A/N: Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. I hope that this chapter gives you guys the same enjoyment as the previous one. Have a happy Wednesday.
Episode ref: Zero Hour (S08xE04)
Atlantis, Unknown Time
Willow found herself standing at the Atlantis Gateroom as people were walking all around her. Looking closely at them, she noticed that they weren't wearing the SGC uniforms that the Atlantis Expedition had worn when they left for the Pegasus galaxy. Instead these people were wearing a greyish-tan coloured uniform. Willow looked around confused when she heard someone shouting a very familiar name.
"Athena!"
Willow turned around only to see a little girl, the same little girl she had seen in the SGC Gateroom, running with her long red hair just flopping all over the place. Willow couldn't see who was running after her, just that she was running. The girl called Athena then stopped running, grinned in Willow's direction and waved.
"Can you see me?" asked Willow as she walked slowly towards the girl and crouched down.
""Yes" said Athena as she nodded her head.
"But why are you in my dream?" asked Willow confused.
"Don't know" said Athena as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Who are you Athena?" asked Willow.
Willow then saw the Athena grin as she flashed her teeth before taking her finger and touching the tip of Willow's nose.
"Let's play" said Athena as she started to run again, "come on, it's your turn"
"My turn?" asked Willow confused as she ran after Athena, "What do you mean?"
"Catch me, silly" said Athena as she ran into a hallway giggling.
"Hey, wait!" said Willow as she ran after the little girl.
Willow kept on running but was unable to find Athena anywhere. She then noticed that there was a door open at the end of a long hallway. She saw that the door led to a room that looked different than the design of the hallways of Atlantis, it looked more like the greyish metal design of an Asgard ship.
As she walked through the doors, she noticed a table in the middle of the room with a white sheet that seemed to be covering a body.
Willow walked cautiously up to the sheet covered body, "Please don't be a vampire, please don't be a vampire"
She slowly pulled the sheet away before the jumped back surprised.
"NO!" screamed Willow as she turned and ran as fast as she could towards the doorway, which promptly closed on her and disappeared.
Willow looked hopelessly at the wall that now lay in front of her and slowly turned around again to face the body on the table. Walking slowly forward, she stopped at the table as she looked at herself. It was her original body on the table with the eyes closed and the skin as pale as a ghost. She put her hands on the table and lowered her head as she started to cry about the loss of her original body.
All of a sudden she felt a cold hand grab her throat and started to slowly squeeze it. Although she tried to get out of it, the grip was simply too tight. She then looked at her original eyes looking at her with rage. Willow then stepped back a bit before her original body got up and gripped her throat with the other hand. Willow couldn't help but open her mouth and gasp for air as both her original body's hands were around her throat. She saw her own face give an evil smile as the second hand that gripped her throat now pushed her down onto the floor and her original body's knee was placed on her chest to prevent Willow from getting up.
Willow tried her best to speak but could only lay down on the floor helpless in shock as her original body tightened the grip of one hand on her throat and then took the other hand and placed it tightly over her mouth and nose. As Willow became more terrified, she did everything she could to get out from under her original body that was trying to kill her. Eventually Willow used her hands in a last ditch successful attempt to slowly pry away the hand that was covering her nose and mouth before giving her original body a punch in the face.
Willow just lay there on the floor as she panted and then slowly got up on all fours just before she felt a hard kick on her torso and then another kick on her stomach. She closed her eyes in pain as she lay back down on her back as her original body stamped her foot down onto her chest. She then opened her eyes when she felt her original body straddle her torso and pin her arms down onto the floor of the room.
"Do you know who you are?" asked Willow's original body.
"I'm Willow" she replied breathlessly.
"No, you're a nobody!" screamed Willow's original body in rage, "you're just a clone, a copy of me. You think they love you? They just tolerate you. Faith hates you; Colonel Carter hates you, in fact she can't stand you; Daniel can't even look at you, Teal'c will never accept you and General O'Neill will kill you the first chance he gets, and everyone else hates you because you're not me"
"You think Dawn is on the road to forgiving you?" continued the original as she leaned closer towards Willow's face, "how much forgiveness do you think she can give you once she finds out that you're just a copy of me? Huh? She'll hate you even more than she does now. She has always hated you; I hope that she kills you in your sleep. Then I can rest easy"
"You're wrong" said Willow as she lifted her head and hissed at her original self, "Get the hell away from me"
"Faith will never love you because she loves me, the SGC don't care about you because you just look like me… you'll never be me" said the original body with a grin, "remember this well you bitch, you'll never have what I had. You may take my place, but you'll never have them. They're not yours. They're my friends, they're the people that I love."
Willow's Apartment, 1045 hours
"NO!" screamed Willow as she found herself floating on top of the couch she was supposedly sleeping on, before she crashed down hard onto the cushions and rolled off onto the floor.
"What the hell is going on?" said Dawn as she ran out of her room and saw some damage on the couch before she looked on the floor and saw Willow, who had a small gash on her forehead, lying on the floor in the foetal position and crying.
"Hey Willow?" asked Dawn as she got on her knees next to Willow and touched her shoulder.
Once she felt someone touch her shoulder, Willow slowly opened her eyes and looked at Dawn before she slowly reached around Dawn and hugged the younger girl tightly.
"I'm so sorry Dawn" said Willow as she started sobbing onto the younger woman's shoulder, "please don't hate me anymore, I don't think I could take it. It's too painful. Please, I'm so sorry"
"Hey, what's going on?" said Faith as both she and Colonel Carter ran out to the living room only to see an injured Willow hugging a very surprised looking Dawn and sobbing uncontrollably.
"I just came out when I heard a huge bang and saw her crying on the floor" said Dawn, still stunned.
"Willow?" said the Colonel as she kneeled next to Dawn and ran her hand through Willow's hair.
"She's bleeding" said Faith as she went to get the first aid kit.
"Please forgive me Dawn" said Willow as she broke the hug abruptly and looked into Dawn's eyes as Willow held both her cheeks with her hands, "Please, I'm so sorry"
"Willow… I…. I…" stuttered Dawn as she quickly got up and ran back into her room and locked the door.
Colonel Carter and Faith looked on in shock as Willow simply just laid back on to the carpeted floor with her eyes closed and face contorted in pain before she started sobbing uncontrollably again.
"Willow?" said the Colonel, "What's wrong?"
Just then the door opened and Dawn came out with her backpack. As she walked slowly into the living room, she saw Colonel Carter talking to Willow while Faith was helping to clean the wound on her forehead. It was then that Willow opened her eyes and looked at Dawn.
"Dawnie?" said Willow, "Please…."
Dawn looked at Willow with a hint of sadness in her eyes before she turned around and opened the door. As she closed the door, she heard Willow's cry of anguish before she shed a tear and ran towards the nearby coffee shop.
"Willow" said Colonel Carter once she had slightly calmed down, "what's going on?"
"You hate me, don't you?" asked Willow as she breathed in before every sob, "everyone hates me, the entire SGC hates me"
"Willow, why would you say that?" asked Colonel Carter as Faith kneeled behind Willow and started to cover her wound.
"Because I'm not her" said Willow as Faith and Colonel Carter looked at each other confused.
"What are you talking about?" asked Faith
"I'm not the one who's your subordinate" said Willow as she looked at a surprised Colonel Carter, "She was"
Then she slightly turned her head in Faith's direction, "I'm not the one you love, you love her"
It was then that Colonel Carter finally understood what she meant.
"Willow" said the Colonel, "I don't hate you, how could you even think that? You're Willow, the girl who appeared out of nowhere"
"I'm just a copy" said Willow as she continued to lie on the carpet with her eyes closed, "I'm a nobody"
"Willow" said the Colonel, "You're wrong; you know that you're wrong"
"Red" said Faith, "what's going on?"
"She was right" said Willow, "she was right"
"Who?" Colonel Carter asked.
"My original self" replied Willow as she finally opened her eyes and looked at Colonel Carter.
"Willow" said the Colonel, "there is no she. There's only you. You're the only Willow… sorry… Captain Willow Rosenberg in existence in this whole universe"
"She's right Red" said Faith as she ran her fingers through Willow's hair.
"I mean I really wouldn't mind two" said Faith as she turned Willow's body so that she was looking up at Faith, "may keep some things interesting"
"Too much information, Faith" said Colonel Carter smiling as she looked at a grinning Faith.
"You love her" said Willow to Faith as she closed her eyes.
"Hey look at the time" said the Colonel as she looked at a non-existent wrist watch, "I need to call Pete, I'll be right back"
Faith looked on smiling as Colonel Carter walked out of the apartment with her phone in hand and closed the door.
Faith then looked down at Willow and smiled.
"Do you remember what I told you when you came back from the Asgard?" asked Faith
All Willow could do was look up at Faith, she didn't nod or shake her head.
"I asked you if you were you" said Faith, "and you told me 'yes, in every which way that mattered'"
"I feel the same way too" said Faith, "I know that you're you, you are Willow in every which way that matters to me, to SG1 and the SGC". Faith then leaned into Willow face and whispered into her ear, "You matter a lot to me, Red. I don't want to lose you, I don't want to be alone again in this world"
Faith then kissed a spot on Willow's neck that she knew Willow loved before she placed her lips right above Willow's ear.
"Just so you know I do love you" said Faith as she smiled and looked into Willow's emerald eyes, "and I'm talking about you; not about another person or another you. Sam's right you know, you're the only Red in this whole universe, and I love you"
Faith looked on as the red head finally gave a small smile before Faith leaned in to give her a deep kiss that left the both of them breathless.
"I love you too" said Willow as she took in a deep breath as she put her hands around Faith who helped her sit up and leaned her against the couch.
"Ummmm.. Guys" said Colonel Carter from behind the door, "if you're done, can you let me back in? Its freezing out here"
Willow nodded as Faith gave her another kiss before running to the door and opened it for the Colonel to come back into the apartment.
"Willow?" asked the Colonel as she looked at Willow leaning against the couch and wiping tears from her eyes.
"Sorry ma'am" said Willow softly as she looked down at the carpet.
"What for?" said the Colonel as she sat down next to Willow and put an arm around her shoulders.
"For saying that I'm not your subordinate" said Willow
"It's alright" said the Colonel, "You weren't thinking straight, but I'd like for you to come back to the base."
"What's going on Sam?" asked Faith
All of a sudden, everyone in the room heard a buzz and felt something vibrate throughout their bodies as a bright white light enveloped their bodies.
"What the hell?" said Faith as the light disappeared as she found herself in a large metal grey room along with Colonel Carter and Willow.
"What I was going to say was that Thor's ship just reached Earth's orbit" said the Colonel.
"Carter" said General O'Neill as stepped from behind a console along with Thor.
"Greetings Colonel Carter, Captain Rosenberg" said Thor as he looked at the woman in the group he didn't recognize.
"Thor" said the General, "meet Faith Lehane, also a member of SG1"
"I see" said Thor, "Greetings Miss Lehane. I am Thor, supreme commander of the Asgard fleet"
"Umm… umm….. ummm…..H… hi" said Faith as she looked at the greyish alien stunned and shook his hand in a daze.
"Do not worry, the effects of the transporter beam will fade over time" said Thor, "welcome to my ship the Daniel Jackson"
"Ship….. I'm on a ship?" asked Faith
"Yes" said Thor as he pointed to a window on one side of the room.
Faith slowly got up and ran to the window and saw the blackness of space with the Earth right below.
"Sorry" said Faith sheepishly as she returned to Willow's side, "first time on a space ship"
The Colonel noticed that Willow had a small smile on her face as Faith was explaining her slightly geeking out at the fact that she was on a space ship.
"Sir" said the Colonel, "what's going on? Why were we transported on board?"
"Thor called just a few minutes ago Carter" said the General, "said he needed to see Red here right away"
"I can explain Colonel Carter" said Thor, "I was monitoring Willow's vitals and noticed that there was an alarming sudden change across the board which was why I had come back to Earth"
"Do you know whats going on?" asked Faith
"The Asgard have experienced these same symptoms before" said Thor, "when we first began our cloning program"
"So this is physical?" asked the General worriedly.
"No, it is a mental issue" said Thor as he looked at Willow, "It is to do with her mental state after having lost her original body and knowing that she is a clone"
"If she needs to talk to someone about it" said the Colonel, "there's always Jon"
"Jon?" asked Faith.
"My clone" said the General.
"Hold up" said Faith, "You were cloned?"
"Long story" said the General.
"I am sorry" said Thor, "although Jon O'Neill is a clone, he will not be able to be of assistance to Willow"
"Why not?" asked Colonel Carter.
"Because General O'Neill is still alive" said Thor, "Willow's issues goes much deeper than that, she was cloned due to the death of her original body. That is a loss that few races in this galaxy can understand. The Asgard have experienced this at the very beginning of our own cloning program and, with the help of the Nox, were able to overcome the feelings of loss experienced from such an experience."
"Can you help me Thor?" asked Willow softly
"Yes" said Thor as he walked towards Willow, "I ask for thirty of your days. I have already contacted some Asgard who are familiar with this condition and the Nox. They have sent Lya once again to Orilla to assist in the recovery of Willow"
"Thirty days?" asked Faith, "that's all?"
"She is a very strong willed individual" said Thor, "my scans show that although her body has been exposed to some kind of chemical that lowered her inhibitions resulting in this episode, she will be able to quickly recover. During the time she'll spend on Orilla, the Asgard and the Nox will help her recover from this ordeal. And eventually, she will be able to handle this loss"
"So basically drinking beer casued this to happen?" asked Faith.
"Guess no more beer for me huh?" said Willow.
"Guess not Red" said the General as he held out both his hands which Willow slowly grasped before the General helped her stand up, "You must have gotten wasted last night huh?"
"Probably Sir" said Willow as she attempted a small smile.
"Willow" said Thor, "Please follow me, I will show you to your quarters where you can rest before meeting the Asagrd who will be assisting you and Lya."
"I can stay with her, Big-G" said Faith as she looked at the General.
"Sorry Faith" said the Colonel, "you need to be with Dawn right now, I'm sure that she's concerned about what just happened this morning. So for right now, you need to be there for her"
"I am sorry" said Thor, "I am afraid that none of you will be able to accompany Willow on this journey. It is, as you say, a matter of great privacy between a patient and their physicians"
"Oh" said Faith, the Colonel and General O'Neill together.
"I'll be alright" said Willow as she looked at the three people in front of her, "Thor's right, this is something I have to do myself"
"Willow" said Colonel Carter, "you know you're not alone right? You have the entire SGC behind you"
"Thank you ma'am" said Willow, "I really needed to hear that"
"Hey Red" said the General as he walked up to Willow, "When you get back, we're all going to my cabin"
"Sure Sir" said Willow smiling
"Red" said Faith as she hugged the red head.
Willow: "I love you, please don't leave me"
Faith: "You kidding? I was gonna tell you the same thing"
Willow just smiled as she hugged Faith tightly.
Faith: "I love you too Red"
A few moments later, Willow let go of Faith as she stepped back and stood alongside the General and Colonel Carter before they disappeared in three beams of light leaving just Thor and Willow standing in the now empty room.
"I'm ready Thor" said Willow.
"Please come this way Willow" said Thor, "it is time"
Colonel Carter's House, 1300 hours
"Sam" said Pete as he got off the couch in the living room, "Where were you? I was worried when you didn't call"
"Relax Pete, I was at Willow's for our girl's night" said the Colonel as she took off her coat and hung it on the rack next to the door, "I already told you"
"Yeah" said Pete as he ran his hand through his hair, "but that was last night, I just got worried when you didn't get back in the morning"
"Yeah well" said the Colonel, "Willow fell sick so Faith and I had to take her back to the infirmary at Cheyenne Mountain"
"Who's Faith?" asked Pete confused, "I thought she only had one roommate? That Dawn girl"
"She's another friend of Willow's" said the Colonel
"She work at the SGC too?" asked Pete
"Why?" asked Colonel Carter
"Just curious" said Pete, "I mean she's new and if she's working there then she aready has clearance. Just bugs me that I'm not able to back you up when you go off-world. If I had the clearance I'd go too."
"Pete" said the Colonel, "Yes Faith is a part of my team, and when we go off world I have a team that I trust looking after my back, just as I'll look after their backs."
"I jus think that I should have the clearance to go off-world, that's all" said Pete as he suddenly perked up, "maybe you could ask that O'Neill guy you're always talking about to get me the clearance?"
"You mean General O'Neill?" asked the Colonel.
"Yea, him" said Pete.
"Pete I cant" said the Colonel.
"Please?" asked Pete.
"Look Pete, I'm just asking you to drop it alright" said the Colonel.
"Come on babe" said Pete as he put his hands around her waist, "I'm sorry. I know you have this Faith character and the other one on your team, and they really don't concern me as much as the two others."
"Wait" said the Colonel, "You're jealous of Daniel and Teal'c? And that one reason why you want to go off world? Pete, they're like my best friends. They would never do anything that's unprofessional with me and vice versa. How could you even think about that?"
"I cant help it Sam" said Pete, "I just cant help it"
"You know I love you right?" said the Colonel as she went and hugged Pete.
"Yes" said Pete as he put his hands into the Colonel's jeans pocket and took out the ring box and opened it, "so what do you say?"
"Please, just give me some more time" said the Colonel
"Why Sam?" asked Pete, "Why is this decision so hard?"
"I just talked to Willow and Faith about it" said the Colonel, "and they gave me some things I needed to think about"
"Sam" said Pete, "I'm sorry but who gives a damn about what those two think? It's not their life."
"Pete, they're my friends and they care about me" said the Colonel.
"All I'm saying is that their opinions shouldn't matter" said Pete.
"To me it does" said Colonel Carter, "I haven't had many friends out of work or even at work who are females, other than Janet and she's gone now. And they told me a few things that I need to think about."
"I understand" said Pete with a sigh, he knew that he couldn't argue with the Colonel for much longer and win. At least not while Willow had her ear.
"That girl is as troublesome as hell" thought Pete to himself.
"Well" said Pete, "I need to go to Denver in a few hours"
"Why?" the Colonel asked surprised, "I thought you said your transfer here was complete?"
"It is" said Pete, "it's about a case I've been working on for years that was just closed. My previous captain wanted me to come it and sign some paperwork"
"Oh, alright" said the Colonel as she saw Pete turn around and walk back into the living room watch some TV.
"I guess I'll just go take a shower by myself then" the Colonel told herself softly as she walked into the room she shared with Pete. She then took out her phone and dialled Faith's number.
"Hi Faith" said Colonel Carter as she called the Slayer, "you and Dawn up for going out to dinner tonight?... Great…. I'll pick you guys up at seven then"
The Colonel then disconnected the call and put her phone down before entering the shower.
Orilla, Asgard Home world, One month later.
Since the first time Willow came to Orilla during the rescue of Colonel Carter from the human form replicator know as fifth, she had always admired the lush greenery of the planet. This time it was not different, she enjoyed sitting out in the lush green forests of Orilla and just laying on the ground and looking up at the sky. Willow had asked Thor for a database containing the names of the star constellations, which Thor gladly provided, that appeared in the Orilla night sky and she spent the time outside when not in, what accounted for, Asgard and Nox post-cloning therapy.
Willow didn't complain though, she knew it was something that needed to be done. It was the only way that she would ever be let back into SG1 even though the General didn't tell her, she simply knew it was a possibility that if her mental issues weren't taken care off, then she would simply be grounded.
"Willow?" said Lya as she slowly walked up the trail to Willow's tent. Thor had offered her accommodations in one of the guest quarters in the Asgard Science Council structure but al she requested for was use of the Asgard replication system. She had explained to Thor that although she was thankful for the offer, it just wasn't everyday that she could spend time on a planet such as Orilla and spend it indoors. Thor had nodded in understanding as he looked on as Willow replicated some camping supplies and hiked a few miles on a trail that the grey alien had told her about, which led to a secluded area where she could use the meditation techniques that the Nox have been teaching her and practice her abilities in relative peace.
"Hi Lya" said Willow smiling as she got up from the fallen tree trunk she was sitting on.
"You have made vast improvements from when you came to Orilla with Commander Thor" said Lya as she sat across from Willow and looked at the younger red head.
"It's all because of your help Lya, your held and the help of the Asgard" said Willow.
"But I sense you still have fear" said Lya.
"Yes" replied Willow, "I still fear that I'll have that episode again, and this time it could happen during a mission"
"I understand" said Lya as she nodded her head, "you just have to remember, and practice the techniques, we have shown you. Your empathic abilities have also improved a great deal which would be useful in handling your own emotional response should this occur again"
"Thank you" said Willow with a smile.
"It is time" said Lya.
"What?" replied Willow with a smile, "You don't even have time for coffee?"
"No thank you" said Lya, "Colonel O'Neill had offered it to me once, however I cannot take the smell"
"I understand" said Willow as she started to pack up her tent and used her telekinesis to extinguish the fire and clean her surrounding area at the same time.
"You have gotten finer control of your abilities" said Lya as she looked at Willow using both her hands to take apart the tent and her telekinesis to clean up the area around her.
"I guess so" said Willow with a smile.
Lya looked on as Willow put the tent into its carrying bag and then turn around and use her telekinesis to take the thrash and squeeze it lightly into a ball. Once it was in the shape of a ball, Willow vibrated the air around the ball until it caught on fire. Increasing the heat as much as safely possible, she eventually was able to turn the ball into harmless ash that fell safely back onto the ground.
"You are aware that the Asgard has technology that would have been able to clean the area?" asked Lya.
"I wouldn't be surprised" said Willow smiling, "but I know that you're proud I did it anyway."
Lya smiled and nodded her head.
"Yes" said Lya as she turned around and started walking towards the Science Council structure alongside Willow, "I am proud that in such a short span of time, you have been able to effectively use the training of the Nox to control your abilities. Please continue practising the techniques that have been thought to you, and our invitation to you still stands. The Nox would be proud to further train you in your emphatic abilities"
"Of course, I'll take you up on that offer" said Willow, "and thank you for everything"
Lya simply smiled and nodded as the two women slowly walked back to the Science building structure where the Stargate was located.
Control Room, SGC
"Incoming wormhole" said Walter just as General O'Neill walked down the stairs,
"Captain Rosenberg?" asked the General.
"Yes Sir" said Walter, "she's requesting permission to come home"
"Permission granted, lower the shield and open the Iris" said the General as he walked down the stairs to the Gateroom.
Just as the General reached the Gateroom, the Stargate had been disengaged leaving only smiling Willow walking down the ramp.
"Hi sir" said Willow as she stepped down from the ramp and faced the General, "I'm home"
"Yes you are Red" said General O'Neill, "welcome home"
"Thank you sir"
"So….. Camping?" asked General O'Neill as he noticed the bag containing the folded tent and other camping gear.
"It was for therapeutic purposes sir, I swear" said Willow with a smile
"Sure it was" said the General with a grin, "come on, you need to get yourself checked out at the infirmary and then we'll have a briefing"
Once she had gone through all of her checks with Dr. Brightman, Willow gave her and the General tablets that contained the results of tests and scans that the Asgard took of her new genetically engineered body while she was in Orilla. She also told them about Thor's and Lya's request that an Asgard counsellor called Eir examines Willow's mental state due to her unique circumstances twice a month.
"I would wholeheartedly recommend that General" said Dr. Brightman as she faced the General who was standing next to Willow.
"I've got no problems with that" said the General.
"This has to be conducted in addition to the regular counselling sessions that all SGC personnel have to go through" reminded Dr. Brightman.
"That's fine" said Willow.
"Sir" said Willow as she turned to face the General, "Lya has requested that I go to the Nox home world so that they could help train me in the use of my emphatic abilities"
"I second that" said the General
"Come on Red" said the General after her physical was over, "we need to talk, something happened while you were away".
The General went on to explain to Willow about how SG1 including Faith is missing while they were looking for Anubis' secret base and, presumably, taken prisoner by Ba'al. He then introduced her to Mark Gilmor, the General's new administrative aide.
"Ba'al Sir?" asked Willow after she nodded at Mr. Gimor, "you mean?"
"Yep" said the General, "that exact same slimy ass snake that used me as a pin cushion"
"How long has it been Sir?" asked Willow
"We just sent Camulus, that Goa'uld who surrendered to us while you were in Hala, through the Gate a few hours before you got back but, until now, we've heard nothing" said the General, "SG3 just got back thirty minutes ago since they wanted to wait a little longer for SG1 to come through"
"The good thing is that at least we took care of that alien plant that was causing us trouble" said the General.
"Yeah" replied Willow before she did a double take, "wait a second, what alien plant?"
"Long story Red" said the General
"But I'm sure it going to be a hoot, eh sir?" said Willow when suddenly the klaxons started blaring.
"Unscheduled Off-World activation" said the voice over the P.A system.
The General, Willow and the General's aide looked at each other before they quickly stood up from their seats and ran down to the control room.
"What's going on?" asked the General.
"It's Colonel Carter's IDC, sir" said technician O'Brien, "we have audio only".
"Carter?" said General O'Neill over the microphone.
"We're under heavy fire sir" said the Colonel as everyone in the room could hear gunfire in the background, "open the iris"
"Negative" said the General as he looked at Willow.
"Can you re-route?" asked the General
"Negative" replied the Colonel, "the DHD is no longer accessible to us"
"Sir?" said Willow as she motioned to the microphone, "may I?"
"Alright" said the General.
"Ma'am" said Willow, "how many Jaffa are there?"
"Willow?" replied the Colonel.
"Yes ma'am" said Willow, "How many Jaffa?"
"Maybe twenty or thirty coming down on us" said the Colonel, "we need the Iris down"
"Ma'am" said Willow, "I need you to be my eyes"
"What do you mean?" said the Colonel as the sound of gunfire intensified
"Trust me" said Willow.
"Alright" said the Colonel.
"General" said Willow, "I need you to lower the Iris and the shield"
"Red?" said the General.
"Please, I can get them home safely. If I explain, we may be too late" said Willow
"OK" said the General as Willow ran down to the Gateroom.
"Sir" said Willow as she put both her hands up towards the Stargate, "drop the shield and the iris now"
The General and the people at the control saw staff weapon blasts hit an invisible shield right in front of Willow just as, at the same time, there was a ripple effect on the event horizon.
Willow had closed her eyes and concentrated with her telepathy and reached into the event horizon of the wormhole until she reached Colonel Carter's mind. Once inside the Colonel's mind, Willow took a look around and took note of the positions of Teal'c, Daniel, the Colonel and Faith along with the attacking Jaffa and their closeness to the gate.
"Ok here goes" said Willow as she reached into the wormhole with her mind again and erected a telekinetic shield that blocked the weapons fire of the attacking Jaffa from hitting SG1. She had made sure that the field would be able to just cover SG1, the DHD and the Stargate.
"Sir!" said Willow, "ask them to run! I can't hold it for too long!"
"Carter!" shouted the General over the microphone, "You're safe, run, run, run!"
A few minutes later, everyone breathed easier when Colonel Carter, Teal'c, Daniel and Faith ran through the event horizon and stood behind Willow as she put her telekinetic shield back up just as the shield that blocked the firepower of the attacking Jaffa on the other side failed. A few stray blasts had gone through the wormhole just before the iris and the energy shield could be put back up.
Once the last blast had hit her telekinetic shield, Willow put it down and turned around to face her friends.
"Hi guys" said Willow panting, "Welcome home"
"Willow" said the Colonel, "What did you do?"
"Long story ma'am" said Willow as she bent down panting.
"So kids" said the General, "What happened?"
"We found the way into the base Sir" said the Colonel.
"But we couldn't find a way out" said Faith.
"So basically we were stuck there" said Daniel.
"Oh" said the General, "so no new toys?"
"Sorry Sir" said the Colonel.
"Alright you all know the protocol" said the General, "get checked out and then briefing in an hour"
The General then faced Willow, "I'm really interested to know what you did"
"Yes Sir" said Willow as she started to breathe normally.
"Welcome back Willow" said Daniel as he hugged the red head.
"Thanks Daniel" replied Willow.
"Willow Rosenberg" said Teal'c, "It is good to have seen you again. I am pleased that you are doing well"
"Teal'c" said Willow as she smiled and bowed her head slightly.
"Hey Red" said Faith, "that was some fancy stuff you did back there"
"So" said Willow as she looked at the guns that Faith had on her, "enjoyed the shooting part, I take it?"
"Yeah" said Faith, "but not so much the part where we get shot at"
"Yeah" said the Colonel, "No one likes that part"
"Willow" said the Colonel as everyone had walked off first, "are you doing alright?"
"Yes ma'am" said Willow smiling, "I have a feeling that I'll be doing just great"
"I'm glad" said the Colonel as she gave Willow a quick hug, "I'm glad you're alright"
"Thank you ma'am" said Willow as the Colonel got out of the hug.
"See you at the briefing" said the Colonel as she followed Faith and the others to the infirmary.
"Yes ma'am" replied Willow as she saw Faith turn around and look at her with a grin.
Faith: "I love you Red, I'm glad that you're back safe and sound"
Willow: "Love you too, Faith"
Faith kept on grinning at Willow before she turned around and headed to the infirmary. Willow turned and walked up the stairs to a round of applause from the people at the control room.
"That was simply amazing" said O'Brien, the technician on duty
"Well done Captain Rosenberg" said Mr. Gilmor.
"Just doing my job" said Willow as she blushed while she nodded at everyone before walking up the metal stairs to the briefing room.
As Willow reached the briefing room, she noticed that General O'Neill was standing by the window and looking down at the Stargate.
"That was interesting what you just did" said the General.
"Yes Sir" said Willow as she looked at the Gate.
"Are you really alright Red?" asked the General.
"I am sir" said Willow, "Lya and the Asgard helped me a lot"
"They give you any new toys?" asked the General as he looked at Willow with a grin.
"Sorry sir" said Willow, "well, I do have that camping stuff"
"Nah" said the General, "I already have too much of that"
"I'm just glad you're back with us Red" said the General as he gave Willow a quick hug.
"Me too sir" said Willow.
"Now" said the General as he stepped back, "we have something else to deal with"
"Something major Sir?" asked Willow.
"Yep" said the General, "the President's coming here tomorrow"
"Oh" said Willow in surprise, "that's gonna be fun, huh?"
"Oh yes" said the General with a smile.
TBC