samandjack.net

Story Notes: CHARACTER DEATH, ANGST, BACK TO MY USUAL DARK STUFF. POILERS;POV, TBFTGOG FOR THE QUANTUM MIRROR. YES, I'VE TAKEN SOME OF THE BACK STORY FROM INDEPENDENCE DAY. BUT CONSIDERING THAT WAS ORIGINALLY GOING TO BE THE SEQUEL TO STARGATE, I'D THOUGHT I MIGHT BE FORGIVEN FOR USING IT.


*



Jack stepped back through the gate cautiously. Several men were pointing guns st him, but given he'd been missing for quite a while, that was hardly surprising. Daniel looked up at him.

"Jack?" he asked.

"No, the tooth fairy." he answered, bad-temperedly.

"That's Jack." Daniel confirmed. "You've been gone a while." he said, walking up to Jack. "Some people were worried."

"I'm fine, just..tired. Where's Carter and Teal'c?"

"Well, after you went to bring the stuck MALP back, and didn't return after three hours, Sam went to look for you, again, and again and again. After a total of thirty-three hours without sleep, and getting extremely panicked about where you were she got careless on her tenth trip back to P9H897 to look for you, and ran into one of the booby traps the MALP ran into."

Jack stopped walking.

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine. She's in the infirmary. Teal'c's with her, he'll tell us when she wakes up."

Jack nodded, and looked around, disconcerted, and uneasy.

"Hammond's off base, you can rest before you debrief." Daniel told him.

"I don't feel like resting."

"So, tell me what you saw."



***



Half an hour later, after a visit to the infirmary to reassure himself about Sam, Jack settled down in Daniel's quarters.

"Well, first of all, not all quantum mirrors look the same."

"You found another quantum mirror?"

"Are you going to let me tell this story?"

"Sorry. So you went to P9H897 to bring back the MALP that had been disabled by a booby trap, ignoring all the rules and regulations about not going off-world alone."

"I was only going to be gone five minutes."

Daniel raised one eyebrow in a passable imitation of Teal'c'.

"While I was there, I noticed something flickering in the corner. There was a rock there, a bit shiny, but it looked nothing like the quantum mirror. If it had, I wouldn't have touched it. But I did. There was a flash, and I was in the same room, but no MALP. I figured out what had happened, and was about to come back, when I thought 'what the hell, let's see what this reality's like'."

"Wondering if you and Sam had twins in this one?" Daniel asked, sarcastically.

"No." Jack denied, not very convincingly. "I was just...curious, that's all."

"Mm-hm." Daniel said. "And it didn't occur to you that while you were indulging your curiosity, your friends this side would be worried sick about you?"

"You were worried?"

"No, I wasn't. I'd knew you'd come back. You always do. I'm talking about Sam. She was worried sick." Daniel's tone was sharp.

"Are you pissed off with me?"

"You'd be pissed off with me if I'd put Sam through what you've put Sam through the past twenty-four hours."

Jack took a moment or two to work his way through that sentence, then nodded, like a small boy who's been caught doing wrong. "I'll apologise later to her. But once I got there, I couldn't just leave. They needed my help. I walked through to find a base in tatters. I was a major there, yet I was in charge. Once we got through the traditional 'who the hell are you's, I'm from an alternative reality' stuff, he told me what had happened...



"About three years ago, we were preparing to go through the gate. We were just waiting for Daniel Jackson to arrive. He never did."

"He's dead?"

"God, I hope not. I'll explain in a minute. Before we went through the gate, Ra arrived in ships. It seems the gate was opened in the forties, by an Ernest....something. Anyway, that alerted Ra that the gate was in use. He built up his ships, and arrived to take over the Earth, from the air. We weren't expecting anything. He put his ships in orbit over the major cities. Then they hit everywhere at once. The White House was destroyed, most major air bases. We tried nukes, didn't work. Practically everyone who had survived was at area 51. That was where they came next. We sent up a computer virus. It destroyed them. Everyone was happy, cheers, fireworks, the lot. What we hadn't realised is that they were only the first wave. The second ships came only a few days later. And we were stuck in here. Hammond shut down the base, then left to find his wife. He never came back. And that's why we've survived. The Asgards came through the gate. They gave us two things, a list of safe gate addresses, and that."

He pointed to an archway directly in front of the 'Gate.

"Thor's hammer!" I said.

He nodded.

"No Gou'ald can get through that gate. We asked the Asgards to stay, and help us, but they refused. Said they had their own problems. Ra found the gate in Antarctica, and Teal'c said he thought it was the only one. Sam Carter worked out a way to shield the mountain from scanning. For three years we've been running an escape route, sending refugees through the gate."

"Wait, so Carter and Teal'c are here?"

"No. Only Teal'c's been here. Some guy named Apophis sent him to Ra as a present, Ra sent him to find us, he did, joined our side."

"But Carter..."

"I know her and Jackson through the internet."

Yeah, well, at that point, I got a little confused. You know me and computers, Danny. I don't like them, and the dislike is mutual.

"Guess you're not so hot on computers either, huh?" he said. "Sam Carter found out about the escape routes from her dad. She's been a god-send. She's kept us all hidden from Ra for years. She devised some way for us all to e-mail each other in code, piggy-backing the messages on official communiques, I think. I don't really know, she's way..."

"Smarter than you, I know". I said. It was strange. I mean, the guy hadn't even met Carter, but she was still saving his butt on a regular basis. "She's still helping you live a charmed life, then."

He frowned. Come to think of it, he'd been frowning since I met. The guy looked exhausted, ready to drop. "Not anymore. Her dad was killed ten days ago. The Gou'ald have discovered what's going on. They're beginning to track us down, and they're going to find us soon. She's coming here with the last batch of refugees. I just got an email from Daniel. He's coming from Egypt. Looks like you've managed to land right in the middle of a last stand."

Just then, Kawalsky came in. "We've got incoming."

"Ours, or theirs?"

"No idea yet, Sir."

"Coming?" he asked me. "We could do with some help." How could I refuse to help? I nodded, and followed.

The corridors were filled with civilians, dying, injured. The medics were trying to patch them up as best they could before they were sent through the gate. I could hear the whoosh of the wormhole opening every few moments. I recognised a few faces amongst the SGC staff. Janet was there, running back and forth between the injured. O'Neill stopped as he passed her and said, "You go within the next hour, Janet, do you hear me?"

"Sir, I..."

"You've already stayed longer than you were supposed to. They'll need a doctor on the other side. You're still needed."

She nodded reluctantly, and carried on trying to stem the flow of blood from a young girl. In the corner, I could see Sergeant Siler trying to fix an electricity conduit. Graham Simmons ran by me. He didn't look like he was about twelve here. He looked old, and haggard. I peeked in one room. I could see a body on the floor. Technician Davis. She'd been shot. She must have come here, and died of her wounds.

It must have been an incongruous sight, two O'Neills walking down the corridor, but no-one spared us a second glance. They were too busy with their own lives. I remembered something my father had said, about the war. He said, there was no time for the usual social niceties, or for being unsure. You'd meet a man one day, and be placing your life in his hands the next. There was no time to find out if he was trustworthy, you just trusted him. My mother and he met, fell in love, and got married in twenty-four hours. There was no time for courting. It was like that here. An air of quiet desperation, as if people were trying to live their whole lives in the few hours left to them.

We were at the entrance to the outside world. Someone was out there, banging away on the door. We kept silent. No point letting the enemy know we were there. The door banged and banged, then I heard someone mutter 'I've had enough', and shoot the lock off. The door opened, and she stepped in. She hasn't got long hair on this world, Danny. Its short, like our Sam's. She had a gun on one hip, and her hand never strayed far from it, but as she held out her hand to Major O'Neill, she called herself 'Doctor Carter'.

"Major O'Neill. Jack."

"Sam." she said, as she smiled. Her smile was the brightest thing in that gloomy, death-ridden place, and he just stood there and stared for a moment, like a dying man who's found salvation.

"I have a present for you." she said, and reaching into the stream of refugees pouring in, she pulled out a boy. He was about fifteen, with brown hair, and blue eyes, just like his mother's.

Charlie.

Major O'Neill didn't say anything. He just grabbed the boy, and pulled him into his arms. Sam watched for a second, then moved away, but he reached out an arm, and grabbed her.

"Thank you." he whispered.

"You're more than welcome." she replied, softly, and they stayed there for a moment, holding onto each other. Then she pulled away, and as she walked away, she saw me.

Half an hour later, I was trying to explain, and she, as usual, understood everything, and I understood nothing. I just sat back and watched her, as usual. She wasn't that different from my Sam. She wasn't softer, or gentler, like the others we'd met. If anything, she was harder, but then she'd lived through a horrific war. Her movements were sharper, and she moved quickly whenever someone came into her line of sight. Her hand never moved far from her gun. But still, her face glowed when she talked science like our Sam, she still gesticulated as she tried to explain quantum mechanics to me, and still, when I said I didn't understand a word of it, she still gave me the sweetest smile.

He came in an hour later.

"Charlie's gone through, with Janet." he said, wearily. "I just heard from Daniel. He should be here soon."

She nodded.

"So, is he for real?" he asked, gesturing at me.

"Yes, as far as I can tell, the mirror works by..."

"Ah-ah! I have enough trouble figuring out how to microwave a pizza. Does his story pan out, and can we send him back when the time comes?"

"We can send him back, but someone needs to close the gate after him or the Gou'ald will follow. And yes, he is who he claims to be. I can run tests if you like."

"No need. I trust you."

Again that smile. His face softened when he looked at her. He looked younger, almost hopeful again. Do I look like that, Danny? When I look at her, do I look like my lost youth is coming back? Do I look at my Sam like she's the only bright thing in my life? Do I gaze at her, watch her, hold on to her image like that? Don't answer. That would only complicate things.

"Do you mind staying for a while?" he asked. "We may need help."

"I'll stay." I said. Things may have been a little different, but these people were my friends. I was not about to abandon me.

"Thank you for bringing me my son." he said to Sam.

"Thank you for saving my life." He looked confused for a moment, until she said, "by letting me come here."

"Ah. My pleasure." he turned to leave, then turned back and said,

"Would you like to come to dinner tonight?" He blushed, I swear, but I envied him.

"Microwave pizza?" she asked, smiling sweetly.

"And ice-cream!" he added, jokingly.

"How can a girl resist that? Okay, I'll be there."

"Good." he said, and left.

She smiled to herself, for a moment, then turned to me. "You seem surprised?" she said.

As my jaw was on the floor, this was an accurate assessment. "You've only been here an hour."

"Yes, but we've been writing to each other for ages. It's like we knew each other before we saw each other."

It's funny, I had that feeling too when I saw Carter, even though I'd never heard of her before.

"In your world." she asked tentatively, "Are you and she..."

"Umm, no. In other worlds yes, we are, but in my world, I'm Sam's commanding officer, and its against regulations."

She smiled that little knowing smile Sam has when she knows you're wriggling out of something.

"Would you, if the rules were different?"

What could I say? She looked so much like my Sam. There was no long hair to remind me that whatever happened, I would not have to face the consequences afterwards. I couldn't help but feel that whatever I told this Sam, I was telling my Sam.

"I...I don't know." I said, taking the cowards way out.

"You do know." she asserted. "It's what she would do you don't know."

And then she left.

Damn the woman. Why is it, in every reality, she always knows exactly what I'm thinking? Except the one thing I want her to know I'm thinking. I saw them later, as I passed by the gate room. She was standing staring at the gate, with the same look of wonder my Sam had when she first saw it. He was standing next to her, one arm resting lightly on her back. She said something, and I heard him murmur back, "I adore you already."

She turned, and smiled, a little sadly. Then she reached up, and stroked his cheek, and I could see they were lost in each others eyes. Then he bent down, and very gently, as if he were afraid she would break, he kissed her. She didn't pull away, like I always imagined she would. She turned so she faced him, and pulled him into her, and they kissed even deeper. I watched, transfixed. I could feel the kiss I'd given the alternate Carter still warm on my lips, and I kept wondering, is that what my Carter would feel like? Is that what she would do, if I kissed her? Or would she pull away, walk away, disgusted and horrified? I left them kissing, and spent the night playing cards with Kawalsky, Makepeace and Boyd.

I woke up the next morning to find Daniel had arrived during the night, with Teal'c. I walked into the briefing room to find the four of them sitting there. You shocked me Daniel. You were unshaven, and you also carried a gun, and there was no innocence in your...his eyes at all. Major O'Neill had obviously told them about me, because apart from a curious look as I entered, they accepted me without question.

"Ra is close. He is even now marshalling his forces for a last attack." Teal'c announced.

"What about the Jaffa? Would any desert with you?" Daniel asked.

"None. They have families on Chu'lak and Abydos. They did not believe Master Brae'tac could protect them all."

"I don't suppose that the few free people left on Earth have risen up and joined us by any chance have they?" O'Neill asked, sarcastically.

Sam shook her head.

"Then we're alone. There's only a few more refugees to go through."

"Sir, there's a problem." Sam said, the same way she's said it to me a thousand times. I almost answered her. I was only stopped by the fact that under the table, I could see her hand clutched tightly in O'Niell's. "If no-one is here to close the gate and destroy the computers, and set the self-destruct to destroy the gate, the Gou'ald might follow."

"What about Thor's Hammer?"

"It can be destroyed by a staff weapon." I said. The possibilities flew around the table. The wormhole could be set to close automatically five minutes after someone went through, but that still left time for Gou'ald to come through. The self-destruct could be set, but Maybourne was working for Ra, and could deactivate it. The only way to ensure the safety of the refugees was for someone to remain behind, and destroy the base personally.

O'Neill asked for volunteers. Daniel, Teal'c, Sam and I volunteered. Things do move fast in war, Danny. SG1 had bonded almost immediately. And judging by the way he looked at her when she volunteered, and the way she refused to leave, Jack and Sam had fallen in love almost immediately. I'd watched Jack and Sam achieve in twenty-four hours what I could not do even in three years.

Kawalsky was to form the first line of defence. It was a suicide mission, and we all knew it, but he didn't flinch. Teal'c and Daniel would be next, in the corridor outside the control room. Jack and Sam would stay in the control room to shut everything down after the last of the refugees with Boyd and Makepeace had gone through, and after I had gone through. I wanted to stay. I wanted to die with them, but they wouldn't let me.

"You have to leave." Daniel said. "You have to tell others what happened here. Keep our memory alive." And then he left. Sam could see I was still wavering though.

"Jack, please. Think of Sam." she said. "I couldn't live now, if Jack went. Could she live without you?"

I thought of the alternative Sam who had been married to me. I thought of how devastated she was, how close to suicidal, how she tried to replace him with me. Could I really do that to the woman I loved?

So I stayed in the gateroom, ready to leave when necessary.

It happened twenty minutes later. First a frantic call from Graham Simmons, who had been with Kawalsky's team. He died as he told us they were coming through. We were still sending the last of the refugees through. Then, as Sam dialled up the address for the planet I came from, I heard firing in the corridor. The wormhole opened, but as it did, I saw Jaffa burst into the gateroom, and I knew Daniel and Teal'c were dead.

I went through the wormhole, turning just once to see Jack fall, and Sam, badly injured, setting the controls for the self-destruct. Then I went through.

I just sat there, on the other side of the mirror for a while. I replayed the last twenty-four hours in my mind over and over. They'd fallen in love. They'd been no time for rules, or games, or teasing, they'd fallen in love. And they'd died.

So I came home. I've decided to tell her Daniel. Tell her now, before something like that happens here. They only had twenty-four hours. I have a whole life, and I want to spend it with her, if she'll have me.

Daniel just stood there, for a while, taking in the story. Eventually he nodded, and said, "She should be awake now."

So they went down to the infirmary.

"Daniel." Jack said, stopping him before the doorway. "Just stop a minute."

"What's wrong?"

"Me! I'm terrified! She'll say no, I know it. What the hell was I thinking!"

"Jack. She may not say yes straight away. But she won't say no either. She'll say wait. Just tell her what you told me, word for word. She'll know how you feel. And then, one day, she'll come to you."

Jack nodded, and went in. Sam was sitting up in bed, pale, but well, talking to Teal'c. She turned as the door opened, and saw Jack.

She said nothing. But she smiled, and it was like a light switched on inside her. Daniel watched, wondering how the hell Jack could not notice how she came alive everytime he walked into a room. "Where the hell have you been for the past twenty-four hours!" she cried.

Jack stood there, remembering the other Sam. The one who had met her Jack, fallen in love with him, and died beside him in one day. How like his Sam was. He took a deep breath.

"First of all, " he said, "quantum mirrors do not all look alike."




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