Invincible
The two infiltrators crept through the shadows, their target at the very heart of the city. They'd been trapped here for two months after their escape, surviving on what they could steal with only an occasional handout of food or a piece of used clothing from some sympathetic city dweller. Most everyone turned a blind eye to their plight- neither offering assistance nor turning them in to the authorities. Any information offered to the sentinels merely called attention to oneself. Something no one ever wanted. They were allowed to live their lives with minimal interference as long as the rules were obeyed and the quotas met. The occasional sweeps of the cities made to procure servants and workers were accepted as a way of life. Small children and the elderly were never taken, but any young healthy individual was at risk, especially if comely in some way.
They knew they could have left the city and joined up with folk in the outer regions, and would have likely been accepted, despite their differences but for them it would mean giving up on ever going home, not to mention giving up what they believed in, the notion that some things were worth fighting for.
She was younger than he and always was careful to cover her head with a black cap, pulling the brim down to conceal her eyes. Most everyone on the planet had brown eyes, but hers were different- and she might as well have drawn a target on her back because of it. After a few weeks she developed the habit of never looking anyone in the eye. She always wore men's clothing too, hiding her lithe figure under the bulky canvas-like material. She was becoming most adept at melting into the shadows.
He was not really old but his thick and short-cropped hair had already turned silvery white. His eyes were the more common chocolate brown but had a fire and intensity that was rare to see in the general populace. Years of submission to oppression had taken its toll on them, and though he'd been the object of much oppression himself, he never once bowed to it. He was tall and slender but with a well developed musculature and carried himself with confidence, another trait to be hidden they'd soon found after their escape. He had been spotted by one of the sentinel groups procuring servants and was surprised they'd shown so much interest in him. He barely managed to elude them, bringing all his years of training into play to achieve the goal. Now he would purposefully slouch when out in public and sometimes limp. Damaged goods were often left alone. He too was dressed in black with a black cap pulled down so the curved brim shaded his eyes.
Finally within sight of their destination he produced three items from his pocket. Two fancy pieces of what was probably Tollan technology called Reintegration Configuration Devices. Big name, little devices; mounted on armbands for convenience. The third item was a simple transmitter. She eyed it cautiously and took it from his hand.
"You know, this code is too old, they've changed it long ago. It will never work."
He smiled at her, always the logical one but sometimes too pessimistic. "I know but it might just give them a reason to consider the options. We have to take the chance."
She leaned her head against his shoulder. "This *chance* we have. It's our only one. This might be the end, for both of us."
He reached his hand out to gently stroke her face. "If it doesn't work we still have the RCD's"
"Alien technology we have never seen work."
"You're only saying that because you haven't taken one apart yet. Besides the Goa'uld seem to be pretty sure of them."
She was still hesitant so he gently grasped her by the shoulders and gave her his best pep-talk. "We *can* do this. You have to believe that; tell yourself we're invincible. We've planned out every step; all we have to do is follow it through."
She stifled a shiver and nodded. "Let's go."
It was 0300 and the monument was left with only a few guards. It was never believed someone would attempt to take control of it right under the haughty noses of the elite guard. They approached their chosen position and he produced one more piece of technology, their `ace-in-the-hole,' a Goa'uld concussion grenade. Once in position he activated it and rolled it silently across the atrium. They ducked and covered as the device went off, neutralizing their opposition in one lightning blast.
In only seconds back up troops arrived, and a flurry of activity commenced. The guards used a combination of energy weapons with deadly accuracy from long hours of practice, more often than not with live targets. The pair of escapees took up weapons from the first guards who were now unconscious and returned fire. Both of them were adept with the weapons and before long had taken down all six of the fearsome armored guards. They knew more would soon come and quickly ran to the central platform.
He hit the tiles in a well-memorized sequence on the DHD and pressed the red center activating the wormhole. As the roiling calmed she entered her own well-memorized code into the transmitter and turned to him. This was it. They could still back out and even possibly escape the guards, but she could see the resolve in his eyes and it gave her strength. She had followed him this far and it was ludicrous to back out now. Her final decision was made for her however when additional guards showed up.
They ducked behind the pedestal and returned fire once again, not able to hear a return audio transmission the device was receiving.
The wormhole would only keep for a few seconds if they did not go through. They'd have to go now, enemy fire notwithstanding. They both quickly touched the proper controls to activate the RCD's and were rewarded with a responding flash of small pastel lights. He touched her chin and raised her head to face him then placed two fingers on her lips. Their eyes held each other for only a second when he gave her a slight shove in the direction of the steps. The unspoken order for her to go ahead and let him provide cover.
She gritted her teeth and pushed herself to her feet in a dead run, leaping the last few feet. Once she was through he followed her, twisting his body as he went so he could continue to lay cover fire for himself. As he reached the silvery-blue horizon, a blast of energy grazed his arm, knocking the weapon away. He let it go as he no longer required it, and was pushed into the cold as another energy blast struck him dead center.
Hammond rolled his eyes to the ceiling and sighed heavily as the claxons blared. It was just past 2300 hours and he should have gone home long ago. For some ungodly reason he agreed to let Colonel Pierce stay late at some family gathering. Pierce, who was the senior officer responsible for the night shift running of the SGC.
So Hammond glared at his watch and stalked down the stairs to the control room and stood behind the technician manning the console. He tried to speak without giving away his state of mind but his fatigue won out as the words escaped his mouth, "What have you got, Lieutenant?"
"Sir, Its an unscheduled off world activation. Incoming wormhole. Traveler inbound."
Hammond smiled at the high pitch in the junior officer's voice and answered slowly and in deliberately calm tones. "Alright. Close the iris and prepare to receive any transmissions." He ticked off in his head all the teams who were off planet at this time. He really wished someone else were here, just in case. Even the old standby SG-1 wasn't here.
"I've got a transmission. But, Sir?" The young man's face looked as though he were in pain. "It's SG-1's code, Sir, but it's not current. It's an older code, months out of date."
Hammond's brow knit. "What in God's name-"
"Should I open the iris, Sir?"
The General was never a great fan of protocol but it did have its rationale for existence so he gave the order to keep the iris shut tight. "Let me send a transmission."
The airman typed a few keys and nodded toward the microphone.
Hammond rested his hand on it and leaned forward to speak, "This is General Hammond. Your code is not valid. We have an impenetrable iris protecting our Stargate. You will die if you attempt to come through. I repeat, do *not* enter the Stargate."
Several seconds ticked by and just as he began to think nothing would happen, there were two distinct `thuds' against the iris, then a barrage of several more. He cringed in concert with the younger airman at the sound. Whoever it was, human or not, was now dead. Squashed like, how did Jack put it? A bug on a windshield.
Normally the Stargate would shut down seconds after such an event, after all there was no more matter being transferred through it to keep it open. This proved to be an *ab*normal time. Hammond stood and waited, and waited some more. The shimmering blue reflection did not ebb or whoosh back into itself. Behind the iris it was all too evident, the wormhole was staying open.
All Hammond had to do was look at the airman for the man to break out in a sweat. "I..I..don't know, Sir. It's just not shutting down. I have no idea what to do."
An inspiration struck the General, one possible someone who may not have gone home yet and was very familiar with gate protocols. He quickly dialed up the guard station at the parking area, shocking the hell out of some poor young man whose only crime was to be scheduled to work the night shift.
The key had just been inserted into the lock and begun to turn as the airman came running up to the car holding out his radio as if it were in fact dragging him along behind it. "General Hammond needs to speak to you, he said I was to give you my radio."
The airman withdrew the key and pocketed it without hesitation and accepted the radio. After a few seconds the drive home was all but forgotten as the officer sprinted back to the tunnel and into the bowels of the SGC. All the way down Hammond recounted the unusual events leading up to his call for help. Something bothered the officer more than the combined total of the information though. It was something in Hammond's tone, something rarely if ever heard: fear, mingled with a hint of panic.
The doors swung open admitting the officer to the control room and the radio was tossed on the nearest counter without looking. Familiarity with the systems allowed the airman's fingers to literally fly over the keyboard inputting commands and gleaning responses from the computer.
"General, the reason the wormhole isn't shutting down is that there *is* something keeping it open, and it's not a transmission of any kind. Something was able to reintegrate just this side of the event horizon, but I believe it's still in contact with it."
Hammond's mouth dropped. "I thought that wasn't possible. There's not enough space for matter to rematerialize between the wormhole and the iris. That's why we use it."
"Not this time, Sir. Despite the fact you heard, `thudding' noises, something is there. If we open the iris it will get through. If we use the override and shut the Stargate down, it will get through. If we don't and the wormhole shuts down by itself at the 38-minute maximum time mark, it will still get through. The only hope we have of containing it would be keeping the gate open indefinitely, which from our level of technology at least, is impossible."
"So what is it then?"
"I have no idea. But I think we are in very big trouble."
"You're saying if it's an alien incursion or a bomb-"
Suddenly several more `thudding' sounds were heard. There was a short pause as everyone in the control room stared at the iris, almost expecting it to disintegrate.
"Yes, Sir. They've got us."
They looked at each other for a long moment. "I could do some scans and see if I can figure out what it is- or how to stop it."
Hammond nodded his approval.
Several minutes later, T minus two to the 38-minute deadline to be exact, and at least a dozen more `thuds' later, no one yet came up with an idea of what was on the other side of the iris. The seconds ticked on by without revealing their secret and then- time was up. The wormhole disengaged and the Stargate became eerily dark and silent. The officer lowered the scanner and glanced up at the control room from the metal ramp as Hammond reached for the controls. No reason to keep the iris closed now, whatever was there was now free. He pressed the button himself to open the titanium leaves.
Every eye among the assembled personnel opened wide and mouths gaped in unison at the sight. Apparently O'Neill had it right all this time, things really *did* go splat against the iris.
There suspended in mid air, with no ascertainable means of doing so, were two black blobs; which looked surprisingly like ink blots splattered on a sheet of paper. They were so thin for one to stand and look at them from the side they seemed to disappear altogether. No wonder they were able to reintegrate, they had no depth to speak of at all.
Moments after the iris receded, the blobs began to shimmer, then at once burst outward in a blinding flash of light. It was almost expected to see a battalion of Jaffa swarm the gate room. Instead, two human beings were thrust out of the voids and back into the three- dimensional world at extreme velocity. They hurtled down the ramp tumbling to a rest at the bottom. The Major and several SF's scurried to determine the identity of the new arrivals.
Hammond grabbed the microphone and barked into it. "Report!"
The Major turned over one of the crumpled bodies and nearly jumped out of her skin at what she saw. She looked up to the Control Room and directly at Hammond; then placed her fingers on the fallen man's neck to feel for a pulse. "Sir. They're unconscious, but they're alive."
A flurry of activity commenced as medical personnel streamed into the gate room to care for the new arrivals. Hammond turned to the officer as she entered the control room.
"Did I see what I think I saw? I hope you didn't have plans for tonight, Major. It looks like none of us are going to get any sleep. Dr. Fraiser is already on her way and I've tried to get your CO. If you don't mind, try him again and have him get back here ASAP."
The taped hockey game was just getting underway and instead of fast forwarding through a commercial break he took the opportunity to rummage through the kitchen for a snack of some kind. Not much available as they'd been off world quite a bit lately and whatever was in the fridge had turned green and whatever was in the cupboards had gone stale. He gave up and opted for another beer. At least it was cold.
The telephone rang and out of a long since ingrained sense of duty he picked it up, just now noticing the message light was flashing, he wondered where his pager was. "O'Neill."
"Colonel? It's Carter. Sir, we have a situation at the SGC."
Before her next breath he was on his feet, the beer and game forgotten. His body was already on automatic pilot, turning off the TV and swatting at light switches.
"It's under control for now, but General Hammond thinks you should come. We have-" She paused, trying to come up with a better word but couldn't, "intruders."
He grabbed his black leather jacket and keys in one movement of his hand and headed for the door. "Give me two minutes and call me back on my cell," He pressed the button to end the call and tossed the phone on to the nearest chair.
Talking on the cell would save time but he knew she couldn't divulge any specific information on the air. Over the years they'd worked out a cryptic way of speaking that would still enable her to fill him in to a great extent.
"So, we have uninvited guests with a knack for getting into tight places?"
It wasn't really a question but she answered him anyway. "That would be it, Sir."
"When's T due back?"
"Tomorrow morning at the earliest, he's still visiting his son, you know."
"Right. Contact him; see if he'll come sooner. I'm turning off the main road now; I should be there in fifteen. Go on down to the infirmary and see what they've got, I'll meet you there."
"Will do. Be careful, Sir, there's a lot of ice on the access road and the guard told me they won't get sand on it `till tomorrow." She knew he'd be driving a lot faster than was safe.
He smiled. "You know me, Mr. Conscientious."
Fraiser arrived in the infirmary and her mood was far from pleased. Not only was she awakened, granted it was from where she'd fallen asleep in a chair and not her bed, but ever since she walked in she was tripping over SF's. She finally took to threatening them with bodily harm and huge honkin' needles if they didn't stay out of her way.
Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill were already there. She noted for some reason the Colonel was glaring and agitated. `Must be some unusual visitors we have here' she thought to herself idly. She went to work truly glad they were there. She didn't need medical back up with her staff in attendance and the night shift physician present, but when her patients woke, she would find herself smack in the middle of a first contact situation. Who better to have around than the SGC's premier team leader and his 2IC?
As she stepped up the bedside of the more severely injured patient, she faltered and glanced up at the Colonel, catching his eye. No wonder he was glaring, the man on the bed was *him*, or a duplicate of him anyway. She took a deep breath and went about the business of assessing damage and stabilizing her patient's condition; all the while internally shaking her head.
While waiting for Fraiser to give them an idea of her patient's condition O'Neill and Carter talked quietly. He was over the initial shock of seeing himself unconscious on an infirmary bed but was still fuming. Why wasn't one Jack O'Neill enough for the universe?
He forced himself to turn away and give his 2IC his attention. The aliens had been relieved of several devices and the Major was using the time to look them over.
"So, what do you think it is?"
"This one is a homemade transceiver of some kind. It's probably what they used to send the iris code through. Not much to it, but it'd work."
"And this one?" He slid the band up his arm but was careful to not lock it into place.
She fingered around the edge of the silvery metal, not touching any of the pastel colored lights. "I don't know, but it reminds me of technology we've seen before, it wouldn't surprise me if it was either Asgard or Tollan."
"Agreed. You think this is how they kept from impacting the iris?"
Carter didn't have a chance to answer when General Hammond entered the room. He spoke a few words with Fraiser then motioned for them to follow him out to the hallway.
"The doctor says these people will be out for some time yet. Let's convene in the briefing room and go over what we've got so far. It's going to be a long night."
They all sat at the long table with notepads out and cups of coffee all around. Carter went by Daniel's lab and awakened him and now he joined the group though of a much groggier state of mind than the others.
Teal'c did get the message and joined them in the briefing room.
Their review of current Intel served to bring them both up to speed. Daniel stifled a yawn and said "So you're thinking these devices are some kind of-" He waved his coffee in the air, "subspace stasis generator or matter reintegration control?"
How could someone be so sleepy and use such big words? O'Neill frowned at the young man and stifled his own yawn.
"It must be." Carter concluded. "Unless whatever they used was left back on their planet, I think we can assume these devices are how they were able to circumvent our iris. If it is Tollan, it's not on a level with their current technology. Narim could just walk through the iris anytime he wanted to, we've seen that. These people had to wait for the wormhole to close before they were fully reintegrated. They really took a huge risk that we wouldn't figure out how to stop them in those thirty-eight minutes. If we had, they'd be dead now. Considering the chance they took and the fact they had only one Zat between them, I doubt their intent was hostile."
O'Neill raised his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair, "Jury's still out on that I think. We don't have a clue how they got our iris code, outdated or not, this whole incident has to be regarded as an unfriendly act."
Teal'c nodded. "I concur. Very few races have this ability. Even the Goa'uld are currently unable to circumvent the iris. If they were to acquire this technology-"
"I think you're being overly suspicious." Carter shook her head. "If they wanted to, they could have used the same technology to send a bomb through and the SGC wouldn't be here anymore."
O'Neill squared his shoulders and blew out a long breath before turning to her. He picked up the second armband and held it out in her direction; his eyebrows now raised high. "So if the Goa'uld ever got hold of one of these-"
"Exactly."
Fraiser arrived at the doorway and stopped short at the lack of the discussion she expected to find. "Is everything okay? You all look like your dogs just died."
Hammond turned to her with a weak smile, "Come in Doctor, what have you discovered?"
Well, to address the obvious first, although the male looks exactly like Colonel O'Neill, he is not a duplicate. The DNA match is not exact, but he's close enough to be your brother. He sustained an injury to his arm similar to a staff blast and though I can't be sure I think he might have been subjected to a Zat discharge at the same time. We also have an uninjured female, they're not Goa'ulds and to be honest they're not entirely human either; they both have traits I believe are animalistic in nature."
Hammond raised an eyebrow and said, "Go on Doctor."
She took a deep breath. "For one thing, they have cat's eyes."
"What?" The group at the table spoke as a whole.
"Cat's eyes. Their pupils are not round like ours, they're vertical slits. The internal optical structure is much more dense than our own as well. They can probably see at night like a cat too. It could be their other senses have been enhanced as well."
"Whoa." O'Neill smirked, "Night vision. Cool."
The overhead speakers came to life, "Doctor Fraiser to the infirmary! Doctor Fraiser to the infirmary, immediately!"
Hammond waved a dismissal as his four subordinates stood as a group. Obviously their `guests' were awake.
Fraiser hoped her patients would simply wake up from their ordeal and was distressed at the commotion going on. The male had begun to come around but then went into a seizure of some kind. The night physician had already made the determination to administer IV Valium, and two nurses and two SF's were holding him down so they could do so.
O'Neill, Carter and Daniel came to a stop between the two stretchers, facing the one with all the chaos, while Teal'c stopped at the door.
The hairs stood up on O'Neill's neck seconds before he felt a soft touch to his arm and spun around to come face to face with the female alien.
She cried out and threw herself to him, encircling him with her arms and holding on for all she was worth.
O'Neill hugged her back gingerly; it was about the only thing he could do at the moment. The woman raised her head to look at him and gasped in shock. She was so sure it was her partner standing there; they looked so alike from the back, tall and short silver hair. At first when he turned she still thought it was him, the face was the same, but when she saw his eyes she knew it was not her Dominick.
She shoved herself free and stumbled backward bumping into the stretcher and before she knew it the man had captured her again. He held her up tightly and murmured quietly to her. "Whoa, there, Miss Kitty, settle down, we're not gonna hurt you."
Her instinct was to struggle but the familiarity she felt with him calmed her. She leaned back from him and did what she had tried so hard to train herself not to. She looked him directly in the eyes.
He was startled for a split second then a smile crept to his lips. Those were the most amazing eyes he'd ever seen, except maybe for Carter's. They were luminescent green and indeed the pupils were vertical, but wider than just slits right now as she regarded him. They undoubtedly dilated somewhat in a fight or flight response to her level of fear. He helped her to sit on the side of the bed without taking his eyes from hers. After a moment he blinked himself back to the present and motioned for the others to join them.
Feeling an astonishing amount of ease with these new people she dared to look at the woman. Blue! Her eyes were blue! She had never seen a human with blue eyes before and couldn't help but stare.
Carter bent over slightly and placed her hand on the woman's shoulder in reassurance. When their eyes met she was captivated as much as the other woman. `Cat's eyes' was a fair assessment, green, with golden sparkles, and that strange vertical slit. They both smiled as they beheld the wonder of their differences, and similarities.
A painful cry from the other bed grabbed her attention and she jerked upward, intending to go to his side. O'Neill and Carter gently held her back. This time the woman spoke reassuring words, "Your friend is ill, our doctors will help him if they can, but we must let them work. It's okay."
She had to force herself to obey them and looked solemnly from one to the other. It was then she noticed the Jaffa and the other man. She nearly launched herself off the bed and back into O'Neill's arms. He held on and motioned for Carter to come closer and with only a glance to the others; they backed off then left the room. The woman was aware of the silent communication and surmised this one must have authority here. He even seemed to command the Jaffa! It comforted her at least a little that maybe they had made the right choice coming here, maybe these people were more the same than different. Her sudden bursts of movement after being unconscious caught up with her and she suddenly felt exhausted. She let the man set her back on the bed and swing her legs up. The blue-eyed woman pulled up a white cloth and covered her.
She couldn't take her eyes away from the other bed and watched, holding in her grief as much as she was able, while the other was ministered to. Eventually the commotion died down and as people left she could see him better. He was laying on his back with wire-looking things attached to his chest, there was something clear dripping into a tube in his arm and a pale greenish tube hooked up to a plastic dome covering his nose and mouth. She could see the vapor form and then fade as he breathed in and out. His face was covered with a light sheen of moisture from the exertion he'd endured and a female dressed in white was gently wiping it away with a cloth. Unconsciously she reached one hand out in his direction though she knew they were too far apart to touch.
Fraiser came up to the bedside. "Hey, there. So you're awake too. Your friend is going to be all right." She pointed to the multitude of flashing lights and displays at the head of the bed. "Those instruments will monitor him for any changes. If anything happens we'll be right here."
Fraiser moved to draw the curtain around the bed, "Colonel, if you don't mind, I'd like to-"
The hand that was stretched out toward the other bed now grabbed tightly onto whatever was the closest piece of fabric, which turned out to be the Colonel's pants. He flushed and pulled away a little, taking her hand in his. With a little force she let go. He squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay. It's a girl thing. Carter will stay with you, right Doc?"
Janet stifled a grin, "Right, sure. Whatever you say."
He frowned at the Doctor then retreated to the other side of the curtain.
Fraiser walked up to the side of the bed where the alien woman was trying to shrink into the linens, "I'm Janet. That's Sam. What's your name?"
Something was untrustworthy about this one, brown hair, brown eyes and wearing a white coat reminiscent of lab apparel. She was smiling but smiles could be faked or more often were in response to the data being collected and not out of kindness. She'd spent enough time in a lab to last the rest of her life. They always wanted to test something. She looked down and would not meet the woman's gaze.
"All right. You don't have to talk. But I do need to know if you're okay. I'm going to listen to your breathing and your heartbeat." With Fraiser's next move the other hand shot out and grabbed tightly on to Sam's wrist. It pinched but Carter didn't protest. She covered the hand with one of her own and patted reassuringly. The exam was tolerated until Fraiser decided to pull out her penlight. One simple flash into the eyes was met with a shriek of terror.
O'Neill was just on the other side of the curtain and peered around to see what had happened. The woman was clutching at Carter for dear life and pushing at the bed with her feet scooting herself as far away as she could from the diminutive Doctor. At the sight of him, one hand reached out in his direction, begging for support. He glanced at Carter who just smiled and shrugged. Her arm was beginning to throb.
Fraiser shook her head, "Really, I won't hurt you." She motioned to the Colonel to come in, "This woman has been subjected to some kind of trauma, at least she trusts you, maybe you can develop some kind of rapport with her."
He slipped in and sat on the side of the bed where the woman could reach him if she wanted, and she did want. She grabbed his forearm and sat glaring at the Doctor, who shrugged and turned to leave, "See if you can get her to talk, I sure can't." She left the curtain open and retreated to her office.
O'Neill sighed as he looked at Carter and shrugged. He waved his free hand in front of the woman's face to get her attention. He felt like he was dealing with a small frightened child.
"Okay, we've got to start somewhere." He pointed to his own chest, mimicking what he'd seen Daniel do a hundred times. "I'm Jack, O'Neill." Carter took the cue and moved to sit on the bed facing the woman. One arm was still held captive so she pointed to herself with the other. "I'm Sam. And you are?" She pointed her finger at the woman's chest and waited.
With a tiny voice the green-eyed woman answered, "Kat'ya."
Carter grinned. "That's better. Do you understand our speech? You know what we're saying?" The response was a quick nod.
"You know we won't hurt you, right?" She hesitated but nodded again slowly.
O'Neill shook a thumb in the direction of the other bed, "So, who's your friend?"
"Dominick." She was continuing to hold on and O'Neill wriggled his arm slightly, "Would you consider letting us go? We promise we won't leave."
With obvious embarrassment, Kat'ya released them both and wrapped her arms around herself protectively.
"Ah, much better." He rubbed his arm where her fingers had dug in. "You want to tell us what you're doing here?"
Slowly at first and frequently stopping to gaze at Dominick, Kat'ya explained their situation. Once she got going the words just tumbled out. She had been stolen from among her people and taken to a huge gilded palace where the ruling class of people all spoke with deep voices and had what she called `fire' in their eyes. At first she was used as a servant but one of the rulers look a shine to her and sent her off to the labs. She thought at first she was to be given a higher status among the housemaids but soon realized the only potential they saw in her was as the object of a lab experiment. They put her in machines and probed her in every manner possible making her life a living hell.
After some time she noticed her body had changed, she was stronger in some ways and weaker in others, but wasn't really sure they were doing anything until she caught her own reflection one day and saw her eyes. Cat's eyes. They'd been normal before, dark green but normal human eyes. She admitted not minding so much at times, like when she had to sneak through a dark passageway and could see as well as in the daylight, but that first look at herself with those eyes frightened her beyond belief.
She thought she was alone until she was dumped into a communal cell with several other people, all of which had been altered in some way or another. That's where she met Dominick.
One day a new group of prisoners was brought in. They were obviously very advanced, but relied greatly on their technology, which had been taken from them.
These new people were not used for experimentation but only as entertainment. They were often taken away and brought back in terrible condition. It was after one of these times Dominick spoke at length with one of them named Rodan. The man told of their technology and how the rulers intended to use it to destroy their enemies.
Kat'ya and Dominick continued to develop a close friendship. She admitted she did not know if Dominick had been altered or not except for the eyes and that he told her he used to be `different.' He never told her exactly how.
One day an opportunity arose to escape the prison. They offered to take the new ones, but Rodan refused, saying their technology was too important to leave behind, that they'd rather die than be the cause of the destruction of many worlds. Until the technology was secure they would not leave.
Dominick hated that they were able to get away and had left behind so many people. He started going back into the palace, at first just to steal food, or sometimes to take food to the prisoners, but one day he returned with information. The rulers knew of a world full of people with great potential to serve them and desired it greatly. The people however were resourceful and defended themselves well and made allies of many advanced races. This caused much hatred for them among the rulers.
They had a plan to destroy the world using the newly acquired technology. With information provided by Rodan, and his new skills, Dominick was able to steal two of the devices the rulers planned to use. The rulers were furious and before anything could be done to stop them, they killed all the new ones.
Carter and O'Neill were totally engrossed in her story. The pieces fell into place all too easily given their previous knowledge of the Goa'uld, the Tollan and the technologies each possessed.
"But they were too late. I had the devices and Rodan already taught me how to use them. He made me promise to destroy all the rest of their technology if anything happened to him."
They all turned in shock to the source of the voice. Dominick had pulled the oxygen mask from his face and now turned to look at Kat'ya. She nearly leapt in a single bound to his side and hugged him fiercely. He was obviously extremely weak but he smiled and hugged her back, burying his face in the crook of her neck. She pulled away and moved down so she could kiss him soundly, her raven hair falling forward onto his pillow.
Carter and O'Neill glanced at each other in surprise. Carter turned back to the couple intending to question them after their reunion, but O'Neill cleared his throat and nodded to the doorway. She sighed and drew the curtains before following him out.
They walked along the hallway toward the elevator in silence. Once they were alone in the elevator O'Neill folded his arms across his chest. "Nice story, huh?"
"An incredible story, if you're asking me."
"But."
"But, what?" She echoed him.
"Incomplete. We still don't know why they're here. And-"
"Why they were altered." She met his eyes; they both had the same thought simultaneously, "Niirti."
Carter paced a few steps across the elevator floor then back again. "If Kat'ya was telling the truth about the genetic manipulations that were being done, someone, some Goa'uld, has taken Niirti's work to a whole new level."
"So they escaped and came here?"
"They were in contact with a Tollan, maybe he knew the Goa'uld were planning to come here and gave Dominick our gate address so he could warn us."
O'Neill hit the emergency stop on the elevator and took a step toward Carter. "Or maybe this was a successful test of the technology."
"I don't believe those two people would be a party to that." Carters voice was getting louder and so was his.
"Not intentionally, maybe. But what if they were *allowed* to get away?"
Carter frowned at him. "We don't know that. It's just as likely Rodan saw that the only way to keep the Goa'uld from using the devices and attacking who knows how many worlds, was to make sure they were destroyed. He could have offered a way off the planet in return for Dominick's promise to destroy the technology."
"First of all, why would Rodan give them *our* address? There are plenty of other places they could have been sent to live in freedom. Why the one world he thought the Goa'uld were interested in? And it just happens to be the world where my DNA was stolen to use on Dominick. Second, what about the GDO code? Did Rodan have that too? And third, I have yet to meet a Tollan who did the right thing without being prodded and *that* includes Narim." His voice peaked and he stuck his finger through the air toward her to make his point. He regretted it immediately when he saw the look in her eyes.
She stared at the floor intent on not letting herself cry. He crossed the floor to her and grasped her shoulders lightly with his hands. "Carter, I'm sorry. It just doesn't track. Okay, what if Rodan was sincere? And what if Dominick is a mole?"
"What?" Her head jerked up.
"He may not be a Goa'uld, but what if he's a collaborator? Doesn't it just seem *too* convenient that he could come and go as he pleased after they escaped?"
She shook herself loose from his grip and stepped away. She so wanted to believe the story Kat'ya told. "I don't know. Maybe they just wanted help. "
"To save the planet?"
Her head jerked again and she looked straight at him. "Yeah. It's got to be stopped. They must have realized what the Goa'uld were doing. And, there's the Tollan technology that was salvaged. We would be vulnerable to an attack."
"So, save the planet."
She nodded in response and for a long moment they just stood there looking at each other, her mind churning out equations and probabilities of genetic manipulations and his developing the possibilities of a military incursion to a Goa'uld infested world.
Unblinking and still staring in her direction but not really at her he said, "I need pie."
She blinked once still lost in her own thoughts and replied, "Me, too."
Without looking at the console he released the emergency stop and pressed the button for the mess hall level. They had a lot of planning to do and much of it would depend on whatever Intel Dominick could give them.
With a mild protest Doctor Fraiser released Kat'ya and Dominick to meet with the General and SG-1 to discuss the planet, the Tollan, the Goa'uld and everything else.
Hammond greeted their guests and opened the meeting. This was the first close look he had at the visitors and he was taken aback at the similarities between the two men in front of him. It was like having two O'Neill's in the room.
The Colonel was seated in his usual chair with Dominick directly across the table from him, his injured arm in a blue canvas sling. Carter sat beside O'Neill with her bright blue eyes and Kat'ya sat beside Dominick with her bright green ones. Daniel was seated beside Carter and obviously enjoyed studying the similarities, his eyes were moving back and forth between the two men and he was absent-mindedly stroking one side of his chin with his thumb, something he did when he was concentrating. Teal'c was beside Kat'ya. This was the first time he had really seen Dominick and his single raised eyebrow was enough comment to make Daniel fidget in his seat.
The story Kat'ya told was recounted in brief up to the point where Dominick woke up in the infirmary.
"So, the Tollan were killed and you destroyed the technology." Hammond concluded.
"Not exactly." Dominick lowered his eyes for a moment. "I failed. After it was discovered Rodan was passing on information, the guards were doubled. I never got back inside. I knew our only chance would be to get help."
O'Neill leaned forward. "So you came here?"
"I figured anyone they hated that much would be our best bet as an ally. Besides it was the only address I knew for certain."
"And how about the GDO? Where'd you get the code?"
"It came from the rulers. I think it was a back up plan to get a bomb through your iris if the Tollan devices didn't work. I don't know where they got it. They may have been planning an attack even before the Tollan showed up and then changed their tactics when the new technology was available. I just don't know."
Hammond frowned, "So one way or another they were coming here." He folded his hands on the table and took a deep breath. "I'll consider a mission to take out the genetics lab and recovery of Tollan technology if, Colonel," He pointed a finger in O'Neill's direction, "if you are in agreement, but I don't know about taking on a whole planet of Goa'uld and Jaffa. That's a tall order you've got there, son."
Dominick smiled at the familiar term. "I`m not asking for an all-out war. Our people are fighters; they've just gotten accustomed to failure. If we can strike a serious enough blow it will give them hope again."
Teal'c narrowed his eyes at Dominick, "And will your people be prepared for the retaliation that will surely come upon them?"
"They will have to be. There is an underground movement among the outlying areas where the rulers do not frequent. I've heard rumors of caches of weapons I can only guess at. There will be confusion in the capital city but the others I believe will fight."
O'Neill raised his eyebrows and turned to Hammond, "There is the lab to consider, and, if we just happen to level part of the palace at the same time-" He shrugged. "What's a few less Goa'uld?"
It was decided they would go after getting as much information about the palace and laboratory layout as possible from Kat'ya and Dominick.
They worked together in the briefing room the whole rest of the day. For some unknown reason O'Neill found himself getting along with this Dominick. Except for the occasional startle from suddenly coming face to face with, well, his own face where it shouldn't be, they were both handling it well. Dominick had no idea he was made to resemble a living person so closely and it unnerved him as much as it did O'Neill. And the DNA had obviously affected more than just his looks; Dominick had the same mannerisms and taste for sarcasm as the Colonel. At times it was like they were two long-lost brothers. One would make a comment and the other would take the idea and run with it to the annoyance of everyone else in the room.
Somehow they managed to get some work done. Carter made notes on her laptop and Daniel drew out the floor plans according to the descriptions provided. O'Neill and Teal'c discussed the guard movements and locations in depth. After several hours Dominick was beginning to show signs of strain and when Fraiser stopped by to check on her patients she nearly flew into a rage.
"Colonel! I released these people under your supervision with strict orders for them to return to the infirmary should either of them show signs of distress. Obviously I need to remind you of the meaning of that word. If this is how you-"
O'Neill tolerated her outburst only so long then cut in. "Doc! Okay! I got it. But we're not doing calisthenics here, we're talking. Nobody's being stressed."
"Oh, and just when were you planning on allowing them a break or to get something to eat?"
The Colonel was taken slightly aback and looked around the room stopping at his counterpart who was looking decidedly pale. "Er, I was just thinking about that. We have coffee, cake would be nice."
She narrowed her eyes at him, "Something with protein." When he didn't respond she added his rank stretching out the first syllable. "Colonel."
"Yes, Ma'am. Protein. Will Mess Hall fare be acceptable or should I order in a cow?"
She ignored him and addressed Dominick. "You are not a prisoner or in any kind of custody but you are still my patient, and since someone is not looking out for you, you'll have to take some initiative yourself. I expect you to get a decent meal then come to the infirmary for a re-check. I'll look for you to be there in an hour."
Shocked at the demeanor of the little Doctor and O'Neill bowing to it, Dominick just nodded.
After a rather boring meal during which every head in the place was turned to observe the two 'O'Neill's', Daniel escorted the `guests' to the infirmary while the Colonel, Major Carter and Teal'c returned to the briefing room.
"Colonel O'Neill, you seem to be coping with Dominick's presence quite well."
"Yeah, he's Okay. It's not like he asked for it." O'Neill leaned over the table and scrutinized a certain section of the map.
"Then you are prepared to trust what he said is true."
"I wouldn't go that far, but, if we're gonna do this, we have no choice." He was now tapping a pencil on the table repeatedly.
Carter looked up from her study of the laboratory section. "Sir? What is it?"
He jerked his head up and pressed his mouth into a thin line. "I'm not sure. It's just-" He plopped down in the chair and flicked the pencil with his fingertip, sending it flying off the table. "If these people were used, manipulated, forced, or whatever, I'm Okay with that. It's a usual Goa'uld MO after all. We've seen genetic experiments before too, but Dominick, he's a bit more than an experiment."
Carter took a few steps closer to him. "What are you saying?"
"How long does it take to make a clone?"
"Barring rapid aging technology, the person would grow and age normally, just like the original. But he's not a clone."
"Why not?"
Carter frowned. "For one thing, the DNA isn't perfect match. Even if someone did manage to get into Niirti's research she wasn't making a whole new person, she was just tinkering with bits and pieces. Besides he said he was `changed' only a few months ago."
O'Neill snorted with a note of disbelief, "Or so he says."
"Well according to Janet, he has no Nanites or anything else in his blood that might explain it, not even Naquadah, and the degenerative skeletal changes are consistent with a man in your age range."
O'Neill winced. Putting it so `clinically' and spoken by the much younger Major made him feel positively ancient. He scowled at the table as if it was the source of the remark. Carter noted his displeasure and quickly made a correction. "I just meant, Sir, why would they create a clone with imperfections? What would be the point?"
O'Neill glared at her and she realized she did it again. "Sorry, I mean-"
"Carter! Just stop while you're ahead. All right? I get the *point*. Niirti was trying to create a perfect host and for God knows what possible reason *my* DNA got into the equation. Tell me this, how did they get it? Huh? I've been going over every mission in my head and I can't think of a single time that fits the situation."
Teal'c looked thoughtful for a few moments. "You were imprisoned by Ba'al for some time, it could have been then."
"No, he didn't really know who I was; he was more interested in Kanaan than me."
"Well," Carter interjected, "Netu was a long time ago, but they could have gotten it then, from any of us."
Teal had another thought, "What of the imprisonment in Hathor's cryogenics lab? Was that technology not quite sophisticated? Your minds were scanned, why not your physical bodies?"
O'Neill shrugged but was pensive for another moment then said, "Those blue crystals made a copy of me good enough to fool the Doc's post- mission physical." He looked up. "Any reason some Goa'uld would have gone back there?"
Carter sat down beside him and answered. "If someone who knew about the crystal life form's mimic ability, and either realized or speculated it was down to the molecular level, then yeah, using that could have given their genetics research a shot in the arm. They'd be able to try out their theories on the crystal and get meaningful results instead of randomly trying different approaches and wasting raw materials like they've had to do with human subjects. Then when they found a viable option they could-"
"Carter!" O'Neill held his hand up in surrender. "The point is; they could be involved. We've got to find out from Dom and Kat'ya if they saw any of those crystals around the lab. This might turn into a rescue operation."
Teal'c looked at him oddly. "And who would we be rescuing, O'Neill?"
"The crystal people. I never told you what happened when I took `Charlie' home." Carter cast a quick glance to Teal'c when she saw a shadow cross the Colonel's face.
"You weren't gone very long, I guess we assumed there wasn't anything to tell."
"When we went back he stayed in human form. He said he was getting enough energy just being home and he didn't need to revert to his natural state; asked me if it'd be all right if he stayed like Charlie for awhile."
O'Neill leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes as if remembering something. "He said if he was crystalline again we wouldn't be able to touch without harming me again. Apparently they don't physically touch the way we do; the whole experience of impersonating a human was new for him. He asked permission to look into my mind again before I left. This time he opened his mind to me as well."
Daniel walked in just in time to hear the last few sentences O'Neill spoke. "And you didn't think it was important to discuss with any of us, let alone Hammond, that you had some kind of interaction with an alien with that level of power? You complain I'm too open with people we meet, and you take a chance like that? It could have killed you instantly."
"Oh, for crying out loud, Daniel! It wasn't like that!" O'Neill stood up and strode to the observation window and scrubbed his hands through his hair. With his back still to them he continued, "He already had been in my mind. You know that. He just wanted to give me the opportunity to see what they really are. In a way I wish Sara could have been there too. I was having trouble saying goodbye even though I knew he only `looked' like Charlie. Until I touched his mind, that is."
His voice faltered and he paused for a long moment before continuing in a quieter tone. "They call themselves `The Unity' for a good reason; every one of them can `feel' the others all the time. They're never alone. Even broken they were not destroyed. It was the hardest thing for him to leave the others and go through the Stargate impersonating me. He was truly alone for the first time and it terrified him; even more than what had happened with the Goa'uld. He was so surprised at how alone we are. That's why he wanted to bring Charlie back to me, so I wouldn't be alone anymore. Then he realized Charlie is always with me, just different than how the others are always with him."
He turned and leaned back against the cold glass with his arms folded across his chest. "He told me if I ever needed to renew my memories of Charlie I could come back. When they `touch' minds, the connection is permanent; it's like a memory that never fades."
Carter's eyes were wide, "Are you saying that on some level you are still connected to the crystal life form?" Daniel and Teal'c both looked to O'Neill for his answer.
"No. I don't know, it's more like-" He looked from one to another, he disliked the scrutiny from his team and struggled for the right words, gesturing with one hand, "When I think of Charlie, the memories are more tangible, more intense; and I know it's the influence from the crystal. At the time I thought he'd just given me a `gift' to remember Charlie better. Now with all this genetics stuff, I don't know." He hung his head, finally giving up on trying to explain it any better. This `opening up' stuff wasn't his forte anyway and he'd had enough of it for one day.
Daniel sunk into a chair and blew out his breath, "Wow."
Teal'c looked from Daniel back to O'Neill. "Perhaps it was this same creature who was captured by the Goa'uld. If it retained the knowledge of your genetic structure it may have been forced to create Dominick."
Carter nodded. "That would be a reasonable assumption."
"Wait a minute. Are you saying one or more of these crystal `people'- " Daniel shot a look toward O'Neill, "were abducted from their planet and are being used as a kind of forced technological laborers to provide blueprints for a perfect host?"
Carter shrugged, "Essentially, yes, and if they can harness the abilities of the crystals, they will be successful, eventually."
"O'Neill should we not return to P3X-562 and determine the fate of the crystal entities?"
O'Neill pushed himself away from the glass. "Yes we should. Carter, Daniel, keep working here. We'll talk to Hammond and get an Okay to check it out."
Teal'c and O'Neill returned from the planet only an hour later with distressing news. The remaining crystals had been reduced to not much more than blue powder; there wasn't a chunk even as large as a baseball left. They tried to talk to the little bit that was left to see if they could get a response to no avail. Even touching the powder caused no reaction in O'Neill. This time the Goa'uld had been successful in annihilating the inhabitants of P3X-562 completely. The crystal beings were dead.
Dominick looked up from his notepad when they walked in. He immediately saw the distress on his counterpart's face and began to ask about it. O'Neill cut him off with a wave of his hand and strode back out the door.
"What's up with him?"
"Colonel O'Neill was troubled by what we encountered on the planet."
Carter turned away from her work with Kat'ya and asked him, "What happened?"
"The remaining life forms have been completely destroyed. We were unable to ascertain what occurred or how long ago, only that they are no more."
Daniel shifted his glasses on his nose, "They're gone? You know they weren't life like we know it, they said they were energy. Are you sure they're dead?"
"I am certain. Very little remained of them at all, and what was left was inert. If any of these beings yet exist, they are elsewhere."
Dominick frowned and looked back at Daniel. "That's why you asked us about seeing blue crystals? You said they mimicked molecular structure and that's probably why I look like O'Neill, but they're alive? Ya think you could have said that? We're certainly giving *you* all the information we've got." He slid off the edge of the table where he'd been sitting and bolted for the door. Suddenly some things in his head were making sense; he had to talk to O'Neill.
He caught up with the Colonel just as he entered the elevator and scooted in behind him. "Where'ya goin'?"
"Out."
"Want company?"
"No."
Dominick bit his lower lip and leaned back against the cold metal. "Okay, just show me the way out. I need some fresh air."
O'Neill glanced at him then down to the floor. "You can't go without an escort. I'll take you outside for awhile."
Dominick didn't realize just how cooped-up he was feeling until now. He suddenly was excited about seeing this new world. O'Neill led on past the checkpoints and shoved a door open to the outside. It was just after dusk and the stars were already glinting in the cloudless sky.
Dominick grinned and took off at a trot away from the building. "It's just like back home, I can't believe it!"
O'Neill followed, having to walk more briskly than he wanted just to keep up. "Yeah, trees, they're pretty much everywhere."
"When I was younger I use to look at the stars all the time, I even had a Sight-glass to see them better."
"We call it a telescope, I've got one too."
Dominick cut his pace to a slow walk. "You watch the stars?"
"Yeah, I stopped for a while after Charlie-" O'Neill winced and stopped talking.
Dominick stopped and faced O'Neill; " You know even though we look alike I don't have your memories, right?"
O'Neill nodded.
"That's not entirely correct." He ignored the scowl on O'Neill's face and continued. "I remember some things that must have happened when the crystal imitated you, and I remember Charlie. I couldn't figure it out before. I thought it was some kind of memory imprint that was used on me as an experiment; I never had a son of my own."
"Yeah, well, I did." O'Neill's shoulders slumped. He looked so different from the wise-ass soldier Dominick had pegged him for.
More memories flooded into Dominick's mind. He put a hand on O'Neill's shoulder and grasped firmly. "Because of the crystal being you are more at peace with what happened, you feel you owe them something."
"It wasn't entirely him, but yeah, he helped in a way. If the Goa'uld are holding him I've got to do something. I won't leave him to that."
"How soon can we go?" Dominick was really starting to like this `big brother' he'd found.
"Hammond's authorized a probe to be sent tomorrow afternoon. Provided we figure out how to get past the guards, we should be able to leave by evening. You're ahead of us by about four hours so we should arrive well after dark. How's the arm?'"
"It'll do. Don't worry about me, whenever you're ready to go, so am I."
The two men took a few more minutes to view the sky then headed back underground where their comrades awaited.
It was several hours since the UAV was sent through and immediately destroyed, and O'Neill was still arguing with Hammond. He was positive they could get through despite the obvious danger.
Hammond spent a long time making a decision regarding their next move. Of course SG-1 was in favor of going anyway; and if any team could pull it off, it would be them. But the risks were too high in his estimation and he pulled the plug on the mission, he wouldn't even authorize a MALP or a second UAV recon.
Dominick was disheartened and requested to go back to the planet to continue their fight without help. Hammond reluctantly agreed to send the two aliens back to their world with a growing regret he was sending them to their deaths.
O'Neill didn't wait to be dismissed; he stalked out of the briefing room and on through the hallways of the SGC not really going anywhere, but walking off his frustrations. It was hard on all of them; they'd been to heavily guarded planets before and survived, and it wasn't like they had nothing to gain. There was the Tollan technology to possibly recover and be able to study, not to mention the chance to seriously curtail genetic research by the Goa'uld. Hammond wouldn't budge; he put SG-1 on stand down to cool off for a few days before being put back on the mission rotation schedule.
Later that day Kat'ya was waiting for Dominick in the gate room. They'd been given permission to leave and he wanted to go as soon as possible. It would be night on the planet right now, the best time to return. She looked up and smiled as her companion entered the room, dressed in all black clothing and carrying a large pack. The blue sling was gone; despite any discomfort, Dominick would need to be able to use his arm as best he could without it. At least Hammond had offered to send them back with medicines, food and whatever other supplies they could carry. After a short standoff with O'Neill, he even authorized handing over two Zats. It would have been a waste to send them back unarmed; he had to admit.
A couple SF's were standing by with a grenade launcher. The plan was to send through the explosive first to give Dominick and Kat'ya at least a chance of getting away from the gate. It wouldn't be a big chance but it was the best Hammond could do.
Kat'ya took a step forward and took his arm then put one hand under his chin and raised his head slightly. He looked so dejected to her with his head lowered and cap pulled down over his eyes. She thought again how much she loved this old soldier, no matter who else he looked like.
When she looked into his eyes she was forced to take in a sudden breath. It was not Dominick. He took her hand in his and squeezed it, giving her a tiny nod and holding her gaze. She understood. It was the only way O'Neill could help them. Obviously Dominick was a part of this deception as well, they thought so much alike.
She nodded back accepting her part in the rouse and turned to the now open Stargate. The airman sent off the grenade and counted off one minute, then nodded for them to proceed. Without a look back at the control room window they walked up the ramp and through the event horizon.
As the wormhole shut down, Daniel turned away and slammed his palm against the doorframe and stalked out. Jack wasn't the only one who could have a tantrum. It was just plain wrong that Hammond wouldn't help these people, and he was sick of hearing the 'you've got to look at the big picture' excuse. Teal'c noted the reaction of his teammate and followed him out and down the hallway, hands clasped behind his back.
Hammond entered from the rear and frowned at the open discontent he witnessed. "Major, was the Colonel here as well?"
Carter barely looked at him. "No Sir. He wouldn't come. I think he went topside."
Hammond stuck his hands in his pockets and felt a pang of remorse. "When you see him, tell him I want to talk to him." He turned to go back to his office but stopped and turned his head back to her, "You know it had to be this way. We can't come running and save the whole universe."
"Permission to speak freely, Sir."
He sighed and nodded then turned fully to her; he already knew what was coming.
"General, we're not trying to save the universe. The Goa'uld controlling this planet have us in their sights. They had our gate address and they were experimenting using the Colonel's DNA. That can't be a coincidence."
He frowned. "Still it would require more men and resources than I'm prepared to commit at this time. SG-1 can't always go it alone. My decision stands." He paused for a moment then added, "For now."
Carter decided to see where the Colonel had gone to, she expected him to show up even though he said he wouldn't if for no other reason than to take another shot at changing Hammond's mind. He certainly wouldn't be in his office so she went first to his on-base quarters and tapped on the door. "Sir? Are you there?"
There was no answer but then she heard someone move inside the room. "Sir, may I come in?"
"All right, come in Major."
The Colonel was sitting on the cot with his back against the wall. The room was lit only by a small lamp and from where it was little light fell on him. She entered and left the door slightly ajar.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but General Hammond wants to see you. I don't think he'll change his mind but for what it's worth we all think you were right. There's too much at stake for us to turn our backs on these people."
He kept his gaze down. "That's good to know. Are they gone?"
"Yes. I guess it's over."
"Not really." He leaned forward and looked up so she could see his face clearly by the light coming in from the hallway.
She took in a gasp seeing the vertical slits in his eyes and whispered to him hoarsely, "Dominick! If you're here, then the Colonel-"
"Is not."
"Hammond is gonna be pissed."
"So was your Colonel. Even if General Hammond doesn't authorize a rescue mission, he will let me go back. I figure our odds of success have way more than doubled just having O'Neill there. When we were going over the guard rotations and layout of the labs he pointed out one opportunity after another where I could have gotten in undetected. He's really a lot smarter than he lets on. If I had just half of his abilities along with his looks, we wouldn't have needed to come for your help."
Carter smiled, it sure didn't take Dominick long to get past that 'dense' façade the Colonel put on. "You're right, but it doesn't mean you can't use some more help. Let's go break the news to Hammond. I have a feeling you won't be going back alone."
The explosions neutralized the few guards on duty leaving the gate area temporarily unmanned just as planned. Except for a few small fires burning it was pitch black on the planet. Even though there were three moons it seemed all of them were in a dark phase right now.
Kat'ya didn't mind, actually being back on her planet was exhilarating; she missed the sensations her enhanced abilities provided her. She could even smell the night-blooming flowers in the palace gardens several miles away.
O'Neill was easily able to keep up with her despite the unfamiliar environment until they got out away from the plaza where the Stargate was located. Here she hit the back alleys; not slowing in the least, zigzagging past boxes and crates, some empty and some overflowing with what O'Neill surmised from the smell was garbage.
He stumbled over something on the ground, caught himself and ran into something else. He cursed under his breath but kept going, determined to keep up even if he couldn't see a damned thing. Kat'ya heard him grumble and stopped several yards ahead of him. She stood still and watched him trying to feel his way through the boxes and debris. He caught up to her but didn't realize where she was until she spoke.
"Colonel?"
He stumbled again and nearly fell on top of her. "Shit, Kat. Don't do that! You know I'm handicapped here, I can't see a blessed thing."
She giggled, "I guess I've forgotten what it's like to have normal eyes." She paused then continued in a more serious tone. "Maybe we shouldn't go to far from the Stargate. When do you think Dominick will join us?"
"Not tonight for sure. He was going to hide out as long as possible, so Hammond may not find out 'till it's morning back home. And I expect he'll want explanations, it might be a while."
She frowned, now saddened. She'd rarely ever been separated from Dominick longer than a few hours; she'd come to rely on him heavily.
O'Neill leaned down to try to see her. "Don't worry. He'll come. Now, let's find a place to hide out and rest. You know any place we could go?"
"Come on." Glad to have a goal in mind she reached out and took his hand and led him through the winding path. Only when they were far from the plaza and into a more spread out and rural area did she stop.
They came to a tall building, the ground floor was obviously some kind of meeting place or saloon, the interior was dimly lit and the air was laden with a pungent smell of something that must have been what the locals used as tobacco. She switched from leading him buy the hand to linking her arm under his and moved to a position to the side and just slightly behind him.
"In here, you lead. Go to the back left corner, you'll see a stairway- go up." She pulled her cap down more tightly on her head and hugged his arm tightly. He didn't need to be a rocket scientist to take her hint. This place was dangerous, maybe not in the same way as those Jaffa back at the gate, but still deadly.
He adjusted his cap and took a quick look around, once again thankful for Special Forces training. He was able to make an instant assessment. Kat'ya must have chosen this place for a reason, possibly she and Dominick frequented here. That meant he would have to act like he knew the place.
He patted her hand and smiled then deliberately strode forward into the room. There was enough light that he was easily able to maneuver past the haphazardly placed tables and chairs and found the stairway. As they started up she whispered, "Two flights up."
The hall was more well lit than the lower level with sconces at intervals along the walls. Here she let go of him and stopped at one of the doors; she knocked and waited but when there was no answer she pressed her thumb against a small panel and a latch clicked. With a light push the door opened inward.
So far O'Neill had the feeling this was their version of a low-class hotel and the interior bore it out. It was a small apartment with really only two rooms. The main room contained not only the small bed, but also a table and chairs, a couch and a small dresser. The kitchen was really only a counter along one wall. To one side was a small dressing room that also housed the toilet and a tiny sink.
The place had been ransacked; it seemed everything the occupant possessed was on the floor, and if it could be broken it was. Kat'ya gasped and held her hands over her mouth. She entered the room and gingerly tiptoed around shaken at what she was seeing. O'Neill stood back just inside the now closed door and waited for her. She knew this place, but didn't expect what they'd found.
She'd almost completed her circuit of the room when she stopped and crouched to the floor, sobbing. O'Neill moved behind her and looked over her shoulder. There was a large amount of blood on the floor, and just beyond there the wall was blackened as if burnt by something. He reached over and ran a finger over the charred area. He came away with a smudge of an oily charcoal-like substance and rolled it between his finger and thumb.
"Staff blast."
She jerked up her head and looked at him. "The weapon that hit Dominick's arm?"
"Yeah, but that was a glancing blow; even when it hits dead on it tends to cauterize the wound, there's not usually much blood. This was either caused by something else or it was at point blank range."
"I don't understand."
"Forget it. Point is, either way he's dead."
"No." She stood and grasped his arm forcefully. "This was a friend. He allowed us to stay here many times and gave us food. When Dominick was able to steal from the palace, he sold the items in the shops and traded for what we needed. He never cheated us, not once. How can you be sure he's dead?"
O'Neill still balked but finally relented with a shrug. There was no way to make it sound less gruesome. "When a staff weapon is fired directly in contact with a body, the energy pulse is so strong it can go all the way through the person. He pointed to the wall. "*That*, was not a miss."
Kat'ya bolted for the toilet and promptly threw up.
O'Neill immediately regretted being so candid and handed her a wet a cloth. "Sorry."
She wiped her face and then rinsed out her mouth and spit several times into the sink. She was too shaky to move so she sat on the edge of the toilet and leaned one arm on the sink so she could rest her head on it.
O'Neill glanced back around the room and decided a change of subject was in order. "If Dominick were to come through the Stargate, would he come here?"
She raised her head. The mere thought of Dominick was enough to make her feel better. "Yes, he would. We knew this man well, we felt safe here."
"Then we should wait here; he may already been found out by Hammond. I'm sure the General won't force him to stay, he'll be angrier with me than anyone else, and with any luck he won't send Dominick alone. Hammond will send my team to make sure I come back." He winced at the thought of what punishment Hammond might have in store for him. One of these days he really was going to Court Marshall.
Kat'ya nodded and gazed back into the main room with a shiver. Not only had her friend died there but the evidence still remained. O'Neill knew it too. He patted her shoulder and told her to stay put. It took him a little time but he finally cleaned up all the blood and put the articles spattered with it in a large sack. The scorch on the wall was harder to clean so he wiped it as best he could then found something to cover the spot. When he let Kat back in the room, it was still cluttered and in disarray but no longer looked quite like a murder scene.
She smiled weakly and told him where to take the sack to dispose of it in the outside hallway. When he returned she already had most of the floor uncluttered and the bed straightened. "We might as well rest, it could be some time before your General sees fit to return Dominick."
O'Neill agreed, it was late by Earth standards when they'd left and now he was exhausted. Kat'ya took the bed and O'Neill stretched out on the too short couch and tried to get comfortable. He did manage to doze for a short while before he was aware of a sound in the room.
Kat'ya was crying. She was muffling the sound as best she could to not disturb him, but the events of the past few days caught up with her, and the only one she could be comforted by wasn't there.
O'Neill couldn't stand to hear her sob; it reminded him too much of the way Sara cried when they'd lost Charlie. It wasn't an all-out wailing like some people would do; it was the sobbing one does when it hurts so much the tears just run out like water.
He silently approached the bed and eased down to sit beside her. As soon as he touched her hair she froze, suddenly aware of his presence. She was completely still for a few moments and let him stroke her hair; funny how Dominick did the same thing to make her feel better when she was sad.
She turned over and sat up facing him and looked at him. No, not Dominick, but close enough. She leaned forward and collapsed onto his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. Just like Dominick he hugged her back and leaned his cheek into her hair.
She sobbed a little while longer then became quiet; exhausted from the effort it took to cry so hard. She really needed to sleep, but wasn't ready to let go just yet. "I miss him."
O'Neill was confused for a minute, thinking she meant her friend who died here but then it dawned on him she was talking about Dominick. "He'll be here tomorrow, you'll see."
"What if your General won't release him? What if he imprisons him until you return?"
"We don't do things like that. Hammond may be unhappy, but we don't hold people hostage. Trust me."
She nodded, still leaning on his chest. "Do something for me?"
"Anything, Miss Kitty."
She grinned. It had taken several minutes and a discussion of what the human's called 'Westerns' for her to understand the meaning of the pet name he'd given her when they first met. "Hold me until I fall asleep."
He'd been increasingly comfortable around this woman but suddenly that comfort level was gone out the window. He stiffened and said, "I'm not Dominick."
"No, but in a lot of ways he is you. Please."
With a silent thanks to God they were both still fully clothed he decided to comply. He kicked off his boots and lay down beside her. The bed was wide enough for two but just barely unless they were in close contact. Something with which Kat'ya had no problem; as soon as he was down she snuggled up close and draped a leg over his. He felt the bed give a little with all the weight on one side. "Uh, Kat. I'm right on the edge here, can you scoot over a little?"
She did but tugged on him to move with her to the center. He mentally kicked himself for even getting into this situation but did as she asked. She wasn't sobbing anymore but still shivered occasionally and hugged him close. He noticed she really did feel cold and hugged her back.
She fell asleep quickly and it was O'Neill's intention to return to the uncomfortable couch as soon as she did but he never made it there; he fell asleep too. It had been an eon since he last fell asleep with a woman cradled in his arms, not counting being injured or under some alien influence, and it felt good. He had some exceptionally pleasant dreams that night.
The sky was already beginning to lighten when he awoke to find Kat'ya's hand under his shirt, stroking his chest. She was snuggling into his neck and that leg she'd thrown over him was moving as well. He was about to move but heard her murmuring and realized she was still asleep, no doubt having a very nice dream. He really didn't want to wake her but she was about to have an unbidden effect on him. Cold, pain or just plain poor circumstances notwithstanding he could count on his male body to be quite predictable.
He tried just a nudge to wake her; it didn't work. Instead she incorporated it into her dream and shoved back. Her next move was to slide her knee up until it made contact with-
He jumped so far it did wake her, although with the tangle of sheets and legs, he couldn't get away from her let alone get up.
Sleepy and still hazy from her dream, Kat'ya didn't realize at first what had happened. She clutched on to him tighter, "Hmmm. Don't go."
"Kat. Wake up. You really. Need to. Wake. Up." She had slid over to lie mostly on top of him and was kissing him, effectively stopping him from talking.
"Kat!"
She sleepily raised her head and looked at him. "Oh. Oooooh." Her eyes widened with the realization of just whom she was with and exactly where her body was and the response she was getting from the body beneath her.
She was tempted to ignore what her mind was telling her and go with the circumstances, it *was* the same man, after all, sort of.
Just then the lock clicked and the door swung open admitting more light into the room. Four figures entered but stopped suddenly as the leader halted in his tracks.
O'Neill squinted as the bright light hit his face and raised a hand to shield it so he could see who had entered. He saw his own face; with a shocked expression looking back at him. "Shit." They were way earlier than he'd expected. He shoved Kat'ya up and tried to scoot out from under her. This was so not good. It wasn't just Dominick either; Carter looked like she could shove a P-90 right down his throat. Daniel's mouth was hanging open and Teal'c had that famous one eyebrow thing honed to a fine art.
"Shit" he groused again, "Guys it's not what it looks like, really."
Kat'ya wasn't helping any; she was frozen in place. She had actually been considering allowing this encounter to take its course and now caught, she was beyond embarrassed. She felt like she'd cheated on Dominick even if it was just a fleeting thought and partially because the whole idea of having two of him was so damn confusing. They looked alike, talked alike and for the most part acted alike; she just couldn't completely separate them in her mind.
She was torn between running to him or running away to hide. O'Neill solved that for her by pushing her off the bed and toward the door. He quickly grabbed his jacket and shoved his feet into his boots then headed for the door without stopping to lace them up. "You two talk. We'll be downstairs."
He bolted past his team and into the hall without making eye contact with any of them. He cursed to himself with every step he took and when they were on the main level he chose the deepest, darkest corner in which to sit. His team sat around the table and much to his dismay, didn't look around the room at all. He was the sole object of their attention.
"It's a long story."
Teal'c was first to speak. "We appear to have the time."
Right, Jaffa humor. Had to be. "If I'd realized she was that involved with Dominick I would have kept my distance."
"Oh, and that make-out scene in the infirmary didn't give you a clue?" Carter spat back at him.
"Oh, well, yeah, I guess." No amount of back-pedaling was going to save him.
She wasn't done. "Sir, for your information you've made quite an impression on Dominick. You should have heard him sticking up for you to Hammond. Instead of a Court Marshall you'll probably get a medal when we get back. Hammond wasn't going to let us all come through but he insisted. He admitted to me he really didn't think you'd need us, but you'd be happier if we were here; so he talked Hammond into it. He really thinks you could take on this whole fortress alone."
O'Neill scrubbed his hands over his face. Not only was he caught in bed with the guys girl; he was the object of some hopefully only mild hero-worship. "They'll work it out. I'll talk to him. We've really got more important things to deal with right now."
He noted the annoyance in the eyes of his team but continued. "When we got here last night she expected to find a friend of theirs in the apartment. There was evidence he's been killed and by staff weapon fire. She was upset and I gave her a shoulder to cry on. That's what was going on. I didn't think you'd all be here so soon and she was a mess. Look, the real question here is: was that man's death connected with Dominick and Kat'ya? It could be the Goa'uld were aware of their plans to come to us for help."
By the time he finished the short explanation the faces at the table had all changed from their harsh expressions to ones of concern.
"Indeed, O'Neill, it is not likely this man of whom you speak was killed by coincidence. On our way here, Dominick stated this area is secure because the Jaffa guards do not frequent here. You are certain it was staff weapon fire?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm sure, and close range even though there was no body to see. I figure they either Zatted it away or they took him to use as an example to the others."
Daniel looked up from the table he'd been contemplating. "Or, they took it to restore him. If they have a sarcophagus and they wanted the information badly enough-" His voice trailed off and Carter broke in. "Oh, they want it I'm sure. Dominick told us more about his exploits after he escaped. He didn't just steal food and the Tollan devices from the palace; he was getting prisoners out, too. He was becoming a real nuisance to them. They only got him to stop when they posted so many guards he didn't have a choice."
O'Neill nodded, "Kat told me they were pretty successful there for a while, they almost had an 'underground railroad' thing going."
"So we should be able to use some of those routes to get back in, since there hasn't been any activity for awhile, maybe they aren't guarded as well." Daniel offered.
"Don't count on that. Two wormhole activations within a matter of hours and they weren't able to apprehend any of us? There's at least one pissed off Goa'uld I'd say. The number of guards may have slacked off for a while but now they know someone's here. Hopefully no one's figured out exactly why we came. If they think we're here to assist the rebel groups they won't be looking for us at the palace."
O'Neill glanced up and noticed Kat'ya standing a few steps from the bottom of the stairway, scanning the room. He slowly stood to let her see their location. She immediately did, and motioned for them to return with her to the apartment.
Dominick was stern looking and obviously still quite displeased with what he'd seen but Kat'ya had already worked some of her charms on him. When everyone was in the room she walked over to stand behind him. As she did, her hand touched his upper arm and ran upward to rest near his neck; his expression immediately softened at her touch.
O'Neill started to take advantage of the situation. "Dom-"
He held up his hand to stop the conversation from even getting started that way. The stern expression was back. "I know. We're all under a lot of stress, now is not the time to have problems with trust. If the Jaffa did this, they're probably watching the place right now. We've got to move as soon as possible." He continued with a bit of ire in his voice, "I can't believe you didn't leave immediately, you took a big chance staying here."
O'Neill wasn't going to take a barb to his leadership like that. "No, they're not watching. No need to, with the caliber of the locals downstairs they can get any Intel they need with bribery or threats. I figured we were Okay until morning, hadn't planed to stay past daybreak anyway."
"You didn't?" Kat'ya was surprised. "Just where were you going?"
"I planned for *us* to go find a spot to watch from, maybe across the street on the roof. We could wait for Dominick and keep an eye out for patrols at the same time. But, since you're already here-" He nodded to Carter and the rest of his team, "no need. Where do we go now?"
Dominick looked uncomfortable, once again the *real* O'Neill had come up with a much better assessment of the situation and even had a plan in mind. He shook it off and addressed the group, "Out to the back alley and north to the plaza."
As they entered the hallway the unmistakable sound of heavy boots could be heard below. O'Neill and Teal'c ran quietly to the top of the stairs and flattened themselves against the wall. After listening for a few moments they returned to the others.
"Back alley is out, how about the roof?"
Dominick nodded and led the way. Once there they had to maneuver across a gap to the next building and skirt around an atrium. On the far side was a ladder that went down three floors to a landing, then on down three more floors to the ground. Teal'c took point while O'Neill stayed back and kept watch out for any Jaffa coming their way. The sky was sunlit but once on the ground between buildings they were in deep shadow again and unexposed much to O'Neill's satisfaction. He took a moment to go over their plans with Dominick and they headed out. Kat'ya took the lead this time since she knew the way better than even Dominick did.
It took most of the day to get to the palace and within sight of the labs. Once their location was secure, Carter and Daniel broke out MRE's and lit some sterno for coffee. After a quick meal the order of business would be to get some sleep for the task ahead. It was still daylight now but they planned to be up and moving all night.
The Colonel assigned watches and found a quiet corner to lie down. Their stopping place was a large abandoned gardener's shed abutting onto the palace grounds. Dominick had used it often but was careful to leave no evidence behind in case a guard came through on their periodic sweeps of the area. The main floor looked untouched except for the numerous footprints in the dust. Dominick explained the Jaffa never seemed to pay attention to the footprints since they frequently had locals who served as guards with them. They wore their usual attire instead of the heavy armor and boots of the Jaffa.
Dominick cautioned them all to not touch anything; it must remain as if no one had been there in some time. He led them to the back room in a corner and through a trap door to the cellar below. It was as large as the building above it and had been used to store tools and fertilizers and other chemicals. There was still some dry straw and bags of peat so they were able to make somewhat comfortable bedding for themselves.
O'Neill woke early for his watch and gave Teal'c leave to Kel-no- reem. Carter was awake and looking over the contents of one of the shelves and he joined her.
"Colonel, there are a lot of chemicals here, and not only ones I'd expect to see used in horticulture. There's really quite an assortment."
He glanced at an open sack of some acidic smelling white granules. "Is this what I think it is?"
"Yes, Sir. Ammonium Nitrate, and there's a lot more."
He didn't need more of a hint than that- he knew all about homemade explosives from his days in Special Forces. "You know, it would be a good idea to have a diversion lined up in case we need one. Think you can handle that?"
Carter grinned, finally something she could do here! She was beginning to feel like a fifth wheel since her knowledge and deductive skills hadn't really been needed as yet. "No problem, we'll save the C-4 for another time."
After two hours O'Neill made up some fresh coffee and woke Daniel. Teal'c would come out of his meditations at whatever time he decided to. Of course the smell of coffee in the air helped, Teal'c had developed quite a taste for it over the years.
Carter was able to fashion two small packs that would provide a satisfactory diversion and possibly take down a wall or two in the process. She slid one in her pack and one in O'Neill's.
As the group prepared to move out Dominick and Kat'ya reappeared from their early morning scouting of the grounds.
Dominick accepted a cup of the hot liquid, "We didn't see any patrols at all. It's a bit unusual, but if they had to double up on the number of guards in other areas they may be a little short-handed. We shouldn't have any trouble getting into the lab. I don't think they'll look for us there."
When they were all awake and geared up O'Neill ordered the go. Dominick and Kat'ya took point together since they had the best vision and knowledge of the area, Teal'c was on their six; hopefully his knowledge of Jaffa tactics would alert him to any danger at their flank.
There were two sentries on duty at the access to the lab complex just as Dominick expected- what he wasn't aware of were the six more guards inside.
As soon as the door admitted them, they were seen and fired upon. O'Neill stepped into the fore position and told Daniel to hold back and stick with Dominick and Kat'ya. His hand signals directed Carter and Teal'c to swing around to each side and cover while he moved up to where he could pick off the leader.
Once that was done the remaining guards still fired at them but were more interested in reporting in and getting backup. Teal'c took out two of them and Carter got one before they went into full retreat. O'Neill followed them into the complex with Teal'c and Carter right on his heels.
O'Neill looked back to the doorway as Dominick entered and saw him point out the exit. Swinging back with his P-90 still up O'Neill pulled the trigger letting several rounds fly where Dominick was indicating and another Jaffa went down.
Teal'c had meanwhile crouched and moved forward where he was able to neutralize the last guard with a well-placed punch to his jaw.
O'Neill lowered his weapon and made a circular motion with his hand indicating he wanted a sweep of the immediate area. Daniel was inside by then and followed Carter to a suite of rooms off to the right while O'Neill and Teal'c went left.
They met back in the main room with no more resistance encountered.
"Okay Dominick, it's your show- where did you see the crystal and those devices?"
"We'll need to go beyond this section and to a lower level. There will be at least two more guards and the entryway will be locked."
O'Neill glanced at Carter as he answered, "No problem." She responded with a quick nod of her head.
As expected when they were within sight of the lab doorway the halls began to echo with the tramping of a Jaffa patrol. This place had the usual Goa'uld architecture with facades and many nooks where the group found quick cover. They let the guards get right up to their position before attacking them. This time only two shots rang out, one each from Carter and Daniel's weapons with the result of two Jaffa dropping to the ground. The other two were taken down silently one by Teal'c with his fist and the other by O'Neill with his knife.
Dominick and Kat'ya stood amazed at not only the efficiency of these humans but that under O'Neill's leadership they each knew exactly what to do and which target to take with no verbal command whatsoever.
The door whooshed open to a spacious laboratory filled with odd- looking devices and machinery humming everywhere. Carter's mouth dropped open and O'Neill stepped in front of her, facing her and purposefully obscuring her view of the lab. "Major," he cautioned, "just remember why we're here. Okay? No getting caught up in new doohickeys."
From the corner of his eye he could see that Daniel was already picking up some artifact and practically salivating with excitement. He may have intercepted the wrong scientist. He shook his head and motioned to Teal'c to go keep tabs on the soon-to-be-errant archaeologist.
Dominick came straight into the room and to a large cabinet with a crystal opening device they'd seen before on storage containers. He touched the center and it immediately opened to reveal a pedestal with a single intact blue crystal. There was a faint humming coming from the base where a device that looked like a small generator of some kind was attached to the crystal.
"Carter, what do you make of this?" O'Neill asked as he approached the cabinet.
She looked it over first and touched it in several places. "A power generator, but I have no idea what kind of energy it's producing. It seems to be operating at an extremely low level."
Dominick said, "You're right. This is how they controlled the power level and what the crystal could do. It doesn't have a power source of it's own."
Both Carter and O'Neill recalled their previous experience with the entity. It almost died and would have taken a sizeable chunk of the planet with it because it wasn't able to tap into a power source on earth. It had to go back to its home world. Somehow the Goa'uld had figured out a way to fit it with a small source of a compatible kind of energy. They were 'feeding' it only when they wanted it to do something.
"So can we turn up the juice?"
Dominick just shrugged back at his image, "I don't know how it works, I just saw the effect."
Carter began adjusting controls, "I think I can do it, Sir."
The hum suddenly increased and rose in pitch until it was ultrasonic, completely out of their hearing range. Even Dominick was surprised when his enhanced hearing lost track of the sound.
The crystal began to sparkle and glow and the azure color intensified. From the center of one side a face emerged, still translucent and blue like the rest of the crystal but definitely the face of O'Neill.
"Jonathan. Jack. O'Neill. Colonel. The Unity remembers you." Came a voice like O'Neill's but softer and melodious.
O'Neill touched the stone completely oblivious to the potential danger. "I remember you too."
When he removed his hand the stone began to shimmer and grow large. Everyone moved back to give it room as it emerged from the cabinet, amazed by what was occurring. All the colors of the rainbow flickered on the stone surface as it grew. Within seconds it had become an exact duplicate of the Colonel. The 'Unity' O'Neill addressed him. "We are pleased." The voice was as exact as the physical duplication.
Once he'd recovered from the initial shock, Daniel looked at the newest O'Neill thoughtfully. "Excuse me, uh, 'we'?"
"Yes. You are aware of the events on our home world?" Several of the group nodded. "Then you know none remain. All the Unity that is, is here." He touched his hand to his chest.
"So how many of you are there?" Carter asked.
"All are here." She frowned at the vague reply.
"Doesn't matter, Carter." O'Neill said, "They are here." He addressed his crystal self, "We came to help you but we also need to remove several devices the Goa'uld stole from a group of Tollans who were here several days ago. Are you able to move? Maybe help us find them?"
The Unity O'Neill pulled his jacket back to reveal the small power generator against his side. "This will be sufficient. Our captors were able to synthesize our energy needs. There is no danger as there was the first time we encountered each other."
Carter was impressed, with all the time she'd spent studying the crystals, she didn't have a clue what kind of energy they used or how to stabilize them.
The Colonel was ready to move on to the next objective. "Dominick, back to you, any idea where we should start to look?"
Dominick pried his attention away from his Unity duplicate. He had an idea how he'd been made to look like the Colonel, but this was way beyond what he expected. He scanned the room and frowned. "I don't think they're here anymore. They were right in this room. I didn't see them in the other room either; it must be because I took some they've got the others hidden away."
Teal'c noted the man's unease with not being able to come through with the needed information. "Colonel O'Neill." He made sure he was speaking to the right one. "I believe devices of this importance would be kept by the Goa'uld himself. He would trust no other since already two were allowed to be taken."
The Colonel nodded. "All right. So, we get ourselves a Goa'uld. Dominick? Kat'ya? New plan, we're going to the main palace, you still in?"
Dominick nodded and elbowed Kat'ya when she didn't answer right away. She glared at him and responded, "Of course."
"Good. We'll make good use of your special skills. Kids, load up."
They moved out of the labs and into the palace itself. According to Dominick their ruler often spent the early hours in his quarters being pampered by numerous household servants. It would be a perfect time to make their move. Once inside and secure for the moment, O'Neill decided it was too risky for all of them to go in. Dominick would have to go since he was most familiar with the place and Teal'c because, well, when you're going up against some Jaffa, what you want with you is another Jaffa. So the three of them would go, Carter, Daniel and Kat'ya would hold near the exit and make sure they'd all be able to escape. For now, the Crystal entity O'Neill would stay behind with them.
At least that was the plan. They didn't even get past the kitchen.
It had only been ten minutes and Carter could hear the sound of feet running down the hallway in their direction. Further away but increasing in volume was the unmistakable tromping of an armored Jaffa patrol. She wasn't sure if O'Neill and the others had been spotted until she heard the first staff weapon blast.
She waved to Daniel to come with her out into the hallway where they could provide some cover and better see what was going on. They crouched in an alcove and waited.
Soon the staff weapon fire was being punctuated by P-90's. The first one to come in sight was Dominick running full tilt through the corridor. He would have gone right past Carter and Daniel if they hadn't waved to him.
He stopped and bent over with his hands on his thighs, out of breath. "O'Neill said to get the explosive ready! They're right behind me!"
Carter nodded and ran back into the room. Pack in hand she just made it back into the hallway to hear O'Neill yelling her name.
She didn't bother to pull the device out of her pack but dropped right where she was and reached inside to activate it. There would be a time delay of only a few seconds once she set it, so she held her position and waited for O'Neill to show.
He rounded the corner with Teal'c right beside him firing and glanced at Carter. "How big?" He called to her, wanting to know how far they needed to be away from the blast.
She balked for a moment then gestured wide with her hands. She almost forgot the brick of C-4 in her pack. Oh, yeah it was gonna be big all right.
He grimaced and yelled, "Light it up! Daniel, fall back! Way back!"
As he and Teal'c ran past Carter they each grabbed for her and successfully dragged her to her feet between them. Their momentum helped keep them going on in to the next room. What they didn't see was the concussion grenade that rolled in behind them just before the door slid shut.
O'Neill ground himself to a halt and ducked behind a pedestal expecting to feel and hear the effects of Carter's bomb. Instead what he got was the high-pitched whine and flash of white light from the orb.
He awoke with a ringing in his head and quite blind. "Crap. Carter, I know you're a great little demolitions expert, but you've really outdone yourself this time."
"I wish, Sir." Was the meek reply. To tell the truth she didn't know if her bomb actually went off or not; she didn't hear a thing.
"O'Neill, it would seem there was a flaw in your plan."
"Ya, think? C'mon, Teal'c, you've always got to be so negative. Just give these guys a little while. They'll take us upstairs to show us off to the old guy and we'll take him. Piece of cake."
Teal'c's eyebrow raised high. "If this is an attempt at humor, it is not… funny."
It took several minutes for them all to wake and regain their sight.
When Kat'ya woke up and realized she could not see she panicked and started to sob loudly. It was one thing to use one of those evil devices on the Jaffa but she'd never experienced the effects herself. She was sorry she'd ever seen one. Dominick scooted over and held her until she could see again.
Daniel wandered over to the Unity version of O'Neill and sat beside him and the corner. "Were you knocked out like the rest of us?"
"No, we are different. This form of energy does not affect us."
"So, did they realize that and just put you in here with us?"
"They are not aware. When I saw your responses, I imitated you."
"You played possum?"
The Unity looked at him confused. Daniel clarified; "you pretended to be injured in the same way as the rest of us, and they believed you."
"Correct."
When he'd recovered sufficiently O'Neill examined their cell. "You'd think they'd come up with something new once in a while." He griped as he grasped the bars and gave a tug on them. "But then again why improve on what works? Pretty solid here. Teal'c? any ideas?"
Teal'c joined him at the bars and jerked on one with his hand. "I do not. It would seem these cells have been well maintained. Escape will be most difficult."
O'Neill turned his back to the bars and leaned against them with his arms folded. "Anyone? Carter?"
"Actually, Sir. Maybe. They didn't do a very thorough search on me." She went through her vest pockets and produced one of he Tollan RCD's and turned to Dominick; "This device was able to keep you in a state of flux so you wouldn't impact the iris, correct?"
Dominick nodded. "Something like that."
"Can it also deconstruct matter like the wormhole does? Can it be used to get us through the bars?"
"Carter?" O'Neill asked.
"Sir the device may be similar to the one the Tollan used to walk through walls. If it does what I think it does we could get out of here."
Dominick cocked his head at her thinking. "It does both deconstruct and reintegrate matter, but I don't think it's meant to be used like that." He shook his head. "Rodan said it would only work for one person and I don't thing it's functioning anymore anyway."
Carter held it out to him displaying the brightly colored lights blinking in a random pattern. He took it from her and turned it over in his hand. "How did you do that?"
"I've dealt with Tollan technology before, they `recharge' by themselves given enough time. It's been a few days- I guess that was long enough."
"But you've just got one." O'Neill noted.
"Yeah, the other one went to Area 51."
"Why do they get all our good stuff?" O'Neill shook his head. "So this is probably a one shot deal, only one of us can go."
Dominick stepped forward. "I will."
"I don't think so. If you haven't noticed there's a whole lotta Jaffa out there."
"I know; I've met most of them before. I'll get past them."
O'Neill wasn't about to let Dominick take on this mission. He forced him to face the hard facts. "You're not a soldier. I am. I'll go."
Dominick stood and huffed. "I told you the best way is through the labyrinth on the lower levels. It's dark and the way is winding, you'll get lost."
O'Neill rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. So you can see better than I can. You have no weapons- what are you going to do about the Jaffa?"
"I'll find another way."
O'Neill was ready to retort again but held himself in check. This wasn't getting them anywhere. Despite the huge advantage Dominick's physical enhancements gave him O'Neill still wasn't ready to trust him alone with a mission of this magnitude. "If you go, it will just be to get the key and get the rest of us out of here."
"They don't have 'keys'. I'll need to find a weapon of some kind to break the lock."
"You're not going." O'Neill was adamant.
The Unity O'Neill spoke. "This plan would be successful if both were to go?"
"It might." O'Neill confessed.
"And since I can't `loan' my eyes, it will have to be me." Dominick stated flatly.
The men glared at each other. It was true, what they really needed was something they could not have: O'Neill with the enhanced abilities of Dominick or Dominick with the knowledge and Black Ops experience of the Colonel. Only one could go and that was *if * the device even functioned. Which one would have the best chance of survival let alone success against their foe?
The Unity O'Neill had something to offer. "If all were one this would solve the dilemma, correct?'
"What's that supposed to mean?" O'Neill asked.
"I can offer you a solution. We would not have been able to do this before but now that we are all in this place we have changed. We will allow you to join the Unity."
Both Dominick and O'Neill shot a look at each other. Was the entity really suggesting what it seemed to be?
Teal'c was first to speak. "Explain."
"We are many beings within one. Is this not what is needed- to incorporate several into one?"
Daniel joined them. "Wait a minute! Are you saying you can, like, `blend' them?" He gestured between O'Neill and Dominick.
"With us, yes, that is correct."
Daniel looked at the expression on O'Neill's face. "You're not seriously considering this are you?"
The Colonel ignored his friend and weighed the options. "And this one would share the abilities of both of us?"
"All of us. Yes."
It would work; it was exactly what they needed. But what kind of risk would they be taking? Carter had a question, "When the Tok'ra and the Goa'uld `blend' with their-"
He cut her off mid sentence. "There is no comparison. The merging of which I speak is far beyond the molecular level, there would be no separation whatsoever."
She wasn't to be put off easily. "So can it be undone? Is it permanent?"
He cocked his head to one side. "Yes, and yes."
The Major made a face at the vague answer but O'Neill understood him. "You mean it can be undone but parts of it will remain; like the memories you gave me of Charlie. You said the connection is permanent."
He smiled. "Yes."
Dominick was amazed at the turn of the conversation. "Are you all nuts?"
Several minutes and much discussion later…
The Unity O'Neill stood in the center of the cell and had the Colonel grasp his right shoulder and Dominick grasp his left. At once his image began to fluctuate and phase shift.
In mere seconds their bodies began to phase and waver just like the crystal's had done. Soon their images began to move inward until they were nearly on top of each other. There was a sound like an electrical hum growing louder and louder until it was painful. Suddenly there was an immense flash of bright white light and a shockwave that knocked Teal'c, Carter, Daniel and Kat'ya against the wall.
When they were recovered enough to see what had happened they were amazed. Only a single O'Neill stood before them. He looked completely normal, down to the slightly confused look in his eyes.
There was definitely something more there than the Colonel of SG-1. Daniel crawled to his feet and stepped forward. "Jack?"
"Daniel."
"Um." He searched for something to say. "How are you feeling?"
O'Neill pursed his lips momentarily assessing his condition then grinned. "Actually I feel great, kinda invincible." He flexed his right knee and stomped his foot on the floor. "I feel like I'm twenty five again. I could get used to this."
Kat'ya leapt to her feet and looked into his eyes with dismay. The pupils were round, not like Dominick's."
"Don't worry, Kitten, I'm here." He reached out and pressed two fingers to her lips.
She smiled at the familiar gesture then clutched his hand and turned it over to kiss his palm. He relaxed at her touch, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Part of him was surprised and part of him was exhilarated by the touch of her lips on his hand. It was all he could do to not draw her into a passionate embrace.
Carter began to turn away at the sight of the intimacy between Kat'ya and the single O'Neill. He saw her movement and immediately pulled his hand back from Kat'ya and walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. She turned back to him, blinking hard to hide her exposed feelings.
He frowned and said, "It seems there are things we didn't take into account. I'm sorry." Suddenly she sensed some added presence inside her head, like her mind was touched by something tangible. His eyes were still locked with hers and she knew he was using the telepathic ability of the Crystal entity. It was a part of him now; he couldn't avoid it any more than he could deny his feelings for Kat'ya. At once she had a strong memory in her mind of she and O'Neill being trapped on Apophis' ship on either sides of the force field staring at each other. He didn't speak back then but she knew what he was feeling. Now with the memory renewed she sensed his feelings again, only magnified ten times over.
She covered her mouth with one hand and took a step back. She *knew* before, but now she *really* knew.
At the same moment she moved he jerked his hand free from her shoulder, realizing what he'd done. "Uh, well, *that* was interesting." He winced and blew out a breath then glanced at Kat'ya and back to Carter. "I guess there are some issues we should avoid for the time being. Okay?"
Kat'ya and Carter looked at each other then both looked away. Issues. The man was a master of understatement.
O'Neill stepped back further, putting some space between himself and everyone else. He held one palm up to Teal'c, already knowing his thoughts. "I know, this was not exactly expected, but we can't go back just yet. I did this for a purpose, I'm not backing out." The Jaffa nodded at the response to his unspoken query.
"Where's the RCD?"
O'Neill quickly strapped the device on his arm and activated it using Dominick's familiarity with it's workings. He nodded to Carter then stepped directly into the bars as he keyed the final sequence. He didn't even slow down. It was as quick as a wink, and he was suddenly on the other side. He spun around to face the group. "Cool."
Carter moved forward and grasped the bars with both hands. "Wow."
He grinned and handed the device through the bars. She fiddled with it for a moment. "Sorry, Sir. It's dead. That was all the charge it had. I don't know if we'll get anything more out of it- for now, that's all."
He nodded. "Okay, Carter, you're in charge here, sit tight, I'll be back soon." He gave a final glance and nod to Kat'ya then turned and left the cellblock.
Minutes later he was at the access to the main palace with two unconscious Jaffa at his feet. He'd sneaked past the first ones he encountered but here he'd had to engage a couple of them. He didn't `talk' to himself like the Tok'ra did but he was still aware enough of being more than one person to notice that a part of him thought successfuly confronting the two guards without a proper weapon was amazing. Another part of him knew it was almost too easy; he'd thrown his knife taking out the first Jaffa instantly and when the second raced to investigate, he'd tripped him and then used his own staff weapon on him. Simple. The prison guard had been stupid to miss the field knife he carried and allow him to keep it. He replaced it in its sheath for the next time he needed it and picked up the two Zats from the downed guards. Any weapon was good but of course if he had the opportunity to upgrade, he'd take it.
He entered the living quarters quietly, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. As he entered the main hallway he heard the Goa'uld.
"Idiot! If I wanted you now I would have called you! Go, present yourself to the kitchen master for work."
As he stood in an alcove of the corridor a young girl with only a sheet hastily wrapped around her ran by in tears. `Shit,' he thought. This Goa'uld needed to go down, right now.
He slid into the chamber unnoticed but as he moved past a gaudy pillar a voice stopped him.
"You! You dare come here? You were supposed to gain some intelligence in the lab. I see you did not. Guards!"
The Goa'uld stood still glaring at what he thought was only Dominick; his arm outstretched with his hand device ready. Once again he shouted for the guards and scowled when none came.
"Or perhaps you did. It is of no consequence, I will rid myself of you as easily as a flea." His eyes and the device began to glow.
Dominick's quick reflexes kicked in and rocketed them out of harms way in a single bound. He hit the ground and rolled and as O'Neill had done a hundred times before and came up with the Zat raised and firing. On the second dead-on shot the Goa'uld fell but still managed to activate the hand device. As he went down a blast of energy arced from it to O'Neill. The blast caught his side and knocked him to the floor.
He spat out a curse. He wasn't injured badly but it stung. Unfortunately the power generator was toast and literally `toasting' his side from the retained heat of the blast. He ripped it free and threw it aside. Suddenly his mission had acquired a time limit. Without the additional power the Crystal entity would not be able to sustain their form very long. There would be radiation and eventually a massive explosion.
Luckily he did manage to glean some information from the mind of the Goa'uld before it died. He stood over it and Zatted it the third time with disgust. His eyes scanned the room for what he sought, a heavy gilded box with a magnetic seal. Inside he'd find an assortment of technology stolen from numerous visitors to this world. Too bad there would be nothing that generated energy. He reminded himself he had to move fast.
The box was on a table beside the massive bed. O'Neill zatted the lock and opened it. Inside were two RCD's, a device that looked Asgard, a GDO- now that was not expected, and three other palm-sized devices that were completely unfamiliar yet he knew he'd seen them before. Damn, if he didn't watch it he could get awfully confused. Still there was one thought all of his `parts' could agree on and he smiled. Carter was gonna love this.
He found a cloth sack among the Goa'uld's possessions and stuffed it full of the devices. He also found two concussion grenades and a small telecommunications sphere. He tossed it in the air, caught it and shoved it in the bag.
Hs mirth at the find was short-lived as he felt a twinge in his gut. It was starting. He picked up the bag and headed off back down the hallway at a much faster pace than he'd used coming in.
Kat'ya was pacing and wringing her hands- she knew she'd never see Dominick again- not just him.
Daniel stood up and tried to talk to her. "If anybody can pull this off it's Jack- he'll be back."
She stopped pacing and looked at him. "That is not what I fear. O'Neill will certainly return, but what of Dominick? Is he nothing more than a memory now? The other one said it was permanent." As she spoke her chin began to quiver.
Carter looked up from where she had her head in her hands. "He also said it could be `undone'. That Crystal is a very powerful entity; we should give it- them a chance."
A moment later they heard and felt a concussion grenade go off somewhere not too far away. O'Neill came running into the cellblock nearly out of breath and looking distressed. "Kids, time to go!" He waved the Zat at the door and as soon as they'd all stepped back, fired on the lock. Teal'c grabbed the door and jerked it inward, freeing them.
O'Neill handed over the Zat to Teal'c and gave the second one to Daniel. He held the sack out to Carter and as she took it, he spoke quietly to her. "We don't have a lot of time."
Her head jerked up and she eyed him carefully. Her attention was completely off the wonders she'd find in the bag and on him. His voice was soft and earnest with something she didn't remember ever hearing before out of his mouth. Fear.
"What's wrong?"
"The power source is gone, we must-"
There was a sudden surge of energy out of O'Neill's body and he doubled over in pain, blue sparks flew from him, throwing everyone against he walls. The energy had become unstable; the only thing that could save him now would be to return to the home planet of the crystal entity.
O'Neill was on the floor and barely conscious; Carter raced to his side ignoring the danger. In her first attempt to touch him she was shocked by the residual energy, but she persisted. As soon as the blue sparks abated she reached out and lifted his head, cradling it in her hands.
"Sir! Colonel!" She gently ran one hand down the side of his face as he slowly roused. He looked up at her with his vision clouded. "Too late. Get out of here. Everyone. There are slaves and other innocent people here. Warn them if you can. An order. Go." His eyes fell shut and his breathing became labored.
She looked up to Teal'c and Daniel pleading for help. They looked back at her first silent then spoke together, "The Stargate!"
Before the words were out of their mouths she replied. "P3X 562!" If somehow they could get him back to the planet it would be stabilized once more. Perhaps all of them could be saved. It was their only chance but the Stargate was in the center of the city, far from the palace; to them it might as well have been on another planet altogether.
Carter raised her voice, "A ship? Glider? The rings?"
Teal'c slowly shook his head.
Daniel went to Kat'ya and took her arms tightly and she tried to pull away, fearful. "Kat'ya, listen this is important. For Dominick. He will die and us too if we can't get to the Stargate right now. You've been in here before; is there any kind of transportation we could use? Something that moves fast."
She looked back at him overwhelmed and shook her head. "No, nothing. Nothing to go that far- Dominick? He's-"
"Yes." Daniel spoke firmly to her. "If we can go right now we can save him, and Jack, too. It must be right now." He released her but held her eyes in a stare.
She looked back at him. "I have seen something, a device. I don't know-"
Teal'c looked from her back to Carter. "If there is some technology that could accomplish this I am unaware of it, but it may exist."
Carter's eyes fell on the sack O'Neill had brought. He was to retrieve the RCD's and anything else that he found with them. Could he possibly have found something they could use?
She gently laid the Colonel's head back on the floor and scampered over to the sack and dumped out its contents. She noted the RCD's and the GDO and set them aside. Next she separated out the concussion grenade and the telecommunications orb. Teal'c would be in charge of those.
She was left with four devices she did not recognize. "Kat'ya, are any of these familiar? Do you know what they do?"
Kat'yas attention was wholly on O'Neill, or as far as she was concerned, Dominick. She had somehow overcome her fear of the blue `lightning bolts' and now knelt beside him, one hand grasping his where it lay across his chest.
"Kat." Daniel placed one hand on her shoulder. "Help us."
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes then turned to Carter. "Show me."
Carter moved to kneel beside her and laid the devices on the floor between them.
Kat'ya picked one up. "I don't know. They are strange to me." She turned it over in her hand and squinted at it.
Carter's shoulders slumped. If Kat'ya couldn't help them it might as well be over. She hated being pessimistic but no way could she figure out if any of these things could help them *and* get it to work. There just wasn't time.
Kat'ya picked up a triangular metallic object that looked like it might be made of the same metal as the Stargate. It was tiny even in her petite hands, obviously made to be used by someone very small. "This one is different. It's special, I remember."
"What does it do?"
"I'm not certain but I remember Dominick and Rodan spoke of it. Rodan said it could bring others from far away places. Dominick thought it's purpose was to trap these other beings. They must be fearsome warriors."
Carter took the piece from her and smiled. "Yeah, fearsome all right." She held it up in her hand. "Daniel, does this look Asgard to you?"
He squinted at it. "Sure does. Let me see it." He held it up close and cocked his head as he tried to read the inscription written around the edge. "It doesn't really say what it does- but it does say how to activate it." He looked at Sam, "And yes, it *is* Asgard."
A moan from the Colonel caught their attention and Kat'ya slid over closer and picked up his hand.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her. She was surprised his eyes were so dark she couldn't tell anymore what shape the pupils were.
"Kitten."
She burst into tears at the sound of his voice and threw herself on him, kissing his face all over before settling on his mouth.
Carter hesitated but knew she had to intervene. She placed a hand on the other woman's back. "Kat'ya. It's not safe to touch him. If there's another energy surge it could kill you, or at least injure you."
Kat'ya didn't look up or relax her hold on him but did stop kissing him and pulled her head back just slightly to look into his eyes. "You couldn't, wouldn't hurt me."
He blinked and spoke solemnly, "Yes, I would."
"It's not something he can control." Daniel added quickly, "It just happens."
As Kat'ya moved her face further back a few large tears fell on his shirt.
Carter leaned over. "Colonel, do you, or rather does Dominick know what this device does?" She held up the Asgard object so he could see it.
He nodded and looked over at her. "You must leave. We must leave."
"Sir, we need to get you, all of you, to P3X 562. Can this help get us to the Stargate?"
He looked exhausted and shook his head `no'. "Beacon only, no help."
Carter slumped. She hoped it was at least some kind of two-way communication device- a little Asgard help would be welcome right now.
There was a sudden build up of static electricity in the room and they all began to feel a `prickly' sensation on their skin.
Teal'c took two steps back away from O'Neill. "Major Carter, we must leave, now."
Carter nodded and leapt to her feet. It took both she and Daniel to force Kat'ya to get up and move and by the time they were at the doorway the blue sparks had begun to fly once again. They were forced out of the room and made it around the corner quick enough to not be injured. Kat'ya allowed them to hold her up; her knees had gone completely weak under her.
Once the commotion had stopped, Carter let Daniel take Kat'ya and moved slowly back to the doorway to look inside.
She cringed at the sight before her. The energy surge had run it's course but O'Neill had not been left in peace. He was writhing on the floor in what looked to be the equivalent of a grand mal seizure.
She took one step forward but then stopped herself; she knew she couldn't touch him just yet.
She couldn't watch anymore and her gaze shifted to Teal'c who she found was watching her. As their eyes met he nodded slightly. All she could do was look back at him with tears brimming in her eyes.
In a few minutes she braved a look back into the room. The seizure had stopped leaving O'Neill flat out and unconscious. He looked like he was barely breathing.
She slumped back against the wall. "Daniel? You said you could turn that thing on. Do it."
He nodded. "It may not be of any help."
"I know. We're out of time. These surges are sure to bring us a lot of company very soon. I'll see what I can do with the other devices. For now it's the only thing we've got. I don't care what it does- it's Asgard. They're our allies; maybe activating it will get someone's attention. It's a long shot but-" She stopped herself and looked at him pleading for the device to be something more than any of them dared hope.
"Right." He nodded and glanced at the still figure on the floor. He pressed on several geometric symbols on one side of the object in the specified order and held it out at arm's length.
Nothing happened.
He looked at it, turned it around and repeated the sequence. Still nothing.
He looked at Sam and shrugged. ""I'll keep trying."
Carter rolled her eyes to the ceiling; she first went to check on O'Neill and once she was satisfied he was in fact still breathing, she picked up one of the unknown devices and began to poke and prod at it.
Kat'ya returned to her partner's side and grasped his hand, she swore to herself if it happened again she would not allow herself to be dragged away, she would face whatever was happening with him.
Teal'c moved to the center of he room suddenly looking very wary, as if his `internal radar' was going off at the presence of danger.
Carter looked up at him. "Teal'c?"
He swung around toward her but continued to look upward. "Do you not feel it?"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth they all began to sense a vibration. It was like a humming sound but so low it couldn't be heard. Gradually it increased until it was audible. Carter glanced at Daniel who was sitting with the Asgard device in his lap but not paying any attention to it; he was looking up toward the source of the sound like Teal'c was.
She smiled in either relief or recognition. The sound was indeed something they'd heard before. It was the sound of an Asgard mother ship in close proximity.
A moment later all of them were engulfed in a blinding white light. When it abated, they found themselves aboard an Asgard ship orbiting the planet and facing a single small grey alien.
"For what purpose have you activated the beacon?"
Carter stepped forward. "Er, we need help."
"That beacon is only to be used as a distress signal of the highest priority."
"We *really* need your help."
"Such as an imminent planetary disaster."
Okay this might qualify.
"Of an Asgard home world."
She didn't exactly have an answer for that, and was he looking `pissed'? She back-pedaled quickly. "Uh, excuse me. I'm Major Samantha Carter, from Earth. Who are you?" No harm in finding out just whom you've pissed off.
"Hermod."
"Hermod the brave who stands at the gates to Valhalla." Daniel noted thoughtfully.
The diminutive alien was surprised to be known to them; he eyed Daniel then slowly turned back to Carter. "State your need."
"Well, " She didn't know where to begin all of this. The decision was taken fro her as she felt the now familiar tingle of static electricity on her skin. She turned to O'Neill just in time to see the beginnings of an energy surge form.
Suddenly O'Neill was engulfed in a pinkish light and the tingle ceased. She turned back to Hermod to see him with his hand extended and a device in his palm glowing. "I see. You have encountered the Unity. It is dangerous to remove these beings from their home world. They must be returned immediately."
Daniel shrugged at Sam, "Yep. That about sums it up. When do we leave?"
Hermod lowered his hand but the pink glow stayed around O'Neill. "Four point three six seven of your seconds ago."
"And when do we arrive?" Carter ventured.
His large eyes narrowed slightly. "Point six eight hours."
Kat'ya was totally lost in all this. She was still trying to get over seeing the little grey man. She gestured with her hands in exasperation. "Could someone *please* tell me what is going on? Are we going somewhere?"
"Here." Hermod gestured toward a tabletop where a three dimensional image of P3X 562 appeared.
Daniel opened his mouth to ask another question but something about the way the alien's head snapped in his direction made him swallow hard and keep quiet. For the moment, despite their rough beginning, they were enjoying the benevolence of the Asgard. Not something he wanted to spoil.
"You will remain here." Hermod turned to leave and Carter quickly asked one more thing. "What about our friend?" She pointed to O'Neill.
"For now the energy has been contained."
"So, he's stabilized?"
"Stabilization implies a balanced state without flux. This is incorrect. This field you see is time-altered. The reaction is still progressing but at a rate six thousand times slower than the time frame in which we are presently moving." He paused a moment then quickly left before his `guests' could come up with another question.
A little over half and hour later the ship settled into a high orbit around P3X 562. Hermod appeared at the doorway. "We must depart immediately."
Before anyone had a chance to answer a bright white light surrounded them and transported them all to the planet surface. Hermod had seen to it that O'Neill was transported a short distance away from the rest of them. He waved his arm in the Colonel's direction and the pinkish haze was swept away from him like a curtain being drawn.
O'Neill lay perfectly still and quiet for a few seconds then they began to feel the prickle of the energy surge beginning again.
Daniel looked at Hermod and asked, "Are we too late?"
This time the surge was massive. The static in the air built until the hairs on their arms were standing up on end then the first sparks and crackles started to form around O'Neill's body. They reached out in an expanding arc away from him continuing to build in intensity.
Before the lightning tendrils reached their position, the energy seemed to abate, pulling back into the source. There was a moment of utter stillness and quiet then it came.
The explosion was more than enough to rate it on the same scale as a nuclear blast of several thousand megatons. The shockwave came far too fast for any of them to react but there was no reason to fear. The blast came right at them but instead of hitting them, it parted and seemed to sweep around them like water moves around a rock in a stream. Hermod had encased them in a protective `bubble' of some kind.
When it was over there was a sizeable crater where O'Neill had been just a moment before. Two human bodies were there now near the center, both lying face down.
Hermod kept the bubble intact until he was certain the radiation levels had dropped and then released it.
Carter and Teal'c ran to one of the bodies and Daniel and Kat'ya ran to the other.
Teal'c gently assisted Carter to turn the man over. It was O'Neill, or at least one of the O'Neill's. He began to wake almost immediately and coughed and struggled a bit trying to rouse himself. Carter knelt in front of him and pulled him up toward her while Teal'c lifted him behind his shoulders to sit him up.
It took a few minutes for him to fully wake and when he did he found himself sitting up and leaning forward on his 2IC. Carter was hugging him tightly holding him upright, speaking to him. "Colonel, it's over. You're okay. We're all okay."
He turned his head into her neck and tightened his arms around her. "Carter. I'm here. Just me."
He raised his head up just slightly and saw Teal'c kneeling beside them, almost smiling. He didn't let go of Carter but offered one hand to the Jaffa who grasped his forearm firmly. O'Neill held on to them both for several minutes, grateful beyond belief he was still alive. Of all the foolhardy things he'd ever done this one took the cake.
Meanwhile Daniel and Kat'ya turned over the other man and found something completely unexpected. Except for the clothing he wore, the person in front of them did not resemble O'Neill in the least. He was a young man with brown hair and light brown eyes. He was already waking and Daniel helped him to sit up.
Kat'ya stopped in her tracks and did not approach. She had tried to prepare herself for this, that Dominick might not come back.
She looked at this `new' man then over to where O'Neill was with Carter and Teal'c. Panic set in. She was positive something had gone horribly wrong; she'd lost Dominick for sure.
Daniel noted her distress and took a good look at the man before him. "Dominick?"
The answering nod was disrupted by a coughing fit but Daniel saw it.
"Kat'ya, this *is* Dominick. I know it's hard to believe, but I'm pretty sure it's him."
She shook her head in denial.
Dominick heard what Daniel said and realized something had changed. He looked down at his body and at his hands, turning them over, and eyeing them closely. They did look different. He grabbed Daniel's shoulder and looked at him. "You mean I don't look like-" He gestured to O'Neill, "like him anymore?"
"No, you don't."
"Then I'm me again." He grinned.
Kat'ya was nearly in tears but forced herself to come close and kneel beside him. He looked so different! She began to turn away but he caught her arm and restrained her. "Kat. It's me, the real me." He offered her an unsure smile.
She still held back, not ready to accept him. He reached out his hand and placed two fingers on her lips and spoke to her sadly, "If you don't- It's Okay, I'll understand."
With the familiar gesture and touch of his hand she relented and jumped to embrace him. It would take a little getting used to his new face but she knew she could do it. She kissed him firmly and he responded wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight.
O'Neill leaned back and released his grip on his teammates. "I guess we made it."
Carter smiled back at him. "You could say that, but I don't know about the Unity crystal; it doesn't look so good around here."
O'Neill followed her gaze and took in the full extent of the explosion and the devastation it left behind. He was about to inquire further but then his eyes fell on Hermod standing just at the edge of the crater; beside him was a young boy who looked like- Charlie.
O'Neill scrambled to his feet and strode forward; never taking his eyes off the apparition. When he began to move the boy did too, taking off at a dead run right for him. As they met O'Neill fell to his knees in front of the boy. "Are you all right?" He knew it wasn't his Charlie but that detail didn't matter right now.
The Unity Charlie smiled and touched the older man's cheek. "O'Neill, twice you have been responsible for our restoration, there is no measure with which we can repay this."
"You don't have to. You've already given me a lot." He thought about the `real' Charlie then glanced at Carter and remembered touching her mind while he was one with the Unity. That same fullness of memory he enjoyed of Charlie now also existed in his memory of what happened between himself and Carter on Apophis' ship. He wondered if it was one-sided or if she'd been left with an imprint as well. Only time would tell.
The Unity nodded to him, answering the unspoken question, then stepped back. "We must go now. O'Neill of Earth, remember us." The image dissipated leaving him alone. He stood up and joined the rest of the group at the edge of the crater being careful to give his 2IC a little extra room.
"Dominick, I presume." He nodded to the unfamiliar face before him.
Dominick grinned and nodded back. "You know I didn't really mind that much, but it sure is good to be me again."
O'Neill agreed. One O'Neill was more than enough for the universe as far as he was concerned. "You going back now? The Goa'uld is dead. A rebellion would stand a pretty good chance until they get reorganized."
Dominick thought about it. "Yes, but how many more of them are there? And what about the Jaffa? We still wouldn't be able to win against them."
Hermod raised a finger. "That is not entirely correct." They all looked at him.
"Before we left orbit I eradicated the threat."
O'Neill raised his eyebrows and asked, "You wiped out all the Goa'ulds on their planet?"
"And the Jaffa?" Daniel added.
"And their ships." As Hermod completed the thought he activated his transportation device and left them. These humans had a penchant for asking questions and he was not about to stay around and answer them.
Dominick and Kat'ya stood with their mouths hanging open. "They're gone?"
O'Neill clapped Dominick on the shoulder. "It looks like you've got a whole new world to go home to now."
"It will be chaos!"
"Not really." Daniel offered. "We've seen whole worlds liberated before, you'll be surprised at how resilient people can be. We can give you quite a lot of help there too. Maybe you could introduce some of our people to your leaders."
Dominick nodded with some hesitation then his face brightened. "The introductions would be easy, my father was an elder before the Goa'uld came; I'm sure we'd all like to see a return to our old system of government- if we really are free now."
After a few more words with Daniel, Dominick agreed to meet a delegation at their Stargate in two days time. He and Kat'ya said their goodbyes and stepped through the gate to see their new home world.
As soon as the Stargate disengaged Daniel entered the address to take them back to Earth. Carter had already strapped the GDO they'd procured to her wrist and entered the code as the wormhole opened.
O'Neill was standing beside the DHD resting one arm across the top of it, suddenly feeling very tired and a lot older than he wanted to admit. He blew out a sigh, "Kids. Let's go home."
Daniel met Teal'c at the base of the steps and followed him up and into the wormhole without looking back; his mind was already on the task of setting up the diplomatic mission.
After taking a slow look around the area O'Neill pushed himself off the DHD then started to ascend the steps to the Stargate. He noted Carter hadn't moved yet. "You coming?"
"Sir, I wanted to ask you something."
He stopped on the second step and turned to face her.
She continued, "About that memory you said the Unity gave you of Charlie. You said it intensified the memory."
He stepped back down to ground level and nodded to her warily. He already knew exactly where this was going.
She moved forward until she was standing only a foot away from him. "I'd really like to hear more about it sometime." As he looked at her she experienced a momentary flash of their shared memory from before making her blink suddenly. She could see in his eyes he'd felt it again too.
He broke away from her gaze and looked down then back up at her. The question she asked didn't have anything to do with Charlie. She wanted to know about her own new-found connection to him. "I'm sorry, Carter. I didn't mean for that to happen."
"Don't be." She stopped him. "*It* happened a long time ago, it's just being reminded like this makes me feel a little off balance."
"Yeah, might be hard to *leave it* this time."
She looked down and stuck her toe in the sand. "Maybe not. It seems like `the room'-" She made a sweeping gesture with one arm. "Just got a whole lot bigger."
"That's some room."
She knit her brows, "Sir, I don't-"
He surprised her when he pressed two fingers to her lips stopping her from speaking with the somewhat intimate gesture left over from his blending with Dominick. "Don't say anything else. Nothing's really changed. We were Okay before and we'll be Okay now. It'll just take some getting used to. Could be a good thing, right?"
She made a face at him and moved back a bit. "Oh, sure like I *want* to have flashbacks every time I look at you."
He grinned. "Every time?"
She rolled her eyes. "No. Not really. It sounded like a good argument. But I still do have some concerns. What if this happens when we're in a firefight or worse?"
He shook his head. "It doesn't work that way, or at least what I've experienced didn't. At first it was a little overwhelming but after a while it faded away just like any other memory. Only difference was I could recall it in great detail whenever I wanted to."
"And this `permanent' connection?"
He sighed, how could he explain something he didn't understand himself? "Look, it's not an open phone line. It's more like a potential for something to be there." He paused then stared directly into her eyes. "Like I said, nothing's really changed."
She stared back at him on the verge of becoming exasperated, then realized what he'd just said and was taken aback. They both jumped as the wormhole suddenly closed. They'd taken too long with this discussion and the Stargate had shut it down. She flushed and wondered what Hammond would be thinking right now.
"He's not thinking anything, might be a little concerned. Just dial it up again."
She took a step toward the DHD and stopped in her tracks. "How did you know what I was thinking?"
"I didn't."
"Yes, you did."
He looked at her and shut his mouth. "Um."
They stared at each other for a few moments then he broke the silence and shook a finger at her. "No. It's not. It can't be. We work together and sometimes we know what the other is thinking, that's all. It's normal. It's the mark of a good team."
She raised her eyebrows and nodded skeptically. "Uh, huh." She continued her short trip back to the DHD and began to enter the address. When she was done and the wormhole was re-established she sent the iris code again and started to walk up to the Stargate, slowly and deliberately.
As O'Neill stood waiting for her, he began to notice something odd. It started with just a feeling of being glad to be back to himself and here with Carter. Did he just think that? His next thought threw him. It wasn't a memory, not even a fantasy, not of his anyway. He could almost `feel' her lips under his fingers where he's touched her, only this time she didn't back away, she kissed them, puckering her mouth as she pressed against them.
His mouth dropped open and he looked at her. She was almost to the first step and was looking at him. As their eyes met, she winked.
"Crap." He started walking toward the Gate, rubbing his face with his hands. Well, two could play at this game, besides he still wasn't sure it went both ways.
He quickly thought of something that wasn't too risqué but that would be sure to cause a reaction. There was that blue dress. In his mind his eyes moved from her face to her neck and continued on down. If it had been cut just a *little* lower-
She was just beginning to step through the event horizon and suddenly spun around with her eyes and mouth open wide and… fell through the gate backwards.
He chuckled aloud and trotted up the steps. Oh, man, he was gonna be so dead when she got through with him. He didn't care one bit. Hopefully this 'thing' would fade in a day or so. until then life would be a lot more interesting.
Before he stepped through, he turned and saluted the planet goodbye, strange that a place as barren as this could have such an effect on their lives. He knew he'd come back someday.
From far away and unseen on the horizon another `O'Neill' smiled and watched the wormhole close.
~fin
~feedback?
Love ya,
ShooteM
Story Notes: Archive: Samandjack, Jackfic, Helio
Season: Seven
Season: Seven
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]