A/N: Again, AI has broken causality and things are weird! :D
Location: Stargate Command, Main Control Room
Time: Two days later
"Hey, Carter," Jack said, watching as Samantha Carter worked at one of the computers. "You seen James around lately? He's been… off."
Samantha frowned, her hands pausing over the keyboard. "Yeah, I've noticed it too. He hasn't been himself since P3R-844. I'm starting to think it's more than just stress."
"Yeah, no kidding," Jack muttered. "The kid's starting to sound a lot like I did back when those darn Ancients crammed all their knowledge into my head. What was that phrase I kept saying? Something like 'annis atir jaffa—'"
Samantha's eyes widened as she suddenly made the connection. "Jack… he's been speaking Alteran."
"Well, that's not good," Jack said, folding his arms. "So what do we do? Last time, the Asgard bailed me out. But we don't exactly have Thor on speed dial."
Before Samantha could respond, an alert popped up on one of the control screens.
"Wait… this isn't right," Samantha said, frowning as she scanned the data. "These modifications weren't authorized. Someone's been altering the mainframe."
Jack peered over her shoulder. "Who's messing with our toys?"
"I think I know who." Samantha's voice was grim as she pulled up more data. The code was written in an unfamiliar script. "This is James. He's been modifying the base systems. And… this isn't standard Earth coding."
Jack sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fantastic. So, we've got a super genius going off the deep end and hacking into our systems. Anything we should be worried about?"
"Yes," Samantha said, eyes narrowing. "This code is Ancient. He's not just modifying things—he's enhancing them."
As they spoke, a loud commotion erupted from down the hall. Footsteps pounded on the concrete floor, and suddenly, a pair of security officers rushed into the control room.
"Sir!" one of them said breathlessly. "James… he's in the lab. He's building something, but we don't know what."
Location: SGC Laboratory
Time: Immediate
James was hunched over one of the workbenches, his hands moving with feverish intensity. The room was filled with pieces of Ancient technology, devices that no one on Earth should have been able to assemble, but James had somehow constructed. His eyes were locked onto a small, glowing orb in his hand, something that looked distinctly alien, yet familiar.
He muttered to himself in Alteran as he worked, oblivious to the sound of approaching footsteps.
"James!" Jack called out, entering the lab with Samantha and Teal'c right behind him.
James didn't respond. His hands were moving too quickly, assembling circuits and components at a rate that was inhuman. The glow from the device in his hand brightened as he made final adjustments.
"James, you need to stop," Samantha said, her voice calm but firm. "Whatever you're building, it's dangerous."
For a moment, James froze, his head snapping up to look at her. His eyes were wide, unfocused. He blinked once, twice, as if trying to understand the words she was saying.
Then he spoke, but the words were foreign, incomprehensible to anyone in the room except Teal'c.
"He speaks the language of the Ancients," Teal'c said gravely. "His mind is breaking, just as O'Neill's once did."
"James, you have to stop," Samantha said again, stepping closer. "You're building things that could put us all at risk."
James's eyes darted between them, his hands still twitching as if fighting the urge to continue working. He opened his mouth to speak again, and this time the words came out in a strange mixture of English and Alteran.
"I… I have to finish it," he muttered. "It's… it's not right. The system needs to be… optimized. Fixed. They… they showed me how."
"Who showed you?" Jack asked, his voice steady.
"The Ancients," James said, his eyes wide with a manic gleam. "It's all here, in my head. The systems, the codes, the machines. I can see it all, but I have to build it. I have to."
Samantha stepped closer. "James, listen to me. Your mind is overloaded. The same thing happened to Jack, but we can help you. We need to get you to the infirmary."
"No!" James shouted, stumbling back, gripping the glowing device. "I can't stop. If I stop, it'll all fall apart. They'll find us. The Goa'uld… they know."
The tension in the room was palpable. James was on the edge, barely holding himself together. His hands shook violently, and the glow from the device began to pulse erratically.
Suddenly, the interface in his mind lit up with red warnings:
[Mental Overload at 92%]
[Warning: Imminent breakdown. Immediate intervention required.]
Jack took a cautious step forward. "James, buddy, you don't want to end up like I did. Trust me. Let us help."
But James wasn't hearing them anymore. He dropped the device and collapsed to his knees, clutching his head as the Ancient knowledge surged uncontrollably. Symbols and equations filled his vision, and the sound of the Ancients' voices echoed in his ears, speaking to him in a language that was tearing his mind apart.
[Mental Overload at 95%]
[Critical threshold reached.]
He screamed as the last of his control slipped away, the weight of the knowledge crushing him.