"Where's Dr. Weir?" Jon asked a little while later.
"In her quarters trying to deal with what the other Dr. Weir said." Sheppard told him.
"So why are things so different?" Jon asked.
"Every decision, large and small of every creature, universe wide, creates a new timeline." Allison said. "If she's from our timeline, then something caused a change in our timeline."
"I think it has to do with me and Corda." Alexander said. "She referred to me as Lt. Harris. That's not who I am, I'm Alexander. A couple of days after Corda and I were brought out of the shared souls, a seer told us, I was what Xander, the reincarnation of our shared soul, would have been, a soldier. Actually she referred to me as a lion that roared across the sky. So him joining the Air Force and learning to fly would fit that description. Anyway, this happened on Halloween nearly four years ago. A man who worshipped literal chaos enacted a ritual to turn people into their costumes for the night. Xander was going to dress as a soldier for kiddie escort duty. He bought a set of fatigues from the surplus store. They were damaged before he could use them, so he needed a different costume. He bought the costume of an Alteran soldier from the tv show Wormhole Extreme. So did Cordelia. This scanner." He said, holding up the one he'd been using ever since that night. "Was sold as part of the costume. Cordelia got one too. They were told they were actual props from the show. In actuality, the producer was a human alien who borrowed them without asking from Stargate Command. We acknowledge gods in this dimension, that's a topic that's come up before at the SGC. A god is something more powerful then we are that inspires worship. There are people who wanted to worship Alterans and others that wanted to worship the Wraith. The particular god that this worshiper called on is known to my own people. And we had an influence on the Romans, their language is descended from ours after all. This particular god, is part of an Accord. An agreement he and other such beings made, that basically says, they can't do anything with humans, unless humans invite them to do so. This worshiper invited him on Halloween."
"And you're thinking he did this on purpose?" Sheppard asked.
"His name is Janus, not the scientist who flirted with the time traveling Dr. Weir, he predates that Janus by millions of years. He has several areas that are said to be part of his domain, being able to see into the past and the future is one of them."
"So you're thinking he saw what happened to the expedition and also saw Lt. Harris, someone who could be affected by this ritual if this Janus allowed it." Sheppard said.
"That would imply he sacrificed this Lt. Harris in order to save others." Allyson pointed out.
"Well, he's still part of me and Cordelia is part of Corda, but we're dominant because more then 500 years of life experience verses less then seventeen is going to overwhelm the lessor number."
"So everything that's happened since then, including the twelve people McKay is responsible for killing, was because this Janus wanted to change things. For better or worse?" Sheppard asked.
"He's known as a protector deity. It would only be worth his while to help if more people lived then died."
"More then the expedition would have to be affected." Allyson suggested.
"You're right. Jon isn't cleared to know about Homeworld's other purview, but you are Allyson, because you have Carter's memories. You know exactly what we've done that saved lives."
"Yes." She said softly. "That definitely would be worth it."
"Am I going to get clearance now to know about this other side of Homeworld's purview?" Jon asked.
"I'm going to recommend it." Alexander assured him. "The Prometheus will be returning in a few months to check up on us. I'll send a message to General Hammond with my recommendation. Until then, you'll just have to curb your curiosity."
"It isn't like I don't have other things to be curious about."
"So these other gods." Sheppard said. "Ascended?"
"Maybe or they could be something else entirely. It's not like we ever studied them or like they offered to let anyone question them."
"They figured out a sort of middle of the road strategy. The Alterans in your home galaxy wanted to demand worship if they ever manged to Ascend. The ones we know, try to cut themselves off entirely from the lower plains." Sheppard said. "These ones wait to be invited. Do they demand worship if they're invited in?"
"There's nothing that says they demand worship, but they do allow it. So your analogy of middle of the road fits." Alexander said.
"The Janus that flirted with the time traveling Dr. Weir, you knew him?" Jon asked.
"Well when Corda and I knew him, he wouldn't have been able to address the Council, something must have happened that changed that. But yeah, we knew him. I avoided his parties. They tended to turn into orgies and I didn't want to get into trouble with Corda."
"Yeah, I'd avoid them too." Sheppard said. "At least now I would, maybe in college I wouldn't have."
"I hear ya. And I'd avoid them too." Jon said.
"Good, keeps you out of trouble." Allyson teased .