done this before but using the programming from that hybrid ship and then adapting it to our technology plus throwing in some additional Ancient tech I think I no I am certain the ship will get there by itself in one piece." Rodney paused to take a breath, aware he was sweating. "We don't have that pod technology so she will be awake or unconscious for the journey but that shouldn't make a difference as long as she doesn't touch any of the controls but I'm sure you are aware of that and will take the necessary precautions oh for God's sake, man, make your choice so I can stop talking!"
John smirked, but grew somber. Swallowed. Tension coiled in his body, in his stomach. He turned. Looked from one woman to the other. He touched one woman's cheek. A slight caress of his fingers on the pale, pale skin. He leaned close. Whispered in her ear. Eyes slitting he flicked his tongue along her earlobe, behind it. He blinked. Straightened, gauging her response. He repeated the exact process with the other woman. Stood a moment afterwards. Silent.
"Well?" Rodney blurted, impatient.
"Don't rush the man!" Carson hissed, but was equally anxious. "Well?" he echoed.
John turned. There had been a flicker of response. It was all that he needed. Or at least he hoped it was all that he needed. "This one. This is Moira, my wife." He touched her arm. Caressed.
"You're sure?" Carson asked.
"How can you be sure?" Rodney tested.
"This is Moira," John asserted, injecting more confidence into his voice. "Get this thing ready for transport. I'll fly the Jumper myself to the coordinates and lock in the auto pilot. I can return through the 'Gate on foot."
"John? Are you absolutely certain?"
"Yes!" he snapped. "I am. We leave in five. I need to see my children first to reassure them. Make sure that Moira is recovering once that thing is away from her." He looked at her. Fingers sliding down her arm to her hand. Then he was gone, striding out of the infirmary. Heart hammering at his decision, but injecting himself with confidence. He knew he had made the right choice. The only choice.
It was the right choice.
It had to be.
It had to be.