samandjack.net

Story Notes: Reviews and even constructive critism will be appreciated. I know I've posted the first few parts to this story already, but decided to rather post the whole completed story.

Email: ngeldenhuys@wol.co.za

Copyright (c) NG. 2003


YOU AND ME, SAM



Major Samantha Carter (or Sam as she was known to her friends) was rushing down a passage to her laboratory with her thoughts everywhere except on what was happening in front of her.

In her mind she was already going through all the experiments that she would need to perform on the latest technological wonder that they have found on a barren desert planet officially named P-X930 or 'the Skywalker Paradise' as it was dubbed by her commanding officer, Colonel Jack O'Neill.

From the local scriptures that were deciphered it appeared that the small bracelet awaiting her in the lab might have been a device which enabled its owner to transport directly through any stargate and any time period by the mere press of a button.

After they have returned from P-X930 and debriefed the base commander, General George Hammond, she was instructed to give the highest prioritisation to understanding, operating and maybe duplicating this technology.

Therefore when red klaxons started to serenade and a voice from the speakers yelled for SG1 to assemble in the gateroom she felt like cursing and before she could prevent it an "Oh shit" slipped out of her mouth.

Shaking her head at the questioning glance on one of the local airman that just run past her Sam first thought of ignoring the call but years of military training made her do a defeated turnaround.



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"Ahh, just as I remember it."

A man could be seen walking down the ramp in front of the Stargate. His dark eyes indicated a level of intelligence beyond what he normally preferred to advertise. The severity of the wrinkles underneath his eyes and mouth and the white-grey streaks that were overrunning his hair indicated that he was a man well beyond the age of most of the people that were present in the gateroom.

Ignoring the hordes of guns trained on him he adjusted the one piece suit he was wearing and later on a few of the witnesses could have sworn he murmured something in the line of "will never get used to these damn things."

Walking up to the four men that were standing at the bottom of the ramp, astonishment and shock clearly written all over their faces, he extended his hand and a big corky half-moon smile slowly started to envelope his face.

"George, Daniel, Teal'c, Jack - how are you guys."

For a split second it appeared as if everybody in the room lost the ability to talk but the sound of a door opening from behind them broke the dead silence and a woman's voice could be heard expressing all the feelings of disbelief that everybody was clearing experiencing in that room.

"Sir?"



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Samantha Carter had experienced a lot of strange things in her life but nothing could compare to the presence of a supposedly older version of Colonel Jack O'Neill in the gateroom.

He must have heard the small shocked whisper escaping from her lips because his head turned slightly towards her and the grin from before still showed on his face.

"Yeah Sammie, it's me."

Upon seeing the frown developing on her forehead a small mischievous look appeared in his eyes. "Ok, maybe not the me ME as you know it, but still another me from w-a-a-a-y into the future."

It was at that moment that General Hammond decided to take charge of the situation in front of him.

"Whoever you think you are mister, you have a lot of explaining to do, and you will be wise to remain quiet until such time as all of this can be discussed in a more secure place." With a wave of his hand he indicated for two airmen to flank the new arrival.

"Meeting in the debriefing room now!" he instructed, as he led the way upstairs.



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The atmosphere in the room was quiet and very tense.

An official-looking letter lay in the middle of the table, crinkled after having been passed numerous times from one hand to another. Nobody was quite willing to believe the full extent of its contents -



-----------------------------------------------------------------------



To Major-General George Hammond

Commanding Officer of the Stargate Program in the year 2003



You are hereby instructed to adhere to all requests made by the owner of this letter, Colonel Jack O'Neill.

Out of fear that this letter might fall into the hands of the enemy I am unable to expand on the details of the mission that was given to Colonel O'Neill, but you will find the necessary authorisation codes on this page and DNA tests should be able to confirm the authenticity of your visitor.

Please assist him in all regards since the life of Samantha Carter, and the future of Earth depends on it.



Chelsea Clinton

President of the United States of America



-----------------------------------------------------------------------



It was eventually the older Jack that decided to break the thick silence with a heavy thud of his fist on the table.

"Oh for crying out loud! Look, it's quite simple! Must I spell it out to you? Sam's important to the future. In my time a temporal monster tried to kill Sam, but the monster was defeated. It somehow jumped into the past to try again, so voilá, here I am to protect and serve."

"Which leads us to the million dollar question. Why me ... uhh you ... ahh ... damn you know what I mean " the current Jack stuttered from his side of the table.

"What I am trying to ask is why were you the one selected for this mission?"

The future O'Neill turned his chair around to stare at his younger counterpart.

"It's elementary my dear Jackie. The reason why I was selected for this mission was because of one very important reason. Danger is on the way and I am the only person in the world capable of recognising its true form."



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"You can't do this to me!"

Sam was standing with her arms folded behind her back in General Hammond's office. Her bodyguard from the future was standing slightly to her left and had refused to move further than a metre away from her ever since the debriefing debácle.

Her dark blue eyes were showing a mixture of indignation, frustration and definitely a degree of turmoil and rebellion towards the order that she had just been given by the commander of the base.

With a heavy sigh Hammond decided to overlook the obviously disrespectful tone he was addressed in since he could sympathise with her predicament.

"Major, Doctor Fraiser's tests all came back positive. I also had the letter analysed by our best people in the field, and they have no doubt about its authenticity. Therefore unless you can provide me with a very good reason to think otherwise I am quite willing to accept this man standing beside you as Colonel Jack O'Neill. My previous order still stands. As of this moment SG1 is on downtime, and Major for your own protection you are ordered to permanently stay on base until such time as Colonel O'Neill considers your life is no longer in danger."

In order to prevent any further arguments, which just might test his patience, Hammond stood up to indicate an end to the discussion.

"Then it is agreed. Jack, you are hereby given authorisation to protect Major Carter by any means possible, and you will have the full support of the SGC during this endeavour. Okay people, you are dismissed."

Before anybody had a chance to say or do anything gunfire could be detected in the distance and voices were heard screaming over the speakers.

"Intruder alert!"

"Shit, what is that thing?"

"No, keep away from me, N-o-o-o-o!!"



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"Move it!"

As the screams and shouts from outside of the room could be heard closing in, the future Jack grabbed Sam's hand and started dragging her out of the door of the office. Just before they disappeared he shouted over his shoulder to the General.

"George, stay in your office. The creature will only attack if a person stands in its way towards Sam."

With those last words he started running down the passage with a speed belying his age and the grip on his companion's hand indicated a fierce strength and determination to protect his charge at all cost. Passage after passage and one flight of stairs after another blurred past them as they made their way upwards.

"Where ... are ... we ... going?"

When he didn't answer her immediately, Sam made a full stop and Jack had no choice but to brake as well to prevent both of them from plummeting into the nearest wall. With a half questioning, half- irritated look he turned around to face her.

"Dammit Sam we have to go now! That creature knows you are here and nothing will stop it from trying to get its hands on you."

Shaking her head disgustedly she directed her hand at the general direction of where they just come from, and where the screams had been heard only a few minutes ago.

"We can't just leave them to the mercy of whatever is supposed to be after me. What happened to nobody gets left behind? The Colonel O'Neill I know would never run away from a fight like a coward."

A small yelp escaped her lips when suddenly, without warning, strong arms pushed her against the wall and his angry face hovered only a inch away from hers, a low growl emanating from deep within his throat.

"Listen good and listen carefully, Major. I won't repeat this again. You are correct. The Colonel O'Neill that you know wouldn't run away from a fight, and neither did I all those years ago. But this is now, and the only thing that I care about and should care about is getting you to safety. Earth's future depends on it."

She tried to argue but one very strong hand clamped over her mouth.

"Shush. We are getting out of here and you are coming with me, either on your own behalf or I will knock you out and carry you draped over my shoulders. So which will it be Major?"

A hint of something dangerous played in his eyes and a cold shiver ran down Sam's spine. In that instant she realised that the man in front of her was fully capable of following through on his threat and she found her head slowly nodding in agreement.

"Good, now move it."

Jack was just about to continue but upon opening the next door he stopped in his tracks.

"Oh crap."



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The door that was opened led to a hangar full of government vehicles of all types and sizes.

At first Sam was unable to see anything in the near darkness, but as her eyes slowly started to adjust a very faint shimmer could be seen in the air only a few metres away. The sheer size of whatever it represented was astounding.

"It was following us the whole time, playing with us in the same way that a cat plays with its prey."

Sam wanted to ask the Colonel how he came to that conclusion but one look at his face made her take a step backwards in shock. His eyes were a translucent green, and his pupils had vanished.

"Your eyes?"

Ignoring the question Jack's mind raced through possible ways of how to continue. His first thought was of retreating back through the door to safety, but the arrival of a couple of airmen on the other side of the room gave him the distraction he needed to try a daring escape.

Cautiously he approached the closest vehicle, which was fortunately a relatively new Jeep. His eyes never strayed far away from the creature. It currently appeared to be ignoring he and Sam, instead approaching the airmen who were yelling and shooting at it. Finding the keys in the ignition O'Neill couldn't help but punch his fist into the air.

"Yes! THANK YOU for small miracles!"

Ignoring the protests coming from Sam the Colonel grabbed her arm tightly and threw her into the passenger seat, taking the driver's seat for himself. As the vehicle started up a loud animal growl sounded from behind them.

"Colonel, may I suggest that you step on that pedal, and quickly!" Sam shouted into Jack's ear.

As they were driving off she couldn't help but look back at the men they were leaving behind, getting a first class look at a scene behind them as if it was straight from a horror movie, the only difference being that this time the assailant was invisible. One by one airmen were being thrown in different directions, closely followed by vehicles.

To Carter's horror the path of destruction started to close in on them at an alarming speed.



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Colonel Jack O'Neill's future counterpart was frantically trying to get more speed out of the Jeep but to no avail. Despite the fact that he was driving at a terrifying speed through the hanger, just barely missing the obstacles around them, he could still see the temporal monster gaining momentum in his rear-view mirror.

'Think Jack, think'. As he started to make out the end of the hanger, Jack's mind swirled through all the different possibilities available to him and when an idea finally came to light he almost overturned the Jeep in his haste to make a u-turn.

A quick glance in Sam's direction to check on her safety caused a mild snigger to escape his lips. The u-turn had resulted in her being thrown into the back and she was in a tug of war with her seatbelt, struggling to get loose from the entanglement of flesh and leather.

"Need a hand there?" he shouted to her over his shoulder.

The only answer he got in return was a dirty look and a scrabble of feet as she struggled to get back into the front seat.

"You might want to do your belt up Sam, and put your head between your knees; we're in for a rough ride."

With those words Sam finally started to register his intentions and had just enough time to comply before the Jeep barged through the wooden double- doors of the hanger manager's office and out again on the other side, right through a gigantic glass window that connected the room to the outside world.



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After having left the base, the creature in hot pursuit, Jack made his way onto the freeway but the only problem was that he chose the wrong turn-off and was at that moment going against the flow of traffic which was becoming increasingly dangerous.

On enquiry from Sam as to whether he had lost his mind, he just smiled at her and gave her a cheesy slogan from an 80's TV series. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"Watch out for that truck!"

Sam's knuckles were a ghostly white from clutching the sides of her seat, especially after each evasion of oncoming traffic. Not for the first time that day she couldn't help but wonder about the sanity of the person sitting next to her. She enjoyed an adrenaline rush just as much as the next person but playing 'chicken' on an American freeway wasn't her idea of fun.

Besides the expected hooting and the profanity communicated their way Sam was surprised to notice that none of the passengers from the other vehicles appeared to have noticed the creature that had joined them on the road.

Maybe it was due to the fact that it was dark and only a faint shimmer in the air could be detected. Maybe it was because the cars that had swung out to avoid them were crashing into each other at the same time and speed as they were being flung to all sides by the creature, or maybe most human beings just couldn't acknowledge what their brains told them was impossible.

The volume of traffic slowly started to increase, and just when Sam was sure that they wouldn't be able to continue for much longer in their current daredevil style, Jack hit the brakes and turned down a small dirt road.

After about ten minutes it became apparent that the creature hadn't followed them. When she questioned the Colonel about it he just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and mumbled something about how the sun was coming up and that the monster is afraid of the light.

"Aren't you the least bit worried or concerned about the casualties that we're leaving behind, not only on the base but also in all of those cars that just crashed behind us?"

Without pausing Jack gave her a curt, "No."

Sam couldn't believe her ears.

"Are you trying to tell me that you feel nothing for all the innocent lives that were wasted today? What about the families, small children that most probably died back there."

"You wouldn't understand, Sam. Just let it go."

"Try me."

Sam could feel the Colonel's hand reaching out o lightly touch hers.

"Now's not the time. Maybe later, okay?"

She wanted to object, to demand that he tell her why her life was so important in comparison to everybody else's, but one look in his direction - visibility having increased with the first light of day - made her forget her dark thoughts for the time being.

"You're hurt!"

The whole of the Colonel's left arm was covered in blood, glass and dirt. It was only years of experience working with him that enabled her to make out the pain in his eyes.

He wanted to answer her, to tell her he was fine, but the adrenaline that had kept him going so far was leaving his body, along with any strength left in him.

Noticing a derelict building not too far away he aimed the Jeep in that direction, hoping to get there before he lost consciousness, but his luck had run out; Just before darkness enveloped his senses he could feel the vehicle spinning out of control and Sam's voice shouting his name in the distance.



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Colonel, can you hear me? You need to wake up, Sir."

He didn't want to answer her. The safety and comfort of the darkness around him was soothing and it begged him to enter deeper to a place where no pain or sorrow could ever reached him again.

"You have to go back Jack."

From the deepest recesses of his mind the image of a beautiful woman appeared. She was dressed in a plain but very sensual black evening dress which ensured that just the right curves of her body were visible and complimented the colour of her golden-blonde hair and dark-blue eyes. It was exactly as he remembered her from the night he proposed to her all those years ago. He remembered being the proudest man in the world and the envy of all the men in the restaurant.

"I know it's hard on you but you have to go back."

Her words faded away and started to intermingle with those from another voice.

"I know it's hard on you Sir, but you have to come back."

As the last wisps of the vision cleared from his mind's eye the image of Sam started to come into focus. She was slightly bent over him and he could see the faint traces of tears in her eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

He tried to reply but throat felt dry and sore. He could only manage a husky, "Just peachy. What happened?"

"When you lost consciousness it was so sudden. Before I could regain control we drove over a small embankment and right into a dried riverbed on the side of the road. The soft mud at the bottom prevented what could have been a serious accident. Unfortunately it also killed the Jeep's engine and our only transport out of here."

"Where are we now?"

"I think these are the remains of what used to be a farm house, Sir. After the crash I was able to drag you to this building."

Straightening up Sam turned her back on him and paused for a while, as if to consider her next words, but eventually continued in a very subdued tone.

"After we reached this house your body went into spasms. Your heart stopped beating for a while and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get you back. For a while there I was afraid I was going to lose you. It's been touch and go for the last couple of hours."

Sensing the strong emotions running through her Jack pushed himself into a sitting position. He reached out and gently took one of her hands in his.

"Hey, don't worry, it's just some small side effect from my time- travelling through the gate. You're going to be stuck with me and my moron counterpart for a long time to come."

Sam couldn't help but smile through her tears at his ability to still make jokes after all the trauma and pain both of them, but especially him, had experienced that day.

They continued to stand like that for a while, hand in hand, eyes locked onto each other. Feeling her cheeks turning red Sam averted her eyes to the blood that had started to seep through the makeshift bandage on his arm.

"Uh, I need to have a look at your arm again."

Jack couldn't trust himself to say anything sensible at that moment and instead just nodded his head to allow her to proceed.

They both kept quiet whilst her fingers ran slowly, gently and expertly over his arm to determine the extent of his injuries.

Satisfied that his arm wasn't too seriously injured Sam washed and bandaged the wound again.

It was when she reached his hand that she noticed the white indentation on his index finger. She felt shocked and confused, and a cold shiver ran down her spine.

"You're married!"

He wondered how long it was going to take her to discover that, and it was with great difficulty that he was able to conceal his amusement.

"Yeah. Does that bother you?"

Struggling to keep her emotions under control Sam shook her head.

He wanted to tell her she was lying, he wanted to dare her to confront her feelings, but her thoughts were no longer with him. He could see horror and fear spread across Sam's face as she detected something behind him. It was the sound of something big breathing out of sight and the sensation of hot, foul-smelling breath playing across his back that made him curse inwardly and wished that they had remembered to lock the front door.



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For a couple of seconds it appeared as if time had stood still.

The irises of Sam's dark blue-eyes reflected the awfulness of their situation, and the image displayed in them caused cold chills to run down Jack's spine.

The only sound that broke through the menacing silence was the creature's echoing breathing, slowly becoming heavier until it changed into a ferocious growl.

They were in extreme danger and, despite all of the modifications to his body and the extensive training he had received in the future, he was at that moment somewhat clueless as to how to proceed. One sudden move from either Sam or himself and they would be finished. One the other hand they didn't dare linger too long since they were no doubt the prey of the enormous creature. Another worried thought that kept nagging at his brain was the fact that the temporal creature was quite capable of following them in daylight, as personal experience had taught him that the creature was photosensitive.

With fear still very much evident in her face Sam slowly started walking backwards. She sent Jack a fleeting glance, desperately trying to silently communicate with him, and he could see the beginnings of a plan developing in her eyes.

Realising that she was about to do something foolish he mouthed, "Don't" but she just shook her head gently at him in reply.

With one last apologetic look and a "Duck!" in his direction she turned around and sprinted out of the room.

At the same time Jack went on autopilot and manoeuvred himself into a flying dive off to one side just as the creature released a vicious growl into the air and charged after Sam. Jack's specially-enhanced sight had given him a front row seat on numerous occasions of the creature's ability to change its DNA structure, but he still could not help but stop and stare in awe at the creature narrowing and bending in upon itself before barging ungracefully through the narrow door.

"That explains why we didn't hear it enter," he mumbled absentmindedly to himself.

Picking himself up from the floor he berated himself for having forgotten about Sam, even if it was just for a second. Without any further hesitation he followed the route she took as fast as his legs could carry him.



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Being a seasoned soldier Sam was used to suffering but never in her life had she put that much emotional and psychological stress on her body.

Her lungs and heart were screaming for mercy but she didn't dare rest or even slow down out of fear that the monster might catch up with her. Adrenaline and deeply ingrained instincts had taken control of her mind and provided her with the stamina to continue in what had become a race of survival.

One field after another flew past her as she jumped over numerous gates and hedges, crossing one farm after another, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't shake the creature off. For every moment of her nightmare she could hear and feel the world trembling behind her as the monster followed her in hot pursuit. She didn't dare look over her shoulder at the distance between them out of fear that the slightest time delay could result in her immediate death.

Sam was just about to cross another fence when all of a sudden an enormous weight connected with her back and caused gravity to drag her to the ground at a terrifying speed. The impact left her dazed and confused for a couple of moments, not realising why she was laying face down with blood streaming out of her nose.

Red-hot tendrils of smoke clawed at her back, and with one quick movement she was flipped around to stare at the silhouette outline of her attacker. The feeling of warm, sticky saliva dripping onto her cheek and the excruciating pain from the wounds on her back woke her from her confused state of mind and she realised with crystal clarity that unless she was willing to fight for her life she was about to stare into the eyes of death itself.

A loud, angry growl resounded from the creature and before Sam could do anything to protect herself sharp claws started attacking her chest and abdomen tearing clothes and flesh away from her body at the same time.

The temporal monster had her pinned to the ground with its entire body. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't push herself away from it, nor did it appear as if the pounding of her fists was making any impression on it. To any casual observers it would have appeared as if she was trying to hit the air around her, but upon closer inspection they would have noticed how her knuckles and the skin on her hands were turning first white then red. They would also have seen the deep red slashes appearing all over hands and body as she used all of her strength to try and protect herself.

"Get off me you fucking bastard!"

Sam could not help but scream in pain but this only seemed to encourage the monster to continue its attack with a renewed fury.

"You heard what the lady said. Get off her you son of a bitch."

A blinding flash of light encircled the creature and with a confused roar it stopped its attack. It lifted its weight from Sam ever so slightly to turn around and stare at where the painful assault had come from.

About two metres from the creature two identical men appeared, the only difference between them being the rather large age gap. The younger man had a bracelet that was evidently the source of the creature's discomfort. The bracelet radiated the million different colours of the spectrum indicating its readiness to be used again at the mere press of a button. The older man started to move slowly in a half-moon circle around the party in an attempt to get to Sam.

Whilst the monster was warily eyeing up the new arrivals a nearly unconscious Sam started to painfully drag herself away from its reach, leaving a trail of blood and torn flesh behind her. Before she could get far enough away the monster roared again and grabbed hold of her leg with such force that it crushed every bone in it, causing her to give an involuntary cry before passing out.

"LET GO OF HER!"

Another powerful ray shot out from the bracelet but this time it wrapped around the monster in a tight multicoloured blanket causing it to give a fearful screech before backing away from Sam altogether. It wanted to get as far away from the two men and the source of its pain as possible.

Future-Jack quickly rushed to Sam's side and gently lifted her into his arms whilst the current timeline's Jack kept an eye on the creature with hate and malice warring in his eyes.

As the elder Jack reached his younger counterpart's side he handed Sam over to his care, a look of understanding and gratitude passing between them. It was only due to his younger version's quick thinking, after he and Sam had left the base, that they were now able to keep the monster at bay with the device that was found on P3X930.

"Go! She needs urgent medical attention. There's a hospital not far from here."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to buy you enough time to get yourself and Sam transported out of here with that bracelet. It won't be long before it will have built up a resistance to the bracelet's power. Now go!"

Nodding his head in acknowledgement the younger Jack created a mental image of the aforementioned hospital and after a couple of seconds both he and Sam flashed out of reality to appear immediately in front of the Emergency Room of the local County Hospital.



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Jack sat in the waiting room of the ER with his elbows resting on his legs and his head bowed, supported between his hands.

Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as he couldn't help but torture himself, for the umpteenth time, with the memories of her vicious attack and the way she had looked when he handed her over to the resident doctors.

When he had entered the hospital with a very fragile Sam in his arms a few hours ago the only excuse he could think of at the time to explain Sam's condition was that an unknown assailant had attacked them. He knew that it would not be long before the doctors started to suspect that there was something more sinister going on. As a safety precaution he contacted General Hammond to inform him of the latest developments but otherwise he could not care less about his oath to uphold the safety and security of the Stargate Program whilst Sam was fighting for her life on an operating table.

He lifted the sleeve of his jacket and stared at the temporal bracelet. A small green light shone around it, indicating that they were currently safe from the creature. Slowly his memories started to swirl back to the events of the day before.

After the creature had appeared from nowhere, and had started attacking everybody in its path in an attempt to get to its intended prey, Jack tried his best to intervene but his bullets had no effect on the creature, and all his attempts to confront the beast only resulted in him being thrown time and time again across the passage.

He must have blacked out because when he came to the whole base was in disarray, and it was reported that Sam and his future self had left the building with the creature in hot pursuit.

It was eventually an idea from Daniel that convinced him to go back to the base for a while and to not follow the couple immediately. Daniel was convinced that there was some sort of link between the bracelet that SG1 had discovered on P3X930, the fact that it was described in the local scriptures as being a time and Stargate transporter, and the existence of a creature that was able to jump through time.

Despite all of his best attempts the archaeologist could not decipher the meaning behind the hieroglyphics that were inscribed on the device.

"A hero is marked by his willingness to offer his life in sacrifice. By becoming one with the bracelet's powers he will know greatness. He will be praised by all men for his nobility and his willingness to sacrifice his life-force to sustain the bracelet's ever present hunger. He will live exactly 3650 of his days before the device will consume him completely, after which he will be no longer."

Jack muttered a rushed "Oh for crying out loud" and grabbed the device out of Daniel's hands, pulling it over his wrist and finally revealing the mystery.

Sharp spikes immediately emerged from the bracelet and broke through his flesh. In the blink of an eye, and before anyone could say or do anything, the bracelet spread its nanites through Jack's veins. It took only two seconds for the whole memory database to imprint itself into his brain's neural net, thus the truth was revealed to him. For ten years the full power of the device was going to be at his fingertips. Stargate and time travel would be available to him at a mere thought and the press of a button, but his body was gradually going to stop functioning after the final day of that decade.

It was a failsafe device designed by the creator of the time portal to ensure that whoever had the power of the bracelet was never going to use it as a way to control the destiny of his fellow living beings. Unfortunately the damage was also permanent and irreversible.

Without a second thought as to what it meant for his future Jack had used this knowledge to transport himself first to his future self and then both of them to Sam's rescue.

"Colonel O'Neill?"

With a start Jack woke from his memories and lifted his head to stare into the sympathetic face of the doctor standing in front of him. When the doctor didn't speak he began to feel his whole body turning numb. He could only muster a small whisper, fearing the truth.

"Sam? Is she ... ?"

The doctor looked at him confusedly for a moment, then upon realising what the Colonel was thinking his eyes widened slightly and he shook his head in the negative.

"No nothing like that. I'm so sorry for having given you that idea but when I entered the room I saw how upset you were and I thought I'd give you a minute to compose yourself."

"Doc please! I appreciate your concern but if you don't mind I'd like to know how she is."

The doctor sat down next to Jack and offered him a gentle smile.

"Well ... You don't look like a guy that would appreciate a long medical explanation so I'll be brief. Samantha is a fighter in a way I've seldom seen in any of my patients. Her injuries were quite severe but she fought for her life every inch of the way whilst we were operating. I think I can confidently say that she is going to make a good recovery but it will be a very long time before she will be able to get out of bed or even lead a normal life."

"Can ... can I see her?"

The doctor lay a hand on Jack's shoulder and nodded in agreement.

"Come, let me show you the way to her room."



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Jack knew Sam's injuries were severe but he still couldn't help but draw in a rapid breath at the sight of her laying so utterly helpless in the hospital bed.

She was hooked to all sorts of machines that he could only guess the meaning of. Thick, heavy bandages wrapped both of her hands and most of her chest and abdomen. Her left leg was cast in plaster.

He turned round to face the doctor at his side, but the question he so desperately wanted to ask must have been in his eyes all along as the older man just nodded his head in agreement.

"Of course. You may stay with her for the night."

The doctor was almost out of the room before he stopped and addressed Jack as another thought struck him.

"I probably should know better than to ask you this, having been in the military myself in my younger days, but ... it's just ... this hospital has received direct orders from the President's office not to discuss Samantha's injuries with anybody, not even amongst ourselves. A warning was also issued that any deviation from this order could result in some serious repercussions for us all. You guys must be very important for the President to get involved so directly."

It was more of a statement than a question.

The Colonel was already sitting at Sam's side with one of his hands resting gently over her injured one. Although he could feel frustration rising in him at the doctor's irritating curiosity he forced himself to calm down; he owed the man his uttermost gratitude for having saved Sam's life.

"You're right, Doc. You should know better than to inquire about something like this. Please accept my apologies if I sound harsh but I would appreciate it if you could allow me to be alone with Major Carter for now."

Nodding his head and muttering an apology for having been intrusive the doctor quickly hurried out of the room and left the ER for a quick trip to the cafeteria - an action which saved himself from the nightmare that was about to hit the hospital.

A few minutes later a bright light flashed a few metres away from Sam's room; an injured, bloodied, older Jack O'Neill appeared in its wake.

As the light from the transportation device faded away O'Neill fell to his knees, unable to stop the loud groan of pain from passing his lips. His whole body ached from the after-effects of his fight with the temporal creature. The only reason for him still having the good fortune to be alive was due to the fact that the creature was not interested in him at all; the whole time it had tried, and eventually succeeded, to escape his clutches in order to continue its obsessive pursuit of Samantha Carter.

Pulling himself up against the wall he looked at the bracelet that was clearly visible under the shreds of his torn sleeve. It was the same bracelet that his past self had attached to his wrist only the day before. It was a device that had been his constant companion and reminder of his mortality for the last ten years.

The bracelet on his younger counterpart was a shiny golden colour that wrapped around his wrist in a snug, yet gentle, fashion, but the past ten years had caused the device to cut into his flesh, causing the disfigured horror that he was currently staring at. His whole forearm was a mangled mess of flesh and technology; thousands of nanites had attacked his body over the years and when he had received his latest medical results, only a week ago, he knew that he only had a couple of days left before he would be staring directly into the face of death.

Within a couple of days his previous wondrous abilities had faded away, until one day he had woken up and realised he could not extend his life any longer, out of fear that if he did he would be unable to fulfil his `past' mission.

Jack hated farewells. Aside from ensuring that he had the letter from the President in his back pocket, he and his wife had together decided that no other special arrangements would be made to say farewell to his friends and colleagues. After having hugged and kissed his nine-year-old identical twin boys goodbye they were sent off to school like so many other mornings that had gone before. Just he and his wife of the last ten years were left.

Tears poured down her cheeks at the realisation that she was about to say farewell to her husband for the very last time. The only answer he had upon seeing the sorrow evident in her face was to wrap her in a bear hug.

"Please don't cry my love. You know there's no other way."

"I know ... I know ... but facts don't make it easier to let go of you. I can't help but blame myself for this ... for everything!"

"Hush my love. We've discussed this a million times. Nobody is to blame. Everything that happened in our past and is about to happen in our future was written in the pages of time long ago."

When she didn't immediately answer him, instead burying her face deeper into his chest while wracking sobs tore through her body, Jack pulled her closer into his embrace and calmed her in a soothing voice, repeating the same explanation he had given her so many times in the past.

"Listen to me ... if I hadn't put on that bracelet I wouldn't have been able to protect you against the temporal creature, and I would never have gained the knowledge that Earth was in danger of being overrun by the fourth member of the old races, the Furlings. When they realised that the human race was about to become one of the strongest civilizations in the galaxy, and a potential danger to them, they first tried to destroy us. At the end of the war, when they realised that the main reason for their defeat was due to the intellectual superiority of one woman, they designed that temporal monster as a last desperate attempt to try and eliminate humanity's biggest asset - Samantha Carter.

"Sam, you are the main reason Earth is able to protect itself, not only against the Furlings, but also against all of its other enemies. You made it possible for humanity to be able to stand tall and lift its head amongst its galactic neighbours. If they had been successful in their attempt to eliminate you, you would never have been able to lead Earth in its fight to free itself from the tyranny of the Furlings. If you hadn't survived hundreds, perhaps millions of people would have been enslaved or killed in our enemies' frenzied blood lust."

She lifted her emotion-filled, dark-blue eyes to meet his and shook her head in a refusal to acknowledge the truth of her husband's words.

"Sammie ... p-l-e-a-s-e"

"I'm sorry Jack but right now I don't give a damn about all of that. I'm going crazy at the thought of what you're about to go through ... the horrendous death that is awaiting you in the `past'."

Jack cupped her face in his hands and placed a gentle, but passionate, kiss on her lips.

"I have to go and you know it. Even if I stay my body will simply cease to exist."

With his fingertips he traced the gentle contours of her face, whilst his mind tried to assimilate every inch of her lovely face as a mental image to cling to until such time as they would be able to meet again in the afterlife.

He had no words to ease the pain and sorrow in her heart, and could only whisper three very important words to her.

"I love you."

It was at that moment that another temporal cascade effect assaulted Jack's body and forced his thoughts back to the present day and time, only this effect was much worse than the discomfort he had experienced at the farm house.

After what seemed like an eternity of excruciating pain his senses finally returned to normal. The first thing that registered in his brain, something that he hadn't picked up on before due to his state of mind, was the fact that there were no living souls in his immediate area, despite the fact that his presence in the hospital corridor should have piqued the interest of at least one staff member or patient in the vicinity.

As if to confirm the foreboding of his surroundings a squealing noise sounded from the bracelet, followed by an ugly red flashing light transmitting from the nanites-infected vein in his arm. As he rushed to Sam's room to make sure that she was still safe a bloodcurdling scream was heard from a room a few doors down the hall, immediately followed by the roar of an extremely powerful beast.

His younger version immediately came bursting out of Sam's room. As the two men locked eyes they both knew what had occurred. The temporal creature had followed them to the hospital and was searching, hunting for its intended prey.



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Future Jack pushed his younger counterpart back into Sam's hospital room and locked the door behind them.

When the younger man tried to open his mouth to object he shook his head, put a finger to his lips and indicated for them to move to the other side of the room where Sam was still laying in an anaesthetic induced coma.

"What the hell just happened?" Jack whispered to his future counterpart.

"End games."

"What ... what are you talking about?"

The older Jack just stared sadly at his past self and pointed to a couple of white plastic chairs next to Sam's bed. When his younger version refused to comply and instead mumbled something in the line of "gotta go and help that poor bugger" he was forcefully grabbed at the collar and pushed down on the closest chair.

"Sit down and shut-up for once in your life Jackie-boy. There's not a lot of time left and I need to tell you what's going on."

The younger man just crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow as a way to indicate that he was willing to listen - for now at least.

"What I'm about to tell you will come as a shock but you need to know since it will also be your destiny ... fate ... nightmare, whatever you want to call it, in a few years time."

"Well spill it out then."

Pretending to ignore the sarcasm from his past self Jack continued, "The reason why you decided to finally retire was due to the total defeat of the Goa'uld a year ago, right?"

He did not wait for any acknowledgement from the other man and instead continued with his narration.

"I can't tell you too much of what the future will hold. You know the whole can't pollute the future timeline and so on story. What I can tell you is that in the near future another formidable enemy will appear as if from nowhere and if it wasn't for our Sam ... well lets just say I shutter at the through of what would have happened not just to Earth but also the entire galaxy."

"I don't think I am quite following you. What's the link with that monster out there?"

"Everything and more. After a very long and tiresome war and when Earth's enemy finally realised that the reason for their ultimate defeat was due to one single woman's brilliance they created that temporal creature in a last desperate attempt to swerve the battle in their favour. The first attack happened in my time line and it was only due to the biological enhancements I received via the bracelet, and some that I convinced the Higher Powers to add later on, that I was able to protect Sam. When the enemy realised that they were unsuccessful the first time round they sent the monster to the past to try again and since I was already aware of the exact date I transported myself back too at ... uh ... let's just say when I knew it was the correct time for me."

The elder Jack suddenly became acute aware of the pulsating red light on his arm and his eyes widen at the realisation that the speed of the pulses have steadily started to increased since he entered the room.

With a heroic acceptance of pre-determined fate he stood up and went to Sam's side for one last farewell. Gentle he bended his head down until his lips captured hers ever so softly and then as if in an afterthought he whispered a last lover's message in her ear.

"Goodbye Sammie. Please be patient with him, it will be worth it."

Reluctantly he turned around to stare at his companion.

"I'm only going to say this once and you better listen up. By now you must be quite aware of the bracelet's power that you possess and the fact that it has limited your lifespan to ten years. If you're smart you will utilize every single second of that time to the fullest ..., as he uttered the last sentence his eyes moved from his companion to Sam, "In ten years time you will feel your power slowly fading away and a day will come when you will wake up one morning and realise it's time to give your life for what has to be done."

Touching his fingertips for one last time to Sam's lips he started walking away to the door and he was just about to disappear through it when his younger version called out.

"Wait!"

"Jack, I need to go. There's not a lot of time left."

"Please I need to know. Where're you going? What's going to happen to me ... you?"

"I ... Stay with her Jack. No matter what happens she has to stay alive at all costs. The future of Earth depends on it."

"You still haven't answered my question. Don't you think I deserve to know?"

The only answer he got was a soft murmur, "I am dying, only have any hour or so left. As to where I am going, let's just say you will know once I've finished off that creature once and for all."

With those last few words he exited the room and started running down the corridor in the direction of the room where the blood curling scream was heard from only a few minutes ago but the only problem was that his way was now blocked by numerous patients and the odd staff member or two that have came out to investigate and were at that moment busy conversing with each other.

"Oh my ... "

"What happened?"

"Did you hear that scream, it's terrible."

"I heard a doctor maimed a patient."

"No! Really? I heard a wild dog was let loose into the hospital and took a nice big chunk out of a nurse."

Jack slowed down when the crowd prevented him from continuing further and he wanted to scream at the people to part, to run for their lives but then he sensed the presence of something extremely big not too far away. His eyes slowly adjusted to the harshness of the overhead forensic lights and in a split second it changed from human form to something alien induced.

It was then that he could see the full horror of what his senses have conveyed to him and before he could say or do anything big talons claws lifted a screaming nurse in front of his eyes and in one swift movement tore her body in two separate pieces.

For a moment there was absolute stunt silent as the crowd around him tried to comprehend why there were blood splattered across their faces and clothes and then, when reality finally started to sink in, loud screams of panic could be heard all over followed by a thunderous stampede as the people tried to get away from whatever caused the destruction of the poor woman.

Jack pushed and shoved through the multitude of bodies and every now and again he could hear another blood curling scream, immediately cut off afterwards in the throws of death, as the creature continued its rain of dead and destruction.

With one last "get out of my way" Jack pushed through the last few people and then without warning he was standing in front of the monster that was still clutching the wriggling body of a recently decapitated body - its latest victim.



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Swallowing at the sight of the decapitated body being kept aloft by a pair of blood dripping talons Jack quickly looked over his shoulder to ensure that the last of the crowd have disappeared from view before taking a step back and raising a fist in the air.

In his fist he had a piece of cloth, a bandage with some of Sam's blood on that he had taken from her room, and was slowly swinging it in the air in order to get the attention of the creature.

"Hey!" he shouted at the creature and out of the corner of his eye he noticed how the red pulsating light on his forearm was now pumping at a frantic pace.

"Hey! I know you can smell this, your ugly son of a bitch", Jack shouted again.

The monster roared when it picked up the clear smell of its intended prey and it threw the body of its last victim against the wall before steadily advancing towards Jack.

When he was sure he got the total attention of the monster Jack turned on its heels and started running down a side corridor away from Sam's room and the direction where the petrified crowd had run too.

When he reached the emergency stairs he looked across his shoulder one last time to ensure the creature was still in hot pursuit and then started running down the stairs two, three at a time.

It was when he reached the lowest level and barged through the landing door that he spotted the sign stating mortuary and with the last of his strength he charged through the automatic double doors at full speed in order to gain some time before the final due with the creature.

He only allowed himself a few seconds to rest and composed his thoughts before he started looking around the room at the options available to him and almost immediately he noticed an enormous cold storage locker, with the door wide open, on the other side of the room.

On closer inspection he discovered that a sensor was built into the door which meant that once somebody entered the room the heavy door would close automatically on itself. A small miniature camera built into the ceiling, in the corner of the room, also gave him the confirmation that just enough evidence would be left behind for his past self to make the correct decision in ten years time.

At that moment a loud breaking noise from outside of the mortuary announced the arrival of the temporal creature on Jack's floor level and he closed his eyes briefly in fear before turning around to face the arrival of his worst nightmare.

It was not long before the creature barged through the doors of the mortuary and with a loud monstrous roar it started approaching Jack.

Jack waited until the creature was almost on top of him before he grabbed it around the waist and pushed both of them through the door of the storage locker.

The door closed on them almost immediately which took the creature by surprise. For a few seconds it stared confused at the closed door and even forgot that its intended prey was standing in close proximity.

It was all the time that Jack needed to press a button on his bracelet which started the countdown to the final ten seconds of his life ...

10 Seconds

The creature must have sensed that it was in danger because it starting chancing shape in a desperate attempt to find a way to escape its captivity, no longer interested in killing its victim, but Jack just strengthen his iron grip around its waist.

4 Seconds

A strange burning sensation started screaming for his attention and to Jack's horror he realised that the monster had just tore his nanites infected arm totally off his body in an attempt to try and prevent its ever closing death.

2 Seconds

Jack had no idea where he got the strength from to keep his hold on the creature.

Numerous slashes and cuts painted his face and body and a tremendous amount of his blood laid in dark-red pools all around him.

1 Second

A last farewell to a loved one was uttered before an all embracing blinding white light spread through the room which destroyed everything in its pathway within a ten meter radius.



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THREE MONTHS LATER



Colonel Jack O'Neill was nervous beyond words.

He was standing in the men's restroom of a local fancy French restaurant trying to gain enough courage for what would surely be the biggest mission he had ever undertake in his life.

"Ok Jackie ol' boy you can do this."

With one hand he felt nervously for the millionth time that day to ensure that the ring was still in the inner pocket of his jacket - it had cost him more that what he used to earn for a whole year but nothing was too good for the woman he planned to spend the next ten years with.

Jack looked around once to ensure that nobody was in the restroom with him before turning around to stare at his reflection in the mirror.

"Jack ... wherever you are ... just wanna say thanks for having given me this opportunity and I promise not to let one more moment pass to make her my wife. When I showed her the tape of what happened to you and told her the truth she took it really hard and for a while she refused to have anything to do with me; said she couldn't start a life with me knowing that one day I would have to leave her to fulfil my obligation in the past. She finally came around the other day and hopefully tonight will be the start of something new and beautiful."

Smiling one last time at his reflection Jack exited the restroom and made his way over to his date for the night.

She was dressed in a plain but very sensual black evening dress which ensured that just the right curves of her body were visible and complimented the colour of her golden-blonde hair and dark-blue eyes.

She looked up in his brown eyes and gave him a small but hesitant smile.

He sat down on the opposite side of her and took one of her hands gentle in his. For a moment sadness overcame him at the sight of the faint scares running across her hand; the only remaining evidence of her ordeal a couple of months ago, but he only needed to look into her gentle caring eyes once to realise that no matter what the future might hold they would face it together.




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