Stargate Genesis
Episode 16
"Darkest Hour"
Major Greer looked down at a flat, round stone laying on the hard desert floor. Etched in the rock was the shape of a coyote, much like the etching SG-1 had found on a rock in Spokane, Washington on Earth. The last time, the symbol, combined with a passphrase, had beamed the team to one of Janus' secret laboratories deep underground.
"I found something," he called to the rest of the team. Colonel Mitchell, Danesh, and Major Warren all walked over to him.
"What is it, Major?" asked Cameron.
"This looks like the symbol we found at Janus' lab," said Greer.
"That would make sense," said Jessica.
"Why is that?" asked Greer.
"No one even knew about this address until we found Janus' first abandoned lab," said Jessica. "The computer in the lab had a database of addresses, including several we didn't know existed."
"Perhaps the list was a record of all the addresses on which Janus established secret laboratories," said Danesh.
"That's what I'm thinking," said Jessica.
"Well, there's only one way to find out," said Cameron. "What was the passphrase we used last time?"
"čn lʔe," said Danesh.
~~00~~
Nothing happened.
"Are you sure you said it right?" asked Cameron.
"I am certain, Colonel," confirmed Danesh.
"Why would that carving be here if there was no lab?" asked Jessica.
"Who knows," said Greer. "Maybe Janus just really liked rock carving."
"Well there is nothing else here," said Cameron, looking around at an empty expanse of desert. "Let's head back and make our report."
"It really seems like there should be something here…" said Jessica.
"Not every adventure can be a thrillride," said Cameron. "Let's go, Major."
A blue and green lizard scuttled across the desert floor and came to a stop on the rock with the coyote carving. Satisfied, it curled up and took a nap.
~~00~~
"How was your visit to P3X-987?" asked General Samantha Carter.
"Boring," said Cameron. "I don't know why you sent us out there, Sam. There's nothing there. Just flat desert and a bunch of lizards."
"But it was in Janus' list," said Danesh. "Why would he have listed this address in his database if there was nothing of interest?"
"That's what I'd like to know," said Sam. "Major Warren, did your readings turn up anything unusual?"
"The only unusual thing is that the atmosphere is perfectly breathable, and yet it seems like no one has been there for thousands of years, at least," said Jessica.
"If Janus thought it was worth writing down, it must have been important," said Cameron. "But I'm telling you, there was nothing there."
"Well, we did find a rock carving of a coyote like the one that marked Janus' lab in Washington, but the passphrase didn't work, and I didn't detect any subterranean energy signatures," said Jessica. "It was probably just a coincidence."
"I'm having the soil samples you brought back analyzed," said Sam, "and if nothing turns up, I'm going to send SG-32 to see if they can find anything you may have missed."
"Nothing was missed, General Carter," said Danesh.
"That may be, but I'd still like to send another team just in case," said Sam. "If Janus was working on something on P3X-987, then it is worth finding. There are no off-world missions planned for SG-1 for a few days, so you should all consider taking some personal time."
"I like the sound of that," said Greer.
"Major Warren, I need to speak with you alone," said Sam. The rest of the team walked out of the conference room, leaving Jessica and Sam alone.
"What did you need to talk to me about, General?" she asked.
Sam took a deep breath, and put her hands on the table gently.
"We need to talk about your performance on SG-1," said Sam.
"I'm not sure I understand," said Jessica.
"Some things have been brought to my attention," continued Sam. "I was recently given a report which indicates that the incident on the maiden voyage of the Charles Kawalsky was due to a careless miscalculation on your part."
"Yes, I made a miscalculation, but it wasn't careless," said Jessica. "You even told me there was nothing I could have done."
"I was wrong," said Sam. "I didn't have all the facts. According to the firsthand report I received, you failed to run a number of basic checks that would have prevented the error from occurring."
"Who wrote that report?" asked Jessica, the pitch of her voice increasing.
"The production of Homeworld Command's fleet of gate ships has been set back months because of the incident with the Charles Kawalsky," said Sam. "And that's an optimistic estimate."
"Was it Danesh?" said Jessica, her voice trembling.
"You know I like you," said Sam, reaching out to touch Jessica's hand. "I had such high hopes for you."
"What are you saying?" asked Jessica, withdrawing from Sam's touch.
"I'm removing you from your duties on SG-1," said Sam. "The reason no off-world missions are planned for the next few days is so that Colonel Mitchell can find a replacement."
"You can't do this!" said Jessica, feeling tears forming in her eyes.
"Not everyone has what it takes to be on an SG team," said Sam consolingly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Where am I being re-assigned?" asked Jessica, trying not to choke on her words.
"You're not," said Sam. "I've spoken to Colonel Cameron and he agrees: you're not fit for military work. You're being honorably discharged."
"What?!" screamed Jessica, standing up and backing away from Sam. "This is my life! I made one mistake! I've read the reports; you've made dozens of mistakes just as devastating!"
"We have already arranged several interviews for you with prestigious research labs," said Sam. "With your background and the backing of the Air Force, you can work anywhere you want."
Jessica took a deep breath and wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Thank you, General," she said, before turning to leave.
~~00~~
Cameron changed into his civilian clothes in the locker room. He looked at the small picture of his grandfather, Captain Mitchell, pinned to the inside of his locker door as he reached to close it. As he shut the locker, Jessica walked in.
"Where is Danesh?" she demanded.
"Major Warren," said Cameron, turning to look at her. "Danesh went home to meet some of her Tok'ra friends."
"I swear if I ever see that bitch again—"
"Jessica!" said Cameron, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Danesh was only doing what she thought was right."
"It was a mistake…" said Jessica. "I thought we were starting to become a team…"
"I thought so too," said Cameron. "But not everyone is cut out for this line of work. Doesn't mean I think any less of you."
"I thought you were on my side," murmured Jessica, looking up at Cameron. "Why didn't you stand up for me?"
"The team was never going to work with both you and Danesh," said Cameron. "And besides, now that you're not Air Force anymore, I can finally take you out for a drink. I can't tell you how hard it's been for me not to make a move on you."
"What?!" said Jessica, shoving Cameron away from her.
"Did you think I was nice to you because I thought you were smart?" asked Cameron. "Get a grip, Jessica."
"You're disgusting," she said.
~~00~~
Danesh stepped through the stargate into the gate room on Melia, one of the planets under Tok'ra control, where she was greeted by Hel'Shen, the leader of the Tok'ra High Council, and a number of other Tok'ra High Councilors dressed in traditional garb.
"Danesh," he said warmly, "it is an honor to have you among us once again."
"The honor is mine," said Danesh, nodding, "though it will only be for a short time."
"We understand you must return to your duties as part of SG-1," said Hel'Shen. "Until then, however, please enjoy our hospitality."
Hel'Shen swept his hand out toward the room in a grand gesture. The gate room itself was brightly lit and subterranean. Although the System Lords were gone and with them the need for secrecy, the Tok'ra still maintained a number of underground bases. The walls were lined with the blue crystalline material typical of Tok'ra bases.
"Thank you, Hel'Shen," said Danesh.
"I should not neglect to mention that there is someone here waiting for you," said Hel'Shen.
"Who is it?" asked Danesh, turning to look at the High Councillor.
"I'm sorry I'm late," came a voice, as a man walked around a corner into the room at the far end. "This place is a labyrinth. But you know me, I've never been good with directions."
Danesh looked at the man as he walked toward her. He seemed familiar, like someone she once knew…
[It couldn't be…] breathed Lynn.
"Surely not…" whispered Danesh.
"Don't you recognize your own brother, Lynn?" asked the man, smiling.
"Peter?" asked Lynn, taking control of her body.
"In the flesh," said Peter, holding his arms out wide as he walked up to Lynn.
She rushed toward him and hugged him, wrapping her arms tight around his torso. He put his arms around her and kissed her head.
"I missed you too, sis," he said.
~~00~~
"Long day, huh?" said Cameron to Greer as they rode the elevator up to the ground floor.
"One way to put it," said Greer.
"Need a ride?" asked Cameron.
"Sure," said Greer. "I was going to take a taxi."
"I could use a drink," said Cameron. "Up for a stop at a bar before I take you home?"
"Yes, sir."
~~00~~
In a tiny, dimly lit bar off the highway, Ronald Greer and Cameron Mitchell drank cheap American beer. A Taylor Swift song played on the jukebox. Men in plaid shirts and trucker hats played pool across the room.
"What's up with you?" said Greer, reading the label on his Coors Light.
"Me?" asked Cameron. "I don't know. Today just doesn't feel right."
Cameron reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, which was vibrating.
"Sorry, I have to take this," he said, standing up and heading for the front door of the bar. "I'll be back in a minute."
"Sure thing, sir," said Greer, taking another drink. "I'll just sit here by myself."
Greer looked up at the television above the bar. A college football game was on. He didn't know any of the players anymore. Spending three years in stasis didn't help.
"You're not alone, Major Greer," came a voice from his left. He turned to see Colonel David Telford sitting on the barstool next to him.
"What the hell are you doing here, Telford?" growled Greer.
"That's no way to talk to your superior officer," said Telford. "I'm just here enjoying a drink."
"Like hell you are," said Greer. "Enjoy your drink somewhere else."
"I don't think I will, Major," said Telford. "I've got a bone to pick with you."
"Go away," said Greer.
"I was supposed to be on the Destiny," said Telford. "If I had been there, she would still be flying."
Greer stared at him coldly.
"If I had been there, you never would have been allowed on board," continued Telford. "You would have been stripped of your rank and sent back to Earth before you even knew what the Destiny was. But I wasn't there. You were. And you let them all die."
"You have no idea what you're talking about, Telford," said Greer.
"The entire ship was destroyed just before it made it to the next star," said Telford. "And the only survivors were you and that pathetic overweight dropout."
"Don't you say another word," warned Greer.
"Last week, when you and your team retrieved that Lucian Alliance girl, Amelia Reynolds," continued Telford, "you killed those men who were holding her prisoner. You really don't have control over your temperament at all, do you Major? It's almost like you enjoy killing."
"You really need to shut up now, Colonel," said Greer, tensing up.
"I don't think the destruction of the Destiny was an accident at all," said Telford. "I think you sabotaged the ship's systems and let everyone die except the dropout kid, so he could get you out alive, and it would look like luck when you were the only survivors. I think you—"
Telford's sentence was interrupted by the Coors Light bottle in Greer's hand connecting with his head. The bottle shattered, sending bits of glass and Telford's blood flying. A moment later Telford was on the ground and Greer was on top of him, pummeling his face.
"Stop!" Telford screamed in between blows. Greer hesitated.
"I was right all along," said Telford, smiling through a busted lip, exposing teeth soaked with blood. "You're a killer, and that's all you'll ever be."
Greer reached down and grabbed Telford's head on both sides. With a single violent motion he snapped the Colonel's neck. The music had stopped.
~~00~~
Lynn looked her brother up and down. The last time she had seen him, he was only ten years old. Now he was a full-grown man.
"You've gotten so tall," said Lynn, smiling. "and you turned out to be very handsome."
"Aw shucks, sis," said Paul, brushing a strand of his long brown hair off of his face.
"What happened to you?" asked Lynn. "I thought, after I was taken away, that you…"
Paul looked at her and smiled sadly.
"You don't know this, Lynn, but after they took you away, we stayed at the village," he said. "They made us work. First on the farms, but then they moved us to the mines."
"Apparently our planet was rich with a mineral the Goa'uld needed," Paul continued. "That's why they came to our home in the first place. The work went on for years, and Ma wasn't cut out for it."
"Paul…" said Lynn, covering her mouth with her hands.
"She always said we were the lucky ones, because we didn't get chosen like you did," said Paul. "Ma said she'd rather work in the mines for a hundred years than live with a snake in her head."
"What happened to her…?" asked Lynn hesitantly.
"She died," said Paul. "One day she fell down, and she was too weak to stand back up. I pleaded with the Goa'uld who was watching us that day, but he said there was no room for weak links. So he killed her."
A tear fell down Lynn's face.
[I'm so sorry, Lynn,] whispered Danesh.
"I kept working in the mines for a few years after that, but then one day the Goa'uld all left," said Paul. "They got in their ships and left, and they never came back. We didn't understand it at the time, but later we found out that the System Lords had all been defeated. There was no one left to mine for."
"That was years ago, Paul," said Lynn. "Why didn't you find me sooner?"
"I didn't know you were alive, sis," said Paul. "The Tok'ra don't exactly keep a high profile."
[At least you are together now,] said Danesh.
"At least we are together now," said Lynn. "I love you, Paul."
"Oh come off it," said Paul, pulling out a zat gun and aiming it at her. "You're pathetic."
"What?" said Lynn, stepping back.
Paul's eyes flashed yellow. He smiled maniacally.
"Did you really think the Goa'uld were all dead?" he asked, chuckling. "I assure you that is not the case."
"Oh, I know," said Danesh, taking control of Lynn's body. "I'm with you, brother."
[What are you doing, Danesh?] asked Lynn.
"Excellent," said Peter, his voice reverberating with the sinister tone of a Goa'uld. "We have a galaxy to conquer."
~~00~~
Danesh and Peter walked into the gate room, concealing zat guns beneath their clothing.
"Dial Earth, please," said Danesh to the Tok'ra guard on duty by the gate.
"Are you returning to the Tau'ri so soon, Danesh?" asked the guard.
"I merely wish to show my long-lost brother the home of our allies," said Danesh, smiling.
[You can't do this Danesh. Tell me this is a ploy to trap the Goa'uld inside Peter. Please tell me you're not going to betray SG-1,] begged Lynn.
[Shut up, you pathetic human], said Danesh. [I have dealt with your whining and your disgusting affectations for far too long. It is time I reclaim my rightful place as a god.]
"As you wish," said the guard, turning to dial the address for Earth on the DHD.
"I have heard much about the Tau'ri," said Peter.
"All of it true," said Danesh. "With the System Lords gone, they rival the Jaffa as the most powerful force in the galaxy."
The vortex of the stargate rushed out and settled into the event horizon, casting an ominous light into the gate room.
"May your journey be a peaceful one," said the guard, bowing.
"Oh, I don't think it will be," said Peter as he and Danesh walked through the wormhole.
~~00~~
Greer stared down at his hands, which were covered in blood. Telford lay on the ground beneath him, lifeless. All around him the patrons of the bar were staring in disbelief.
"You were supposed to be a hero," came a familiar face. Greer looked up to see Amelia Reynolds leaning against the bar, nursing a glass of whiskey. "I guess that didn't work out."
"I'm not… I didn't mean to…" Greer stammered.
"Yeah well, my life didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted it to either, you know, but we've all got our crosses to bear," said Amelia, walking over to Greer and squatting down next to him so that they were at eye level with each other. "You really did a number on this guy."
Greer stood up and backed away from Amelia, who was busy feeling for Telford's pulse with one hand, while still holding a glass of whiskey in the other.
"Yup," she said. "He's dead."
"How are you here?" he asked. "I thought your brother took you…"
"You can't handle a little audience for your descent into madness?" came a Scottish voice from behind him. Greer spun around to see Dr. Nicholas Rush, standing with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face.
"Dr. Rush?" asked Greer, confused.
"You, Major Greer, are a killer," said Rush, sneering. "It's that simple, really. As much as I despised the man, Colonel Telford was right. You are a pathetic excuse for a soldier. You had no place on the Destiny, and you have no place on SG-1."
"This isn't possible…" said Greer.
"Why did you ever think you could amount to anything?" came another familiar voice. Standing by the pool table was Dr. Lisa Park. Dark red blood was oozing out of the holes where her eyes once were.
"Lisa?" Greer asked weakly.
"You're not fit for this kind of work, Ronald. You should have stayed on Earth where you belong," said Park. "If you had never joined the Stargate program, I would still have my eyes. I would still be alive."
"It's alright," said Amelia. "You suck at your job. I know how that is."
"It's not just your job you're horrible at," said Rush. "You are a failure in every possible way."
"I wish I never met you," said Park, the blood from her eyes dripping down onto her shirt.
Greer fell to his knees and wept.
~~00~~
"You're on in five, ladies," said the woman holding a clipboard and wearing an earpiece.
"What?" asked Jessica. She looked down at herself to see that she was wearing a tight red dress and outrageously high heels. She looked to her right to see a line of women in similar clothes. They all had their hair done up and their breasts pushed up as high as they would go. They were talking and giggling amongst themselves. To her left, Jessica could see a curtain, and she could hear cheering as a live band played. They seemed to be backstage at a concert hall.
"What the hell is this?" Jessica asked the woman next to her.
"Are you serious?" said the woman. "Come on Jess, you know what this is."
"I'm sorry, I must have forgotten," said Jessica. "Can you please refresh my memory?"
"Silly Jess," giggled the woman. "We're at a USO show to welcome the troops home!"
"Why would I be performing in a USO show?" asked Jessica.
"You're always talking about how you want to help out the war effort," said the woman, running a white-gloved hand over her hip sensually. "What better way than showin' those boys what they've been missing while they're off fighting the good fight? You look fantastic tonight, by the way. Maybe you'll get lucky and one of our boys in blue will take you home after the show."
"I hope someone takes me home tonight," said a woman further down the line, adjusting her bust. "I've been starving myself for a week so I could fit into this dress."
"You've got to be shitting me," said Jessica.
~~00~~
Danesh struggled against the metal bindings that held her in place. Looking around, she realized that she was in a ceremonial symbiote extraction room on the Tok'ra homeworld. In front of her stood Hel'Shen, and all around the room Tok'ra stood wearing ceremonial robes. To one side of the room she could see Samantha Carter, Cameron Mitchell, Ronald Greer, Jessica Warren, and Teal'c.
"Why am I restrained?" she asked.
"Danesh, traitor of the Tok'ra, on the charges of treason and conspiracy, you have been found guilty. The punishment for these crimes is death," announced Hel'Shen.
"I am no traitor!" screamed Danesh. "I am Tok'ra!"
"Once a Goa'uld, always a Goa'uld," said Cameron. "I should have never let you on my team."
"Indeed," agreed Teal'c. "I made a grievous error in judgement when I recommended Danesh. I should have known that her true nature would eventually prevail."
"My true nature is that of the Tok'ra," said Danesh, weakly. "I am and will always be a true servant of Tok'ra ideals."
"Where were those ideals when you led a Goa'uld into Stargate Command and let him access our systems?" asked Sam.
"I would never—"
[Is that what you tell yourself?] whispered Lynn.
"Lynn, you know me," begged Danesh. "We share in all things."
[I have no part in your cruel nature, Danesh,] said Lynn. [Any love I once held for you is gone, now that I know who you truly are. I loathe your suffocating presence in my mind.]
"You can't mean that, Lynn," whimpered Danesh. "Lynn?"
Lynn left Danesh in cruel silence. Distraught, she looked to Major Warren.
"Surely you believe me, Jessica?" she pleaded. The major said nothing, avoiding eye contact.
"I thought us friends," said Danesh. Jessica turned to look at her with a frigid stare.
"We will never be friends," she said evenly.
"The extraction will now begin!" announced Hel'Shen. Danesh felt a sharp prick as the needle of the extraction device was inserted into the back of her neck.
~~00~~
Cameron woke up to find himself utterly alone. All around him stretched an infinite expanse of nothingness. He stood up stiffly, rubbing his head.
"Where am I?" he said aloud. His words were drowned out by suffocating silence.
"You're where you always knew you'd end up," came a disembodied voice. "Alone."
"Who are you?" asked Cameron, looking around to find the source of the voice. No one was there with him. There was only empty space.
"Oh don't act so shocked," said Vala, who was suddenly standing next to him. "You didn't think we were going to follow you around on your little adventures forever, did you?"
"I don't know," said Cameron. "I thought we'd have a little more time together."
Vala was gone. Cameron rubbed his eyes, willing them to focus.
"All things come to an end, Cameron Mitchell," said Teal'c.
"They don't have to!" said Cameron. "You're not on the High Council anymore, why can't you come back to the team?"
"Because there are things more important than SG-1," said Daniel Jackson, who was standing where Teal'c had been a moment before.
"Daniel," said Cameron. "We've been through so much together. Come on, man. What's Atlantis got that I don't?"
"I'm sorry, Cam, but you're old news," said Samantha Carter. "You were brought on in the eleventh hour to keep the team alive, but the fact is that the time of SG-1 is over. You can't keep the team going just because you want it to exist."
"SG-1 is not over," said Cameron desperately. "Of all people, Sam, I thought you would understand."
No one responded. Cameron was alone. The nothingness was pushing in on him from all sides.
"Hello?" shouted Cameron. "Sam? Teal'c?"
"Wake up!" shouted Jessica.
"Are you here to tell me why I should give up on SG-1 too?" asked Cameron.
"No, you idiot," said Jessica, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. "I've got no idea what the hell you're talking about."
Cameron opened his eyes to find himself on the metal floor of a room that was filled with green smoke. Blue light shone through the haze from light panels on the walls. He coughed as Jessica pushed an oxygen mask against his face.
"We need to get out of here," she said, pulling him upright.
"Where are Greer and Danesh?" asked Cameron, his head swimming.
"I took them up to the surface," said Jessica, guiding him over to a panel on the wall. "Come on!"
Jessica pushed a button on the panel and they were surrounded by a glowing light before being beamed up to the surface. Suddenly they were standing on an oppressively hot desert world. Hard-packed earth stretched for miles around them, and in the distance Cameron could see the stargate. Greer and Danesh were standing by it, waiting for them. On the ground next to Cameron and Jessica was a large flat rock with the shape of a coyote etched into it.
"What just happened to us?" asked Cameron, removing the oxygen mask and breathing in hot desert air.
"I don't know," said Jessica. "But I'm going to find out."
She took a vial from her vest and showed it to Cameron. Inside a green gas swirled.
"I got a sample."
~~00~~
"What did you find on P3X-987?" asked General Samantha Carter.
"Well, you were right when you guessed that the addresses we found on Janus' lab in Washington might lead to more labs," said Cameron. "The lab we found was almost identical to the one on Earth. We were even able to use the same pass phrase that Daniel figured out to get in."
"But this one wasn't so cozy," said Greer.
"The medical team briefed me on the toxin you ingested," said Sam. "They said the effects were temporary, and that it should be completely flushed out of your system within a day, with the notable exception of Major Warren, who seems to have a stronger natural resistance to the drug."
"Go me," said Jessica.
"If you didn't wake up from the coma and get the rest of us out of there, we would probably still be there," said Cameron. "You probably saved our lives."
"Did your analysis turn up anything useful, Major Warren?" asked Sam.
"As far as I can tell, the gas inside the lab was an experimental drug Janus was working on," said Jessica. "It seems to be a toxin designed to induce hallucinations of the recipient's worst fears and insecurities."
"Like in Batman?" asked Cameron.
"What is a bat man?" asked Danesh.
"You know, when the Scarecrow uses fear toxin on Batman?" asked Cameron.
"I have seen the movie, Colonel," said Jessica. "And yes, the drug works similarly. In small doses, it would leave the victim conscious, but paralyzed by fear."
"We didn't take a small dose," said Greer.
"And as a result, we were all trapped in a coma-like state," said Jessica.
"Forced to experience the realization of our darkest fears," said Danesh coldly.
"It is possible that Janus designed the gas to be released when the lab detected intruders," said Jessica.
"If that's the case, then why weren't there any security measures at the lab in Washington?" asked Cameron.
"Perhaps someone else set the trap," said Danesh. "If we were able to so easily gain access to both labs, it is not impossible that someone else was also able to do so."
"I'm going to send SG-32 in to secure the lab and scrub it clean of any remaining toxins," said Sam. "In the mean time, I suggest you all take a few days off. You've been through quite an ordeal."
"Thank you General," said Cameron as he and the rest of his team stood up to leave.
Out in the hallway Jessica pulled Cameron aside.
"Can I talk to you for a minute, Colonel?" she asked.
"Sure," said Cameron. "What's up?"
"I just want to make sure you know that it's incredibly important to me that our relationship remain strictly professional," she said. "I've worked hard to get here, and my gender has nothing to do with it."
"What in the hell are you going on about?" asked Cameron.
"In my hallucination, you—"
"Major Warren, whatever you saw down in that lab, it wasn't real," interrupted Cameron. "This team is more important to me than anything, and I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize it."
"Right," said Jessica, straightening up. "I'll see you later then."
Cameron watched as Jessica walked away. He thought of the day when Jessica would leave the team, just as Vala, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c had. Nothing lasts forever.
Not even SG-1.
Written by Caleb Palmquist
Story by Caleb Palmquist and Andrew Marron