Daniel
The next morning the symphony of cinnamon and clove wafted into our bedroom from the kitchen. I yawned, and rolled to check the clock. It was later than I had hoped, but the weekend allowed for a good catch up of rest. I pulled a clean shirt over my aching body and took the glasses off the night table as I made my way into the kitchen. A Julie London album softly serenaded the apartment in the crackling warmth of the record player in the corner of the room along with the swirling gentle ting of a wooden spoon making its way around a ceramic coated pot on the stove. A familiar lilting voice was humming along, beckoning me to search her out. I leaned back against the sitting chair and just watched from the living room in the doorway as she stood there blissfully unaware of my presence. That feeling of familiar warmth building in my chest and pooling in my gut as I looked at her there in thick cream woolen socks, one rolled up and one rolled down. Cornflower blue pinstripe pajama shorts and an oversized matching sleep shirt only partially buttoned with one perfectly bare freckled shoulder sticking out, she could not have looked more beautiful. Her messy ginger mane half tucked up in a claw clip, and her reading glasses fogged in the fragrant steam wafting from the pot. She pushed the tortoise shell frames up onto her head and the record stopped, static filling the silence where music once played. Her head looked over in my direction and she jumped.
"Oh," she clutched her chest, "what are you staring at?"
"You," I breathed, feeling the longing aching growing within me. Pushing off the couch I walked over to the record player and dropped the needle back on the spinning disk. I held my hand out in her direction and she laughed the perfect tinkling of bells. Her hand in mine, head against my chest, we swayed in the moment and I looked down at her, taking in every perfect curve and wrinkle. "I thought I lost you," my voice was wavering and she smiled gently back at me.
"Lost me? No silly. I'm right where you left me." She hummed along to the song pressing her head against my thrumming heart.
My eyes flashed open in the dark, drenched in a cold sweat as I looked around. I was in Stargate command, it was a dream. A torcherous gift to see her again, but I hoped every dream would be filled with her ghost haunting me. I had fallen asleep on the couch in my office again, this had happened every night and my joints were protesting at my sleep choices. I was scared to go back to my apartment alone though. Scared to no longer see her clothes in the hamper or her stray hairs that had embedded themselves into my sweaters in the wash. None of it would be there, and that was more frightening to me than I cared to admit. At least here in my office, I could bury my head in texts that might point in a direction to finding some way to reverse this.
I had spoken to Janet about a small nagging headache that persisted since my return. She told me to drink more water and gave me a few painkillers and a sleep aid but it lingered there with memories of her. It pulled on my spinal cord, like a chain connecting me to the gate. I had nowhere to dial to, there would be no proof that anyone could dial to the future again and find her, not if she was already gone but something gnawed at me, telling me that I was wrong and I had to find a way.
Eleanor
I flipped the gas burner off in the mess hall and poured the warmed drink into a clean mug. It had been maybe a few days, possibly a week, it was nearly impossible to track time here. I was able to find some packets of dried apple cider mix in a pre autumn box located in the mess hall along with cinnamon and various other spices I could toss into the pot. I was running out of the already low supply of cans available at my disposal. All of the fresh produce, the bread and grains had rotted within hours of Daniel's exit. As if time had rapidly aged everything edible in the open. I was living off of water bottles for bathing, drinking, all of it. Power wasn't working in the refrigerator so dairy was out of the question. I was sleeping in his office, wrapped in a spare jacket that still lingered with the smell of him. It was pathetic, but it was a small comfort I had given myself. There was a feeling that he was there with me, in the same room. Tethered to the idea of him.
The strangest thing about all this time though was I should have been dead by now. The knowledge of the ancients crushing into my brain and causing me to go absolutely mad until I was nothing left. However, I felt fine, aside from the small nagging headache I was able to treat with the ibuprofen found in the medical bay, I felt completely healthy. Better than expected, and I was able to consume information at a rapid pace. I spent the majority of what I had calculated to possibly be between 5-7 days just reading the library in Daniel's office and moving onto the next office full of textbooks. I had found a box of field journals that were untouched and filled them with any thought or idea that popped into my head. If they did find me, I'd have all this knowledge that would prove helpful at some point. And, I'd instead I did die, they would at least have some sort of information left behind when they came back. If they came back. I took one journal though for personal reasons, mostly things I wanted Daniel to know, my mother to know, my sister and her kids. Memories that I wanted to hold onto if I lost them in this.
On day 8, or maybe 9 I had decided that I was running out of water and could quite honestly use a new pair of clothes. I had been changing into coveralls from the SGC overflow lockers but those would only last so long before needing to be washed. I found a field pack and stuffed 20 meters of 550 parachute cording inside, a small first aid kit, and a crowbar. I stood in front of the armory debating on if I needed a pistol or not. I didn't exactly feel comfortable carrying one around, but I didn't know what life looked like outside this bunker. I opted for a small handgun I could fit inside a holster strapped to my thigh.
"I'm not going to break into anyone's homes. Yet." I muttered to myself. "Who's to say up there isn't the same as down here anyway." I updated the note on the chair by the Stargate to mention that I had left for supplies, to please wait for me. But, I couldn't help this crawling feeling that when I got back no one would have come. No one was going to come. I swallowed the fear back and pulled a pair of combat boots I had found a size too large on, tying them tightly and made my ascent up to the hatch rung by rung. I cranked the latch open and took in a deep breath before popping my head up out of the door. An exhale escaped me when I saw the hazy orange of either premorning dawn or evening twilight. It was silent and my heart dropped. There were no birds, no cars, nothing. I climbed out making sure to leave the hatch open behind me. The last thing I needed was for the door to close and get locked out of the SGC, the only home I really had now.
After an hour of walking in the direction of a local superstore I knew was just around the corner from the base itself I felt a wave of emotions flood me. I truly was alone now, and it quite possibly had been over a week with no rescue. I wouldn't let the thought that Daniel didn't make it cross my mind, he had to be safe. I stood in front of the glass doors to the grocer, and with no electricity they didn't open. The parking lot was a barren wasteland of empty vehicles. Looking around I found a pallet of garden edging blocks and hoisted one up and over my shoulder throwing it into the glass doors. Once I had cleared a nice smooth opening for me to slide in I walked back to the sports equipment. I knew I could get around easier on a bicycle and my plan was to load this pack as full with supplies as possible. The trek back would be miserable without it. The isles were dark making things eery and nearly impossible to see the deeper I walked, but that's when it clicked. The lights at the SGC were powered via backup battery. Solar battery. Somehow in this edge of the timeline world I occupied now battery power worked, but not electricity from cables or ground lines. I ran to the hardware department and fumbled around finding a flashlight. When I noticed one with batteries included I peeled the packaging back and tested my theory dropping each battery in and flipping the switch after. Light. A squeal escaped me, filling and bouncing off the halls. Tears pricked my eyes at the excitement that this brought, batteries. Batteries meant entertainment, it meant emergency lights and heaters if needed, it meant a plan of some sort. Fumbling, I picked up a headlamp and found there was already a battery inside as I loaded it and put it on my head for the journey deeper into the store.
My pack was growing heavier and I hadn't even found the canned goods yet. I did though find a red wagon which I decided I'd use the cording I brought to tie to the bicycle and carry back a portable DVD player, a handful of movies, and weeks worth of batteries. I also found a camping lantern in case the lights did go out in the SGC, and more lighters to start the gas stove back in the mess hall. I passed the clothing department and took a few changes of clothes as well as a pair of better fitting shoes. Toiletries, and finally canned goods as well as a protein powder supplement that I could easily use as a makeshift meal. Once the wagon and my back were full I pushed my makeshift bicycle wagon combo to the exit when I smelled a sickly rancid smack in the face. The fumes made my stomach churn and I turned to see the fresh produce and meat department both covered in rotting oozing piles. The amount of decay that the pike of apples just a few meters from me would have taken at least a month, but this was so rapid. I held my breath and pushed my new carriage out the hole in the door I had created and pedaled back to the SGC in the same orange haze that was now permanently outside with no time change in sight.