Chapter 19

1984

All attempts to dial the SGC in the future failed. The last recorded activation was at midnight when String, Caitlin and Dom made the unauthorized trip. Sam gave her findings early in the morning before heading out for her undercover assignment in the high school.

Sitting at the makeshift briefing room table in the warehouse Sam explained. "KITT recorded String, Cait and Dom all going through the mini gate around midnight. They went to our time, 2004. Thing is, we can't get a lock and I don't know why. And since they have not returned, I assume they can't get a lock on from the other end of the wormhole either."

Jack sat at the table eating breakfast and asked. "Meaning?"

"Airwolf's crew is stuck in the future and we are stuck in the past, sir." she frankly stated.

Daniel added, "That's not good."

Teal'c agreed. "It is not."

Janet had to agree. "This is really not good."

Jon O'Neill added. "I really don't want to live 1984 all over again."

"You didn't." Jack rebutted.

The clone rolled his eyes. "But I remember it."

Daniel looked at his friends. "So, what's the plan? We lost String and his crew. We need them."

Sam glanced at her watch. "Right now, we need to get to school and let Mr. Hinckley know what's going on."

Daniel asked a bit surprised. "Go back to undercover in high school?"

Teal'c insisted. "RalphHinckley still requires assistance." He then added, "As does Santini Air."

Jack stated. "You kids get to school. Me and T will run Dom's business for him."

Daniel let out a deep sigh. "I really hate high school."

"Me too." Sam agreed.

SGC

Caitlin decided she would fill in for Daniel and do his job on the team. She found his lab and took a seat at the table. She glanced over the stack of books and artifacts laying about. She puffed her cheeks and sighed. "I am way over my head in this." she figured. She squinted as she spied a plain leather-bound journal. She opened it and discovered all of Daniel's hand written notes. She began to read his research.

String walked into the lab holding two coffee mugs. He wondered how Caitlin was adjusting to her new role. He found her reading at the table. "How is it going?" he asked as he walked over to her with the coffee. He placed the cup before her. He then gazed over the work on the table knowing it was overwhelming.

She admitted. "I never realized just how vital Daniel is until I walked into his lab. I thought Gate travel would mainly be all tech stuff. But Daniel is unraveling the foundations of the civilization that invented the technology." she told him.

String had to agree. "He does play a vital role on SG-1." He cranked his head and looked at the journal. "His work?"

"This is way above my pay grade." she confessed.

"I see that." he had to agree. He looked about the pile before them. "Ah! A translation key." he found. He picked the hand written book up from the pile. "He's literally translating an ancient unknown language into English."

"He speaks twenty-eight languages." she reminded him. She then asked. "Why aren't you in Sam's lab doing her job?"

"McKay!" he grumbled. "What a pain in the ass that guy is."

She nearly laughed and wondered, "You don't think Sam is really dating him, do you?"

He shook his head. "I hope not. Of course it could be worse. Felger is a real pain too."

"Who?" she asked.

He waved it off. "Another wanna be boyfriend in the Sam Carter Club."

Caitlin stated. "Her dad if pretty cool."

"I like her dad." he agreed. "Bra'tac is awesome. Like…Dom awesome." he confessed.

"I get the feeling he's a father figure to T." she agreed. "Like how Dom is your father figure."

"I can see that." he agreed. He settled in and started to read the translation key.

Caitlin asked. "You are going to teach yourself to read that?"

He nodded. "I am."

"I thought you would be more interested in how the Gate works and all the alien gizmos in Sam's lab." she confessed.

He shrugged. "I can learn both."

"Rodney that much of a pain, huh?" she giggled.

He let out a deep sigh. "You have no idea."

Soon, Dom entered the lab as well. He wore green battle dress and sported the rank of colonel. He cheered upon seeing his crew. "Oh! There you two are. Boy, you could get lost in this place." he mentioned. He came to the table and looked over Daniel's work. "Daniel's work, huh?"

"Yes." String nodded. He looked up at Dom. "Don't you have to do Jack's job?"

He nodded. "Jack doesn't do much. He has a stack of paperwork from old missions. I can't fill those out. I wasn't there."

Caitlin paused. "So, what is the Colonel's job here then?"

String figured, "He watches Sam and Daniel's back off world."

Dom agreed. "You should see his weapons request. C-4, grenades, nukes…" he mentioned. He leaned against the table. "I tell ya. Jack knows how to throw a party." He then paused for a moment. "I was thinking." His voice strained a bit.

String cocked an eyebrow for he didn't like the sound of Dom's voice and demeanor.

"When they get a lock on the mini gate, maybe I should stay here and you two go back." he suggested.

"Why?" String asked surprised.

He explained. "I die anyways, String. I can just stay here and when you and Cait catch up, you two can come in and we can all be about the same age."

"What about Airwolf?" Cait asked surprised.

"We loose her anyways. Now, Airwolf is some decommissioned old chopper in a graveyard." Dom replied.

String stated. "We get the mini gate reestablished and we can work both ends. Our time and now."

Caitlin agreed. "We can work both ends of the wormhole, Dom. And once we get past that day your are supposed to die…well, if you still want to come and live in the future and work in the S.G.C., it won't affect the timeline."

"That is true." String had to agreed. "But we need to secure the mini gate once McKay reestablishes contact."

"I suppose your right." Dom had to agree.

Caitlin paused. "I hope Dr. McKay doesn't decide to go back with us." She looked about at horrid expressions of her crew. "I mean…he's brilliant and all but he does have a major crush on Sam."

"Felger would be a bigger nightmare." Dom insisted. "Have you met that guy, Cait?"

"Not yet." she shook her head.

"Major pain in the rear." he told her.

"Great," she miffed not enthused.

String glanced over at the manuscript sitting open on the table in the pile of books Daniel was referencing prior. A image caught his eye. "Hey, look at this?" he stated as he grabbed the book and drew it closer.

Dom looked at the very advanced text in a language he didn't even recognize. "Looks Greek to me, String." he joked.

"It is Greek." he told him.

Dom asked, "You can read Greek, String?"

He nodded. "Little bit." He pointed, "Look at the drawing." He placed the book down before Dom and Caitlin and put his finger on the page. "You see it?"

Caitlin squinted. "Is that a mini gate in the far corner?"

Dom found Daniel's spy glass. He held the article up and looked upon the drawing. "Looks like a mini gate." he agreed. "What's it say, String?"

"Something about a doorway." he replied reading what little text he could.

"Once McKay fixes the Gate we should bring this to Daniel." Dom suggested.

Caitlin found a sticky note and marked the page. "This should do it." she remarked.

String stated. "We need to gather as much intel as we can while we are here."

Dom suggested. "How about we try that new internet thing everyone is talking about?"

"Might work." String agreed with a bright smile.