Episode VII: The Howling

"Sir" the sergeant on duty called to Hammond, "we're receiving a deep space transmission which is highly encoded.

"Put it through," Hammond looked at the screen which after a moment blipped on to show the face of Carter.

"Hello sir."

"Carter what the hell is going on? We've got all the major government heads asking us if it has anything to do with the Stargate."

"I'm aboard the Dedalus; we're experiencing a temporal distortion caused by the temporal drive exploding. According to Thor from, well, the younger Thor the explosion caused a ripple affect; the only reason why we were able to get a signal to you is because there is a pocket of time that is correct and in alignment with our time. The affect has seemed to spread outward from the explosion, the further out the ripple the further back the transition. The light from the stars aren't reaching us and I suspect it's because of the temporal shift, the light either hasn't left them yet or the stars don't exist yet."

"And how do we fix this!"

"We're working on it sir, we'll get back to you when we can."

****

Acalo spun in place, almost to the point of insanity, "henhahahahahaaa" his high pitch laughter echoed in the control room. "The time before time, the origin is coming."

"If we use the hyperdrive, we can get to Earth, but it will take some time," Rodney was already calculating, "and now that the rift energy has passed us we can revert the shielding."

"Ok Rodney, but how long is it going to take?"

"That depends on what you mean from out point of view it will take a week's time to get there, but we'd be traveling through over three billion years of universal evolution as we head there."

"Universal evolution?" Sheppard interrupted, "like progression right, the movement of the universe to where it was?"

"Right, only time seems unstable, we could very well slip into different pockets of time which could adversely affect our hyperdrive, not to mention we have to go through that lovely pocket of nothingness between the two galaxies. We need to adjust the sensors and other equipment to determine just what we're going to encounter as we head towards Earth."

"Fine, McKay you get a team together figure out what we need to do. Sheppard find out about any damage and get teams together for repairs." Weir sat down in one of the chairs. "Can we use the Stargate?"

"Hmm, no, well maybe" McKay looked off into space for a moment as Zelenka looked from one panel to another.

"Why not just recalculate where Earth is, I mean if the Dalek was correct that Earth is where the temporal rupture started, then Earth is the epicenter and shouldn't be affected." Zelenka looked up as he said this, "There is also a coolant leak in section Zeta 68b."

McKay's gaze returned to them "I got it, we could just dial Earth, it shouldn't have been affected."

"Isn't that what I just said?" Zelenka looked put off.

"Do it I want to find out what they know." Weir shook her head, "but…"

"It would drain the ZPM wouldn't it," Sheppard interrupted, "leaving us stranded."

"Then we can try something I've been wanting to test." McKay looked up as Zelenka shook his head, "It won't work McKay, and it's too dangerous."

"Oh come on, what's a bit of proto-star plasma and gravitational sheering to send a message."

"What are you talking about, McKay?"

"He wants to use the proto-star to send a hyperspace signal via the gravitational sheering, only if his calculations are wrong it could destroy the Stargate and us."

"If my calculations are off, which they're not. Look we can use the gravity to create a hyper-space window by using a short dialing of the Stargate. Send a message to all of the Stargates with the same prime numeric system or first symbols. And since the only one that would be unaffected and in the same place is Earth it shouldn't matter, nor should it draw too much power."

"Fine work on it, meanwhile lets get read for the trip."

"The howling, the HOWLING Hahahahahaheeheheeee" Acalo called out as he spun around mad from fright.

**

The Doctor looked over the panel in the TARDIS, shook his head and hit a few buttons only to get the same reading. The center column whirred for a moment as Jack and Martha returned dragging the pig body which housed a Dalek.

"Right well we have good news, the TARDIS is safe, the bad news is the ever darkness, or more commonly known as the Howling has returned. Time reverted far back enough that that universe that existed before the beginning of time has reformed."

"Wait, the howling, it's just a myth." Jack scoffed.

"What is this howling? It's what the Carianites spoke of wasn't it?"

"Yes, they were looked there by the Eternals. A great race that exists outside of time and space, they never age and have seen the rise and fall of time its self. Many of Earth's gods were these beings before they decided to leave this universe completely. Even the Christian god was one of these beings, unfortunately he was seen as a radical and was destroyed by the others. Jack would to do an autopsy on that," The Doctor pointed to the pig, "I'm moving us to the Dedalus. I've finally pinpointed them."

"Right coming Martha?" Jack hauled the carcass up and pulled it down to one of the lower levels of the TARDIS.

**

Mitchell made his way through web filled halls the size of the once living Racnoss queen. In the lower bowels of the ship the petrifaction was already in progress, the web was hardening to a stiff rocky substance. "Great, just what I don't need. They must have used some type of beaming technology, which way." Mitchell looked from one corridor to another at a pinwheel junction. As he took stock of the possibilities the web from behind him and to his right began to crumble into dust.

"Ok that way…" He ran to the left heading away from the deteriorating web. Minutes later he came across a hanger filled with odd shaped web ships.

"If there is a way off this ship it'd be down there. God I need to stop talking to myself."

***