THE WAY… SERIES

 

BOOK ONE

 

Part I:

 

THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS

 

Disclaimer: Stargate: SG-1 does not belong to me. I own nothing. This was written for fun. No money is being made.

 

Summary: And here they stood in the ruins of the world they’d fought ten long years to protect, the war lost before they even knew it had begun.

 

---

The sky was burning.  It dropped kernels of ash that fell in the parody of a snowstorm.  It was a world of bright hot reds and oranges and depressing dull greys.  The air hung heavy and thick, acrid, like a living thing that clung to everything and choked your lungs.  It was almost as bad as Netu.

 

And here they stood, in the ruins of the world they’d fought ten long years to protect, the war lost before they even knew it had begun.  But they’d found each other because they always found each other.  They were tuned into the same frequency, destined to fight and live and die side-by-side, no matter how far apart they’d been or how long they’d been separated.  They were SG-1 and that meant something, even when the patches were off and O’Neill was in Washington, Teal’c was with the Jaffa, and Carter was on Atlantis.

 

So here they stood, having just reminisced over their mutual shared week of leave how mundane their lives had been the past year.  Mundane for people who had two alien friends and routinely walked through a giant ring to other planets, that is. 

 

O’Neill had spent a normal year of bureaucratic manoeuvrings in Washington without any conspiracies, secret shadow agencies, or plots to shut down the SGC. 

 

Teal’c had split his time between Earth and the Jaffa, with no major crisis erupting at either end. 

 

Vala and Mitchell had gone gung-ho through the gate, kicking ass and taking names with their usual flair. 

 

Daniel had spent his time keeping them out of trouble and he hadn’t died once – not even a little bit. 

 

Carter had wrapped up a year leading Atlantis with no sudden threats to the galaxy, and returned home richer from the experience but happy to rejoin her family. 

 

And SG-1 wasn’t called upon to save the world – theirs or anyone else’s – at all.

 

They should have known.  It should have been their warning, the eye of the storm before all hell broke loose, because being SG-1 meant things never went their way for very long. 

 

And wasn’t it just a kick in the teeth that when Earth finally succumbed, was scorched from the sky, that it was by a race of aliens they hadn’t ever heard of.  They’d gotten no warning, no aid from their allies, so here the six of them stood, eye-to-eye in a devastated street under a red sky that bore no delight, the fate of the human race once more on their shoulders.

 

“The SGC’s our only shot.  Get off-world, try to contact someone, raise support,” Jack said.

 

“How are we supposed to do that?  The SGC was taken second only to the Pentagon,” Daniel said, crouched against a listing wall with a handkerchief pressed to his nose in a vain attempt to quell his sneezing.

 

“It is unlikely that everyone has perished.  The aliens have been herding survivors onto ships.”  Teal’c pitched his voice low but made it carry at the same time.  He stood at the mouth of what used to be a dead-end alley, their stalwart sentry as always.

 

Mitchell shrugged and gestured vaguely, “So they might not all be dead.  So what?  Why would they be kept in the mountain?”

 

“They might not know how to run the computers,” Carter jumped in as she peered over the crumbled wall at the back of the alley.  “Control of the Stargate is probably high on their list of priorities since they took the SGC so quickly.  But they probably didn’t know we don’t have a DHD.”

 

O’Neill nodded in agreement.  “And we know the facility better.  And they aren’t expecting us.  We can do this.”  What he didn’t say, because they all knew it, was that they had to do it.  It was this, be shot down in the streets, or herded off to God knew where to face God knew what on one of their ships.

 

“Right then,” Vala clapped her hands together lightly.  “We need a plan.”

 

Daniel raised his eyebrows as he turned to her, “You mean, more than our standard ‘go in, shoot everything that isn’t on our side, and cross our fingers’ plan?”

 

Vala nodded once decisively, “That’ll work.”  She glanced around, noted Teal’c’s cradled gun, O’Neill’s sidearm, Mitchell’s knife, and Carter’s zat, “But we’ll definitely need more weapons first.”

 

O’Neill nodded, “I’ve got that covered.  We’ll need to hit my place, it’s only two blocks.”

 

Daniel stared incredulously as they started moving out after Teal’c, “You keep a cache of weapons in your house?”

 

“Yeah.  So?”

 

“In your house that is empty most of the year while you’re in Washington?”

 

“So?”

 

Daniel rolled his eyes and waved his hands in that dismissive manner of his before stifling a massive sneeze.

 

“What’s wrong with that?”

 

----

“T,” O’Neill jerked his head and stepped into his kitchen with Teal’c, “Listen.  I need you to do something for me.”

 

Teal’c inclined his head, “Of course, O’Neill.”

 

“I need you to make sure that no matter what happens, Daniel and Carter make it through that Gate.”

 

As if on cue, Teal’c’s eyebrow rose, “For what purpose, O’Neill?”

 

The General glanced behind him then lowered his voice even more, “You and I both know that out of the six of us, those two are the most important.  Together they could talk Homer out of the last doughnut.  We need them if Earth’s going to come back from this.  And you’re the only one who can drag ‘em kicking and screaming through the Gate.”

 

Teal’c tilted his head to one side in a moment of thought before shaking it slightly, “I do not concur, O’Neill.  They would be most displeased to hear you suggest they are of greater importance.”

 

“I know that, that’s why we’re not talking out there!”  O’Neill jabbed his thumb over his shoulder towards the hallway.  “Listen, Teal’c, just trust me on this, okay?  And one other thing,” he headed to the kitchen door, “wait here.”  He was back in moments, a smallish cloth bag in his hands that he thrust towards Teal’c, “Take this.  Stick it with your other gear.  Give it to Carter if this goes bad.”

 

Teal’c turned it over in his hands a few times then nodded, “And what should I say it is?”

 

“It’s our ‘absolute worst-case’ contingency.  There’s a note in there explaining.  It…” O’Neill trailed off and rubbed his face in frustration, “It probably isn’t fair, and she’ll be pissed as hell, but…if the shit hits the fan…” He stopped again and rolled his shoulders in a shrug, unable to articulate the myriad of thought whirling in his head.

 

Teal’c nodded once more, “I believe Colonel Carter will be very ‘pissed’ despite the contents of this bag.”

 

“Ye-ah,” O’Neill rubbed his face again, “just look after them for me, will ya?”

 

“Indeed.”

 

“General?”  Mitchell’s voice intruded on their conversation, “We’re ready.”

 

O’Neill and Teal’c exited the kitchen to see everyone strapped up with as many weapons they could manage.  They hoisted their own gear, settled their guns, and completed the picture of six deadly serious Rambos.

 

“Oh, yeah.  We’re gonna give ‘em hell,” O’Neill muttered as they filed onto the street.

 

----

None of them were terribly surprised to meet up with SG-3, half of SG-5, and various other members of Stargate Command in the woods outside the facility.  The SGC was a family, and you didn’t go more than a decade as a member without starting to think the same way.  The only chance Earth had was off-world, and they all knew it.

 

“It’s simple.  We go in, two teams, one secures the control room, the other the gate room.  Dial us up to a friendly planet, get our people through, then head off to the Alpha site.  Shoot on sight, unless it’s one of ours,” O’Neill scanned the faces around him looking for confirmation and received it with grim-faced nods.

 

They breached two of the ascent hatches, a fairly easy task when you knew where they were and had come prepared.  The descent took about an hour, since keeping things quiet was more important than speed. 

 

The two teams congregated in the halls of level 28, lit with the red emergency lighting they were all vastly familiar with.  They started a steady advance, made a pit-stop at the first armoury they encountered for more zats, and were half-way to their goal before a group of the alien invaders rounded a corner directly into their path.  The SGC personnel who wielded zats opened fire in tandem, vaporizing the aliens before they hit the floor.

 

Mitchell was sharing point with Colonel Reynolds but reached the last corner before they had a straight-shot to the control room first.  He poked his head around the corner then eased slowly into the hall.  He’d taken two steps before a blast ripped through his stomach.  Reynolds caught him on reflex but knew without looking that Mitchell was dead.

 

O’Neill swore softly as he lobbed a grenade down the hall to the origin of the blast, the stairway leading to the control room.  Seconds after it detonated he was running down the hall, SG-3 on his tail, while Teal’c took the others towards the gate room.

 

O’Neill was firing before he fully entered the control room, his familiarity with the room allowing him to not hit any vital equipment.  Reynolds was at his side and they’d dropped half the occupants of the room in five seconds flat.

 

“Right!”  Reynolds whirled at the yell from behind and squeezed off a shot just as the alien fired wide, catching the Colonel in the arm.  Reynolds’s aim held, though, and the alien dropped with an extra hole between his eyes.

 

“General O’Neill!”  The Sergeant’s yell startled them all as Harriman pulled himself out from under the dialling computer.

 

“Walter, dial us up a friendly planet then get down to the gate room.”

 

“Yes, sir.  And it’s good to see you, sir.”  He was typing madly, locking out the address he was inputting, and setting the gate room to lock down in the next sixty seconds.  He almost collapsed with relief as the inner ring started to spin.

 

“Time to go!”  O’Neill led the sprint to the gate room just as a base alarm started to blare, and a platoon of aliens entered the hallways leading to the gate room.  SG-3 stopped in its tracks, spun, and started opening fire as they scattered themselves in the hall. 

 

O’Neill stopped and turned, but Reynolds was beside him, pushing him bodily forward to Daniel’s frantic form waving wildly at the entrance to the gate room.  “Go, General!”

 

“But-“

 

“Go!  We’ve got this!”  Reynolds shoved him one more time and before O’Neill knew it Daniel was hauling him through the closing blast doors.

 

“Jesus, Jack, talk about cutting it close.”  O’Neill sputtered and turned, the gunfire still loud through the blast doors.  “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah.  Fine.”

 

“SG-3…” Daniel stopped talking as he traded looks with Teal’c and Carter.  It wasn’t time to mourn those who were lost. 

 

“It’s doesn’t matter, we’re outta here,” O’Neill said as the last chevron locked and the wormhole opened.

 

The kawoosh preceded the pounding arrival of a half-dozen more aliens in the control room who pounded at the computer ineffectually, their threats ignored.  O’Neill flipped them the bird as he stepped backwards through the event-horizon, the last to leave Earth.

 

They emerged onto Cimmeria and Daniel was already dialling again before O’Neill had taken three steps from the Gate.  “The Alpha site, right?”

 

“Indeed, Daniel Jackson.”

 

Daniel pressed the crystal and they went once more into the rabbit hole.  No one greeted them at the Alpha site.  There wasn’t a single person in sight.

 

“Well, this is…weird.  I figured at least some people would’ve had time to evacuate the SGC,” Daniel said.

 

Teal’c was studying the ground while Carter poked around the DHD from long habit.  It paid off when a slight hiss caught her attention.  “There’s something here,” she said as she bent to retrieve the short-wave radio that was tucked into a hollow in the ground.

 

Everyone gathered close as Carter got the static to clear and the message repeated, “Relocate to Midway Station.”

 

“Why’d they leave a radio?” Daniel asked the question on everyone’s minds.  It wasn’t exactly a secure method to direct the survivors of the apocalypse.

 

Carter turned the radio over in her hands as she answered, “Midway Station’s still relatively new.  The name doesn’t mean anything to people outside the SGC and not that many people know the address off-hand.  It was never short-listed as an evacuation point, and it was one of the few addresses set up to be erased from the computers if the base was ever lost.  We didn’t want to endanger another galaxy.”

 

Teal’c nodded in agreement, “It is likely that the SGC’s computers will eventually be compromised, even if no one aids the aliens.  The Alpha site’s security can not be assured.”

 

“Alrighty, then,” O’Neill clapped his hands together, “Carter, you know the address?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Then dial ‘er up.”

 

----

Midway Station was crowded.  There were more people than space, really, and Vala wasn’t giving up the prime piece of real estate she’d staked out to lay in unless it was an emergency. 

 

The General was off talking to What’s-His-Face who’d been in charge, Daniel was scrounging up some food, Colonel Carter had been dragged into some technical problem the second they’d stepped through the Gate, and Teal’c was hovering between the two scientists like a fretting hen.  That left her to secure a place for them to take a load off, since they’d spent the last three days skulking around Colorado Springs while they’d rounded each other up, found supplies, and avoided the invading aliens.

 

Daniel collapsed beside her and handed off a pack of vacuum-sealed something.  Vala hardly paid attention as she ripped it open and started eating.  “So, what’s going on?”

 

Daniel sighed heavily, “It sounds like a lot of people figure Earth’s lost and we should just head off to Atlantis.  And the rest think we should be taking back our planet.”

 

Vala nodded as she pulled a piece of dried…something apart, “And the first group thinks the second are crazy suicidals, while the second thinks the first’s a bunch of cowards.”

 

Daniel grunted around his mouth of food then nodded, “Pretty much.  Jack’s pretty mad.”

 

“I can imagine.  They might have a point though.”  Vala had her hand raised before Daniel could open his mouth in protest.  “Hear me out first, please Daniel.  I’m not suggesting we abandon Earth, but wouldn’t it be prudent to actually have a plan…a real plan, and some help before we just go charging back in there?  Not to mention, now we either need a ship or a way to breach your impenetrable iris.”

 

Daniel had been staring in disbelief and snapped his jaw shut when she finished.  He finally nodded, “I guess you’re right.”

 

A sudden blaring klaxon had them on their feet before the conversation could go any further.  People started scrambling around in a seemingly random fashion, grabbing weapons from wherever they could find them then scurrying off.

 

“Come on,” Daniel said as he grabbed Vala’s hand and pulled her into the fray.

 

---

“Are you finished, Colonel Carter?”

 

“Yeah, Teal’c, just a minute.  What’s got you so anxious, anyway?”

 

Teal’c shifted uncomfortably, well aware that if he let on what O’Neill’s orders had been that would defeat the entire purpose.  “I do not wish to be separated from the others for long,” he said as he adjusted the P90 they’d all lifted from the station’s stores.

 

Carter pulled herself out from under a console and stood, dusting herself off.  “Relax, I’m done.”  She grabbed her gun, snapped it onto her vest, and smiled, “See?  Ready?”

 

“Indeed.”

 

They hadn’t gotten more than ten feet away from the console before the station erupted into chaos.  The Gate sat to their right, visible through the glass wall that separated their hallway from the larger embarkation room.  So they had the best seats in the house when the wormhole formed and a veritable squadron of the aliens poured out.

 

Carter’s eyes widened as she adjusted her grip on the P90, “How the hell’d they get here?”

 

Teal’c barely heard Colonel Carter’s question as he quickly surveyed their position and, identifying a likely spot, grabbed the back of her vest and hauled her backwards.

 

“Teal’c!  Hey!”  Carter grabbed at his hand but he was Teal’c and it was like trying to loosen cement.  “What are you-“ Teal’c’s hand covered her mouth as he jammed them back into a tiny recessed section of the wall that, by virtue of the low lighting throughout the station, hid their presence.

 

“They are too great in number, Colonel Carter.  We must wait and effect our escape once the Stargate has disengaged.”  They had a clear shot to the Gate and DHD, provided of course they charged straight through the glass wall.

 

That’s when the weapons fire and screaming started.  Carter surged forward so quickly Teal’c almost lost his grip.  He was nothing if not tenacious, though, and readjusted his hold around her waist.  “Colonel Carter, you must be still.  This is a fight we can not win.”

 

She finally stilled as she stared at the still active Gate and realized they were still coming through.  There must have been close to a hundred by now, pouring through with weapons armed and ready, with no compunction about shooting the first human they saw.

 

The second the Gate shut down Teal’c released her.  They paused in the hall, uncertain about diving through the glass and attracting attention, or taking the longer route around and being cut-off.  That hesitation made the decision for them as a decidedly alien yell rang through the air. 

 

Carter bolted forward on instinct, firing blindly to her right where the alien was, and jumped straight through the glass.  It shattered, a hundred little pieces piercing her skin, but she didn’t slow.  Instead she headed straight for the Gate, punching in the one address she knew would be safe.

 

Teal’c followed right on Carter’s heels, dropping everyone he saw and drawing the attention to himself.  She would get through, even if it was the last thing he did.  The problem came during the dialling; they were in the middle of an open room, two people with no cover and the focus of a dozen murderous aliens.

 

And then O’Neill was there, charging unseen at an alien one second away from removing Teal’c’s head, and taking him out with an all-star tackle.  Then Daniel Jackson, firing from across the room, his face grim and bloodstained but determined as ever.  Then Vala Mal Doran’s distinctive yell, as she jumped bodily onto an alien’s back, jabbed the nail file she always seemed to carry in her pocket through his neck, and stole his gun.

 

They were SG-1, and together they could perform miracles.

 

Teal’c spun wildly, searching for threats to Colonel Carter as she punched the last crystal that engaged the Gate.  She didn’t run for it, though, but instead turned to survey her teammates.

 

O’Neill waved as he grappled with an alien, his left arm hanging limply at his side, “Go, Teal’c!  GO!  Daniel, MOVE IT!”

 

A shot, a yell, a thump and Vala Mal Doran fell.

 

Daniel was moving, and Teal’c grabbed Colonel Carter again who seemed determined not to leave her team behind.  But Teal’c had his orders.

 

“DANIEL!”   They were two steps from the event horizon when Carter’s yell stopped Teal’c in his tracks.  He turned in time to see Daniel Jackson fall, a smoking wound on his back.

 

“GO!”  One final tandem yell from Daniel Jackson and O’Neill, who was on his knees with a weapon at his head, spurned Teal’c on.  He shoved Colonel Carter through the Gate then dove after her but not before one last look to make sure there was nothing he could do.

 

His friends were surrounded and still more aliens were emerging from the shadows, some with prisoners in their grasp, all of them armed.

 

Earth and SG-1, it seemed, had well and truly fallen.

 

---

Rodney McKay trotted down the steps to join Colonel Sheppard in front of the Stargate under the wormhole’s blue light.  “I didn’t think we were expecting anyone.”

 

“We’re not,” Sheppard said as he crossed his arms to scowl slightly at the Gate, “but it’s from Midway Station and we’re receiving an emergency broadcast code.”

 

“Really?  I didn’t think anyone ever used that.”

 

“Only when there’s no other choice,” Elizabeth Weir’s voice joined them as she finished her slow descent down the stairs.  “Anything yet?”

 

Sheppard shook his head, “No.”

 

Just then, a body stumbled through the Gate as if it hadn’t quite entered of its own accord.  They recognized Colonel Carter immediately, even if she was decked out in combat gear, weapons, and a little blood to finish the ensemble off.

 

Carter caught her balance then turned sharply on her heel, paying no heed to the assembled crowd that was growing larger by the second.  “Son of a bitch!”  She tore angrily at her P90 strap and threw the gun to the floor just as Teal’c stepped through and became the target of her ire.  “Teal’c!  What the hell was that!”  She waved wildly at the Gate as she marched up nose-to-chest with him.

 

“I was merely following orders, Colonel Carter.”

 

“Don’t give me that.  We didn’t have any orders!  Who…the General.”  Carter spun in disgust, not needing to see Teal’c’s confirming nod.  She snorted, “That’s just like him.  What did he say?”

 

“That I was to ensure that you and Daniel Jackson proceed through the Gate.”

 

“Daniel…”  Carter pulled her hands through her hair as she tried to forget the image of him falling, the wound on his back still smoking.  She started a short pacing path in front of the Gate, blind to everyone until Teal’c stepped in her way and grabbed her shoulders.

 

“Colonel Carter, we must-“

 

“No!  I don’t want to hear it.  Whatever it is,” she ripped out of his grasp, shoving at his chest, “God fucking damn it, Teal’c, what the hell were you thinking?  We should be there!”

 

“We would have perished.”

 

“Then we would have died,” Carter yelled as she swung at him again.

 

“I do not believe that is what you truly want.”  He grabbed her hands again and forced eye contact, “I do not believe that you would rather have given up there, than taken this chance.”

 

“What chance?  We lost, Teal’c.  It’s over.  And I would have rather died with Daniel and the General, and hell, even Vala, than live the rest of my life knowing that it’s all gone!” 

 

It hit her then.  They were all dead.  Her team, Cassie, her brother and his family, her faithful neighbour who’d collected her mail during every unexpected absence due to torture and capture.  Every person she’d ever met on Earth was dead. 

 

She’d hadn’t let herself think about it before, hadn’t spared one single second or thought, even when Mitchell had been gunned down in front of them.  She hadn’t been able to afford it.  That one second would have been her undoing, and now when the threat of imminent death or capture wasn’t hanging over her head, she couldn’t stop it from crashing down.

 

Her vision blurred, her knees buckled, and she was distantly aware of Teal’c’s arms guiding her gently to the floor.  Her throat constricted and she was overcome with the need to scream.  Not sob, but scream out her horror and her fury, the white-hot rage that was coiling in her stomach.  They were choking her but she couldn’t force them out so she clung to Teal’c, the only thing she had left.

 

Teal’c simply held on.  He was a man of few words in the best of circumstances and there was nothing he could say now to make this better.  All he could do was hold on to Colonel Carter and keep the last promise he’d made to O’Neill, what had turned out to be his friend’s last request.

 

He would take care of Colonel Carter.  He’d failed with Daniel Jackson.  He wouldn’t lose her too.

 

They huddled together in an eerie quiet for a long time before Elizabeth stepped hesitantly forward to Teal’c’s side.  “Teal’c, Colonel Carter, I think we should get you both to the infirmary.”  She thought for a moment that they hadn’t heard her but eventually they pulled apart and helped each other up.

 

Elizabeth wasn’t entirely sure what she’d been expecting to see after that veritable breakdown.  Tear tracks perhaps, or maybe just the telltale glassy eyes.  Certainly not the frozen expression of stone-cold anger.  She glanced at Teal’c, impassive as ever, who did not seem at all disturbed by Carter’s reaction.  It was, Elizabeth decided, a look more suited to the Jaffa’s face than this woman’s.

 

She motioned to Sheppard to follow as they headed to the infirmary, well aware that whatever had happened was catastrophic and their lives had all been fundamentally changed.

 

---

“Would you please hold still, Colonel?” Doctor Keller said as she pulled the needle sharply away from the Colonel’s face to keep from gouging her. “You don’t need any more holes when you look like you dove through a plate glass window.”

“We did,” Carter said as she twisted her head slightly to get a better view of Teal’c. “How long do you figure?”

Teal’c responded while Elizabeth and Sheppard exchanged bewildered looks at the vague question. “They were quite efficient. It should be safe to return within a day.”

“Whoa, wait,” Elizabeth held up a hand as she stepped between Carter and Teal’c, “Return where? And who’s ‘they’? And what exactly happened?”

Carter grunted and pulled her head out of Keller’s hands, “Are you finished?”

“With your face,” the doctor said as she pulled the Colonel’s closest hand to her and captured the tweezers. “You’ve got glass in here. This’ll take awhile.”

Carter muttered something sub-vocally then turned her attention to Elizabeth, “We never got their names. They just swooped down and it was done. Earth was defeated.”

“And you both just barely escaped with your lives. Why do you want to go back? Why do you think I’d let you go back?”

“We must know, Doctor Weir, if Earth is truly gone. And if it is not, we must endeavour to retake it,” Teal’c entered the conversation smoothly, having recognized the growing frustration on Colonel Carter’s face.

“So we wait a day, maybe two,” Sheppard commented, “take the time to set up something to send through, see if it’s safe, and then…” He trailed off as he realized he had no idea what they intended.

“And then, we will acquire a ship.” Carter nodded at Teal’c’s declaration. They couldn’t Gate back to Earth.  Even if the iris wasn’t closed, they’d be killed or captured the second they stepped onto the ramp.

“Okay, fine,” Elizabeth said, “say you do all that. By your account, Earth’s been over run. Then what will you do?  You don’t think two people can take back an entire planet, do you? And despite everything Earth’s done for the galaxy, I don’t think there are too many people out there who are just going to throw their hat in to help.”

Teal’c and Carter shared a long look that was clearly rife with meaning and silent communication but was incomprehensible to everyone else in the room. It ended when Teal’c dropped his head in a nod.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

---

Teal’c sat on the floor of the quarters Doctor Weir had assigned him, surrounded by a few scrounged candles, deep in thought. Though meditation no longer had the same result as it had when he’d carried a symbiote, it was still a vital part of his routine and the best method he knew of to center his thoughts.

He had a lot to center. The loss of the Taur’i grieved him as much as the enslavement of his people had. Perhaps more because enslavement had been a temporary state, it could be reversed, undone, but death was nothing if not permanent. They had been his family as much as Ry’ac, his wife, and Master Bratac were.

But Teal’c was a warrior from birth. He had lived over a hundred years. He was accustomed to death, to losing people he cared about, to the destruction of planets because of a tyrant’s whim. Teal’c was used to senseless violence. That didn’t mean it failed to impact him, simply that he found it easier to deal with and put aside.

The loss of SG-1 cut at his heart more than he’d thought possible. But he’d spent fifty years growing old with his team-mates, seeing them in new ways and loving them even more as a result. In a way, he was blessed. He’d lived that half century, then gotten it back to relive again under different circumstances. It did not seem to him, now, that life had been snuffed out prematurely. But he knew it was a condition unique to him, and despite that he still felt as if his entire world had been thrown off-balance.

So he could not begin to imagine how Colonel Carter was feeling. He was concerned for her more so than his own pain. It would pass. It always passed. But he feared this would break her.

---

Carter stared at her hands. They were crisscrossed with red lines, butterfly tape, deep gouges and small scratches, and a few sutures. She’d tried to sleep because she’d been going non-stop for at least four days, and Doctor Keller had seemed inordinately concerned when Carter hadn’t been able to remember the last time she’d slept. But she’d tossed and turned, heard the screams of children in every creak of the city, seen Daniel fall every time she closed her eyes.

So now she stared at her hands. In them she saw the roadmap of Colorado Springs, fallen buildings and crooked streets, gutted houses and smouldering fires. In them she saw strewn body parts and fallen comrades, aliens marching and ships invading. In them she read cries for help, saw accusing eyes asking why she’d run off like a coward and hadn’t done more, and pleading ones begging for her return.

In them she saw pain and Hell and her death, and suddenly she was back on Midway Station only this time the General was too late and Teal’c’s headless body fell at her feet as the alien fired. Then she was swarmed, and as she fell under the weight of a dozen hands dropping a thousand blows she saw, between two sets of legs, the General’s eyes asking why she hadn’t moved just a little bit faster and gotten away, because she’d been their salvation and now they were all doomed.

Carter jolted back into awareness, distantly aware of her gasping breaths as she stumbled crookedly to the sink. She jerked the water on then almost collapsed as her legs wobbled. When she finally regained her balance her hands were shaking so much she got more water on the floor than her face.

She stared into the mirror at a stranger’s face. The vertical cut along the outside of her left eye stood out starkly red against her pale face, the black sutures a macabre complement. Doctor Keller had said it would scar. Carter hadn’t cared, she’d just wanted out of the infirmary and away from the dozens of pitying eyes. Away from the woman who’d pulled over two dozen pieces of glass from her skin, whose caring face and calm voice promised compassion if only Carter would allow it and reminded her so much of Janet she wanted to hurl.

If she couldn’t sleep and she couldn’t be awake, what did that leave? She stared into a foreign set of eyes and found her answer.

---

The knock at his door did not take Teal’c by surprise. Neither did the person on the other side. But the look on Colonel Carter’s face did. It was that haunted expression he’d seen many a time on the faces of those who survived the latest massacre ordered by Apophis. It was the look lone survivors of a great battle got as they wandered among the dead. It was a look he’d seen on the faces of many great warriors, shortly before they self-destructed. Usually at the end of their own knife.

Teal’c did not say a word, though. He simply turned his body to allow entry and watched as Colonel Carter stood motionless in the middle of his room, her gaze unerringly focused on his candles. He knew this was not a conversation he could lead. Colonel Carter was a formidable warrior, and though he could soothe her anguish and ease her pain, if she truly wished to die he would not be able to stop her. She would have to find her own salvation.

 

“I can’t sleep.” It wasn’t a surprising declaration, so Teal’c said nothing. Eventually, she turned and met his gaze. “I can’t close my eyes without seeing Daniel. Without imagining Cassie and Mark, and everyone at the SGC, dying at my feet. If I let myself stop thinking about what we’re going to do next, and then after that, and equations and physics – even for just one second – I start hearing it all and I just can’t –” She cut herself off abruptly and grabbed her head, as if they were screaming in her ear at that very moment.

 

Teal’c stepped forward and wrapped his arms loosely around her, “What do you need?”

She leaned into his chest for a long moment then finally said, “Teach me to meditate.”

 

He considered the request for only the span of a heartbeat before acceding, “Very well.” It might not have been the solution most humans would recommend, but he knew it worked for him, and Teal’c was certain he could not deny Colonel Carter anything now.

 

They sat and quietly, patiently, Teal’c spoke.

 

---

Colonel Sheppard stabbed half-heartedly at his meatloaf. He’d spent much of the afternoon and evening fending off questions about Colonel Carter and Teal’c’s rather spectacular arrival and meltdown. Already there were wild rumours circulating, but most distressing were the ones that actually came close to the truth.

 

He and Elizabeth had decided to hold off on a general announcement about Earth’s fate. If there was even a remote possibility of saving the planet, they wanted to be able to offer that. And if it was truly gone for good, well, they wanted to be absolutely certain before unleashing such devastating news.

 

And although Sheppard would never vocalize it, would barely even think it, he was fairly certain Elizabeth wanted to be sure that Carter and Teal’c were entirely on the level. That they hadn’t gone rogue, or finally snapped after more than a decade of intense mental and physical strain.

 

Sheppard supposed it was possible. Hell, one of the first things anyone involved in the Stargate program was told was that anything was possible. But he just didn’t see it. He certainly didn’t know them well, but Colonel Carter had spent a year at Atlantis leading them and occasionally saving their lives with her experience, knowledge, and ingenuity. She’d been the consummate professional, solid and reliable, and as mentally fit as any Air Force officer he’d ever met. And Teal’c, well, Hell, if a hundred years mostly serving the Goa’uld hadn’t scrambled his brain yet, Sheppard was pretty sure nothing would.

 

A tray dropped onto the table across from him startled Sheppard out of his thoughts. “So, is it true?” Ronan asked as he started shovelling food into his mouth.

 

“Is what true?”

 

“It’s all over the city in one form or another. Earth’s been defeated.”

 

Sheppard glanced around their table in all directions before leaning a little closer, “Maybe.”

 

“Maybe?”

 

“Yeah. That’s what Colonel Carter and Teal’c said.”

 

“And is there a reason you don’t believe them?”

 

“What? No! But they want to see if they’ll be able to take it back. And there’s no point in breaking everyone’s hearts if this isn’t a permanent thing. You know?”

 

“Two people, to take back an entire planet?” Ronan’s voice clearly communicated his disbelief, and Sheppard would admit it sounded pretty damn impossible.

 

“Well, we’d help. And if anyone can pull it off, it’s them.”

 

Ronan stopped eating and seemed to think for several moments. Then he nodded, “Sounds like my kind of mission.”

 

Sheppard grinned, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

 

---

Carter opened her eyes and immediately noticed that Teal’c was no longer seated directly in front of her. Then she saw how low the candles had burnt down.

 

“You have been meditating for several hours,” Teal’c said from the back corner of the room.

 

She didn’t turn to look at him, simply savoured the quiet calm that filled her head for the first time she could remember. “Thank you.”

 

“Thanks is not necessary, Colonel Carter. I am pleased that I could provide the assistance that you required.” He paused for a moment, a hesitation Carter clearly heard.

 

“What?”

 

He stepped slowly into her field of vision, a bag clasped in his hands. “I have a matter I must discuss with you.”

 

She nodded.

 

Teal’c settled himself across from her, the bag between them. “Before we left O’Neill’s house he entrusted me with this and said that, should things go badly, I was to give it to you.”

 

Carter stared at the bag, not daring to touch it, inexplicably frozen with fear, “What is it?”

 

“O’Neill said that it was their ‘worst case scenario contingency.’ He seemed…apprehensive about what that entailed.” He nudged the bag closer to her. “It was his last request that you receive this and that I look out for you and Daniel Jackson.”

 

Carter’s gaze jumped to his face with that pronouncement but she didn’t need to say anything. She knew he thought he’d failed because Daniel had died, and he knew she knew. He also knew she did not agree. Words were not required for them to understand each other.

 

She reached out for the bag but kept her eyes glued with Teal’c’s. He returned the intensity of her stare and, after a moment, shifted to sit beside her and reached for the bag with her. Together they loosened the tie and spilled the contents to the floor.

 

An envelope, a CD, and a key.

 

Carter reached for the envelope.

---

Carter,

I guess this means the shit really hit the fan this time. I hope it’s not from something we did. That would suck.

There are a few things you need to know so that you understand. The first, we came up with this idea a long time ago, after close call Number Thirty-Seven, I think it was. Hammond said it was responsible to have one last Hail Mary plan for when our luck finally ran out. I didn’t like it at first, because of the pressure it put on you. And you have to know I yelled till I was blue in the face, trying to get it to be someone else. But he won me over cause you’re just so damn smart, Carter, I believe you can do anything.

It took awhile though, for the Eggheads to have enough tech to make it work. The Ancient repositories helped, all that VR stuff we always seemed to get sucked into, and that memory recorder that Mitchell got messed up with.

We put in everything we thought anyone might ever need. More scientific mumbo-jumbo than even you could shake a stick at, enough languages and scripts to put Daniel to shame, and everything else under the sun we could come up with.

The kicker is that it was never fully tested. We’re not entirely sure what’ll happen. It could download all that stuff into your head and fry your brain at the same time. They said they thought it would work, but those are Famous Last Words at the SGC. I guess it got shunted aside a lot, since no one ever thought the world would ever actually end.

I can’t stress this next part enough, Carter. This is absolutely NOT an order. It’s your choice. It’s your brain. And I know how you feel about getting stuff dumped in there that doesn’t belong to you. I know you’ll want to know what I would do, but I think you already know the answer to that. Don’t let it influence you, please. Make your own choices, live your own life separate from duty and honour, and all that crap that gets drilled into you by the Air Force. Do what you know is right and worthwhile, what will actually matter in the world you have now, what you can live with.

You’ll find co-ordinates and a Gate address on the CD, and instructions for once you’re on the planet. If you decide to do this, you’ll still have to decide what to do afterwards. And that isn’t necessarily diving right into some wild-ass assault on whichever SOBs took us out.

Just trust your judgement Carter. I did. I do.

Jack O’Neill

P.S. Don’t be mad at Teal’c. I told him to make sure you and Daniel made it. The first thing he said was that you’d be pissed.

The post-script had obviously been added after the rest of the text, and Carter found she could hear his voice clearly in most of the letter. She cleared her throat to dislodge the lump that had formed then handed the letter to Teal’c.

He read it, his expression betraying nothing, then met her eyes, “I knew nothing of this, Colonel Carter.”

“I didn’t think you did. But what do you think?”

Teal’c stared at the words in contemplation for several minutes, his thoughts ticking through his eyes if you knew how to read him. He finally looked up, blowing out what was for him a sigh, and spoke, “I do not believe it is a decision that should be made before we are able to assess Earth’s condition. We know nothing about the aliens. It is possible that they have vacated Earth, and no assault is necessary.”

Carter nodded.

“And it is highly unlikely the destination on this disc is in the Pegasus Galaxy. We must travel through Midway Station, a task we cannot undertake for nearly forty-eight hours.”

Carter nodded again as she absently rubbed her finger along the key. They sat together for a long time until she pulled off her dog tags and threaded the key onto the chain. Teal’c gathered the letter and CD, placed them both on the small dresser in the room, then held out his hand. She took it on reflex and found herself being pushed onto his bed. He sat in the chair beside her and suddenly, sleeping didn’t seem like such a chore.

She’d woken from and fallen into unconsciousness with his silent company many a night in the infirmary. It was simply right. The only thing that could be better was if Daniel and the others were there, arrayed around the room in a pattern of silent support that they’d worked out to perfection over the years.

Carter slept. Teal’c watched.

---

“I do not believe I have ever seen Colonel Carter appear so…haggard,” Teyla said over breakfast the next morning.

“Hm,” McKay grunted and waved his fork as he looked at the duo at the other end of the room, “she looks worse than she does after working a week straight to save the…” He trailed off as he realized exactly what he’d been about to say.

“Well, it probably doesn’t help that you’re all staring at them,” Sheppard said. With that he grabbed his tray and headed over to join them, the others quickly trailing after him. They arrived at the Colonel and Teal’c’s table at the same time as Doctor Keller.

“Colonel,” Keller said as she sat, “you’re looking a bit better this morning. Did you get some sleep?”

Carter nodded vaguely so Teal’c answered, “Several hours.”

“Good. That’s good.” There was a long, awkward pause as the Atlantis members exchanged looks and shifted in their seats.

Carter didn’t really notice, though. She was too busy trying to figure out why she felt to uncomfortable until she realized everyone was staring at her and Teal’c. Not overtly, just subtle consistent glances from the majority of people in the room, many of whom she knew at least on a superficial level. She leaned toward Sheppard suddenly and said in a low voice, “You haven’t told them, have you?”

Sheppard grimaced and shook his head, “No. We want to be sure-“

“Sure? You do realize that even if we get Earth back, everyone these people know will probably be dead? That won’t change!” Her voice was so low to be almost sub-vocal, but it still conveyed disbelief and outrage, and if Sheppard was a betting man, a growing anger. “You can’t cushion that, and the sooner they know the better. At least it’ll stop the rumours.”

Teal’c’s hand landed on her back either as a show of support or an attempt to help her restrain her temper, perhaps both. Carter visibly relaxed at the contact, until Sheppard spoke again, “You don’t know that.”

Carter’s eyes narrowed, “I don’t know what? I think I’ve seen enough to recognize slash and burn tactics when I see them. Maximize casualties and destruction. Anyone who does survive will probably be dead from sickness within a few months, even if we are there to help.” She stood suddenly, and every eye that hadn’t already been glued to the obvious confrontation now was, “You need to face reality. We’re all that’s left.”

She stalked out of the cafeteria, Teal’c at her heels, the crowd of personnel parting like the Red Sea before the irate woman and her glowering companion.

---

Teal’c was glad they encountered a minimum of people on the way back to his assigned quarters. Colonel Carter was fuming, more so than he ever remembered seeing. It was the biggest change he’d noticed since Earth had fallen, that her temper sat just below the surface and built quickly. He had yet to trigger it but oddly he did not fear doing so.

He could not recall a single instance when either of them had raised their voice to the other, with the exception of her reaction upon their arrival here. He did not count that, however, since it was a time of extreme stress and Colonel Carter could have crossed over from a reaction borne of anguish to one rooted in cruelty. That had not happened.

Teal’c knew O’Neill’s letter was weighing heavily on her mind. He’d spent the night before watching her sleep go from restful to troubled, constantly questioning the wisdom of giving her the bag so soon.

But then he considered the implications of its contents and that if Colonel Carter chose to utilize this device it could aid them in their quest, whatever it happened to be. He knew her well enough to know she would want all her options laid out, and O’Neill had been clear the bag had been meant for use in just this situation.

And yet, he worried about her breaking. He could see cracks forming already and though he would diligently pick up the pieces and put her back together should she break, he would much prefer to avoid that. O’Neill’s letter and the possibilities it provided created a wealth of questions and uncertainties which by their very nature led to stress. Teal’c was quite certain more stress was exactly what Colonel Carter did not need.

But he’d learned long ago not to underestimate this woman who could still baffle him at times. So he would stand by her and give her everything he had.

---

Chaotic noises, a mixture of highs and lows and indecipherable mutterings came together in a mishmash of sound. The air was rank, the smell utterly indescribable. The sight probably would have been too, but there wasn’t enough light to see more than a few feet in any direction.

It was to this that Daniel woke up, disoriented and well aware he was missing a sizable chunk of memory. But that was not an unusual occurrence in his life so he took it in stride.

A movement to his side captured his attention and he flinched back on reflex, the atmosphere reminding him unerringly of Hedante and the myriad of other prisons SG-1 had frequented.

“Daniel?”

He almost wept in relief.

“Daniel?” There was alarm now instead of just inquiry.

“Ja..Jaa-ck.”

Suddenly O’Neill’s face was above him, his customary ‘we’re so screwed but trying not to show it’ quirk to his lips. “Hey, Danny boy. You planning on staying with me this time?”

Daniel felt his face crease, asking the question his parched throat wasn’t up to.

“Alright,” O’Neill nodded a bit, “let’s see if I can hit them all. You got shot. This is the third time you’ve woken up. I have no idea where the Hell we are, but I figure we’ve been here about two days. There are some other SG people here but not too many.

“The aliens herded us into some windowless transports of theirs. You got taken a different way and showed up a few hours later no longer bleeding. They haven’t done much since. Occasionally they take someone. Sometimes they’re brought back, sometimes they aren’t.”

Daniel blinked rapidly as he absorbed that information and extended his gaze beyond Jack’s face. He skimmed their surroundings then returned to his friend since Daniel could see him best. “What about…you?” He gestured to Jack’s shoulder.

O’Neill shook his head and said in his predictable manner, “Fine. Don’t worry about me.” Some of Daniel’s disbelief that the arm hanging limp and nerveless was ‘fine’ must have shown on his face because O’Neill added, “Really.”

Daniel nodded vaguely because arguing with Jack about this stuff when you couldn’t forcibly hold him down didn’t do any good. So he moved on, “Sam and… Teal’c?”

“They made it through the Gate.”

Daniel nodded again then gathered his arms beneath him and pushed himself up to get a better view of their prison. He made it half-way, ignoring Jack’s hands on his shoulders, then fell into a blind panic. Daniel pushed up again, trying desperately to sit or gain some kind of leverage.

“Daniel. Daniel you need to lay down. Daniel!” O’Neill grabbed Daniel’s chin and forced eye contact, “Calm down!” He practically yelled in the archaeologist’s face but it had the desired effect. Daniel stilled. “You need to stop moving. You might make it worse.”

“Worse?” Even he heard the high-pitched desperate note to his voice.

“Yes. It might not be permanent.”

Daniel felt his wide-eyed stare take over his face and saw the impact it had on Jack but try as he might he couldn’t wipe the expression away. He just stared in a frozen numbness. His situation had just gotten three million times worse and Daniel knew his stocks of optimism were scraping bottom.

“Just trust me, Daniel. Please.” It took a long time but Daniel finally nodded. And if there was a hint of desperate plea to Jack’s voice neither of them would mention it.

He flopped back onto the filthy floor to stare at the ceiling, realizing belatedly that he would become intimately familiar with it. He wouldn’t be walking anywhere for a long time, probably not ever again.

Daniel Jackson was paralysed and worse still, he’d just become the burden that was likely to get Jack O’Neill killed.

---

“Alright, let’s see what we’ve got,” McKay said as the feed lit up the monitor on Atlantis. He was at the controls because of his extraordinary ability to be detached from almost anything.

Carter could feel her hands shaking. It was a low-grade tremor that wouldn’t be noticeable to most people – unfortunately Teal’c wasn’t most people – that had, to her consternation, started last night. It hadn’t stopped since.

It had kept them from dining in the cafeteria come breakfast and lunch. Teal’c had gathered their meals on both occasions and because he was Teal’c no one thought twice about it. And because he was Teal’c, he hadn’t said a word when she’d spilled her juice all over the table or when her food kept falling off her fork. He’d simply handed her a napkin and helped mop up the mess.

He hadn’t pushed her to leave his room and so this was the first time today she’d stepped outside his door. Carter thought now that maybe that hadn’t been such a good idea because she could feel the tremors slowly gaining strength as she realized they were the main focus of the people gathered in the room.

It made her want to yell at them, ask what the Hell they thought they were looking at, and why weren’t they unravelling. And she knew the only thing keeping her from doing just that was Teal’c’s solid bulk just to the side and behind her left shoulder, his hand seconds away from her back should he decide she needed the extra reassurance.

He was the only thing she could safely think about. Any other thought sent her careening off into dark macabre images of decaying corpses and splattered blood. She wasn’t concerned about the aversion to crowds and people she seemed to be developing, or her out of control temper. She didn’t care that the only person she didn’t immediately want to snap at was Teal’c. She couldn’t let herself care.

All Carter knew was that her world was gone and she was being perfectly reasonable. It was everyone - everything - else that was wrong. And she had no idea how to fix it. All that was right, all that made sense, was her and Teal’c.

“Good God,” the nearly silent exclamation from Elizabeth made Carter jump as it shattered her thoughts.

A cold dread landed in her stomach to join the twisted knot of emotion she’d felt ever since getting to Atlantis knowing her team was dead and she’d left them. She didn’t want to look at the screen but she felt herself moving anyway because of some masochistic need to know. Teal’c was right behind her, his hand planted squarely on her back. Carter looked at the screen.

There wasn’t a living soul on Midway Station. But there had been, and the evidence of that seemed to cover every inch of the installation. Bodies, body parts, blood, viscera, guns and equipment were strewn about every way the camera turned. It was one of the worst things Carter had seen and that was saying a lot.

She didn’t notice as a few people ran pell-mell from the room. She didn’t look up to see the green tinge to Elizabeth and McKay’s faces. Carter just focused on the one other thing she was able to without further twisting that ball in her gut. “We’re leaving in thirty minutes,” Carter said. She turned and walked rapidly from the room before anyone could notice that her tremors had developed into full-out shakes.

---

Colonel Sheppard and his entire team, as well as Major Lorne, stepped out of the Gate onto Midway Station behind Colonel Carter and Teal’c. They were all armed to the teeth and they were all volunteers.

They watched as Carter walked decisively to one area of the floor, turned in a circle, kicked a few things out of the way, and then moved to another area to repeat the process. After three cycles of this she and Teal’c met in the center of the room to share a significant look. Then they were moving again, dialling the Gate to head back to the Milky Way galaxy.

They emerged to blue sky, green grass, and a copious amount of trees. Carter stopped dead a few steps from the even horizon. After days running around on a desolate Earth, almost a full day sequestered in Teal’c’s quarters, and the grisly scene of the Station, this was a shock to her system. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen trees. She sucked down a few lungfuls of air then stared up at the sky in appreciation.

Teal’c led the way and it wasn’t long before they met on the path. “Master Bratac!” Teal’c’s greeting was genuinely cheerful while still being grave. They clasped arms then Bratac surveyed the others. He nodded at Carter, gave curious once-overs to the others, before returning his gaze to Carter. “It is true, then?”

Carter had stopped being amazed at his man’s insights and deductive abilities, as well as the fact that rumours travelled fast – even between worlds – years ago. She simply nodded while Teal’c responded, “Indeed, Master Bratac. The Taur’i has fallen. We require a ship to return.

Bratac grunted and waved, “Come,” he said. “We had heard stories about marauding aliens who took what they wanted, burned that which opposed them, then destroyed the rest. I did not believe it when they said the Taur’i were the latest victim.”

Carter took two rapid steps to walk beside Bratac, “There are others?”

Bratac nodded. “Yes. We have heard of at least six planets that are said to have fallen. Though we have only confirmed four of those. Five, now.” He spared her another glance.

“And no one knows anything about them?”

“No facts. Just fanciful stories.”

“Someone must know something!” Carter heard the frustration and edge of accusation in her voice but couldn’t keep it from permeating her words. Bratac didn’t deserve her anger but knowing that didn’t make it any less potent.

Sheppard had sidled up next to them and had his mouth open to contribute, but
Teal’c beat him to it. “There must be some consensus about when they first appeared.”

Bratac nodded, obviously not put-off by Carter’s tone, “Most believe they first attacked four of your months ago.”

“And what’s left of the planets after they leave?” Sheppard asked.

Bratac walked in silence for a long time until they reached the outskirts of a Jaffa settlement, “I will show you. Come.” He angled towards a large hut, one of the few permanent buildings, and rummaged in a chest for a few moments. He pulled out what they all recognized as a Goa’uld recording device and placed it on the table. “These are two of the planets targeted by the aliens that Jaffa visited.”

The first image was of a blood red sky. Then the terrain, pock-marked and scarred, with shrivelled burnt trees and gutted buildings clearly visible. The video continued for several minutes detailing an increasingly inhospitable environment. Carter felt that knot twist again as her tremors increased in intensity.

The next image was a star field.  It panned for several seconds, finally picking up an asteroid field. The image kept moving to settle finally on a massive, cock-eyed sphere that had a sizable chunk gouged out to create a demented Pac-Man shape.

Teal’c grabbed Carter’s arm as she abruptly swayed on her feet. He kept pace as she headed for the door, still gripping her arm, the two of them moving as one unit past the bewildered others and outside into the nearby trees.  Teal’c let got as the Colonel dropped to her knees and started retching. He kneeled behind her and placed his hand in what was quickly becoming its customary position.

After long minutes she turned and gripped his jacket after two aborted attempts because her hands were shaking so badly she couldn’t get a grip. Teal’c wrapped his arms around her and adjusted his position so he was sitting with Colonel Carter half in his lap. She remained rigid for a few seconds then leaned into his chest and let go of her tightly held control. He felt it in her sudden relaxation and the fact that soon her entire body was shaking.

Teal’c felt his own pain and anger at these nameless aliens lessen as he gently rubbed Colonel Carter’s back in a way he hadn’t since his son had been very young. Simple contact could do more than a thousand words could ever hope to accomplish.

He didn’t keep track of time, just concentrated on the two of them and the support they were giving each other. Eventually Colonel Carter’s body stilled and she pulled away. They didn’t break contact completely, though; rather she leaned against his bent knees and stared at the setting sun.

When Colonel Carter finally spoke her voice was as dull as Teal’c had ever heard, “That last planet,” she said, “the one that wasn’t a planet anymore? That was only a few thousand light years from Earth.”

Her voice chilled him. If it was that close, chances were Earth had been their next stop. And if they’d graduated to complete destruction once they were finished, what were the chances they’d go back?

---

Screams.  Screams consumed her hearing, subsumed her thoughts, overran her mind.  They were all she heard, all she knew.  They drew horrifying pictures in her head that she couldn’t erase because every time she opened her eyes she was met with bleak darkness.

The screams faded then sharpened suddenly, violently.  She thought her eardrums might burst, surely they were bleeding already?

Then she was moving, not of her own free will but under someone else’s power and intent.  Now she was screaming inside because this was what she’d vowed to avoid.  Never again would she be at someone else’s mercy and control, never again would she be a pawn.

So she fought.  She flung her limbs, scratched and flailed, kicked and bucked, and let her internal scream burst forth in a wail of fury so primal she didn’t recognize it as her own.   Hands descended from all sides though, dozens of them pushing, pulling, and strapping.  She was outnumbered so she fought ever harder because she’d learned long ago never to give up.

She fell from whatever she’d been on, the cold hard floor a shock.  It stunned her for a second but when she felt the hands again it spurned her on.  She shot up and darted forward but because she couldn’t see she slammed into an unyielding body.

Now she was back right where she’d started, only this time they strapped her down tight until she couldn’t move.  The total loss of control triggered a continuous keening wail that followed her down the hall until they reached their destination.

She was unstrapped and flung forward harshly, falling an untold distance that felt like miles and miles to her.  She was sure she would die.  She landed again, another hard floor but this one was dirty and rank.  A legion of voices assailed her ears so she scurried backwards until another pair of hands landed on her shoulders and pulled her up.  She fought again on reflex until she realized the grip had relaxed and a voice was speaking to her.

“Vala.  Vala!  It’s Colonel Reynolds.  Vala!”

Vala stilled and breathed deeply to regain her control.  “Colonel Reynolds?”

“That’s right.  Are you okay?”

She was shaking her head before she forced her answer out, “Nn..No.  I can’t see.  And I need, they’re…who else is here?”

“General O’Neill and Doctor Jackson.  Not many others from the SGC.  Why?”

“Take me to them.  I need to tell you something.”

Reynolds wrapped her hand around his upper arm and put his other around her waist, “Come on.  They’re over here.”

---

McKay indulged himself since the object of his observation was several hundred feet away sitting against the bole of a tree, completely unaware of being observed.  He was joined in his silent observation by Major Lorne and Colonel Sheppard.

“You’ve been standing here a long time, McKay,” Sheppard said.

“Yeah.”

“What’s so interesting?” Major Lorne asked as he settled himself on a rock and angled himself in the right direction.

“I’ve just been thinking.”

Sheppard stared into the distance for awhile at the person reclined against the tree, by all accounts totally relaxed and without a care in the world.  “About Colonel Carter.”

McKay made a vague shrugging motion, an avoidance tactic when he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to have this conversation.  He finally nodded as he said, “I just don’t understand.”

He didn’t have to elaborate.  They’d all in their own time noticed the Colonel’s condition, that she was rapidly spiralling downwards, held together only by a thin thread and Teal’c’s solid unwavering support.  But they hadn’t really talked about it out of respect for the woman who had led them for a year.

Sheppard adjusted his weapon and settled his shoulders as if bracing himself for a trying conversation.  “It’s just different, McKay, when it’s your own planet, your own people who are being killed.  Then it doesn’t matter how much you’ve seen and done, you can’t just shut if off, ignore it.  And they were family, you know?  That’s just…”  He shook his head, out of words to describe what he was sure they all just understood.

Lorne nodded in agreement, “When it’s family, it hits you hard no matter how prepared you think you might be.  SG-1 was together for a decade.  The Colonel and Teal’c not only saw them die, they had to leave them behind.”

“Then why aren’t we coming apart at the seams?”

Sheppard couldn’t really get mad at the blunt question, as insensitive as it might sound.  It was the truth, McKay was just the only one tactless enough to say it out loud.  The Colonel shrugged, “We weren’t there.  We didn’t live it.  And we haven’t seen it.  It isn’t real yet.”

“Yeah, who knows how we’ll react once we do,” Lorne said as he watched one of the local kids run up to the reclined Colonel.  “But I think the last day’s been good for her.  Both of them.”

Sheppard nodded.  Bratac had given them a Gate address and the name of a contact who could get them a ship.  They’d left immediately but been told by their contact he’d need a day to acquire a ship for them.  The team hadn’t had any choice except to kick up their heels and wait. 

The villagers had been accommodating and pleasant, though, and more than happy to see them fed and housed.  Carter had initially chaffed at the inactivity, but a good meal and a few judicious, nearly inaudible words from Teal’c had relaxed her.  She’d spent almost the entire time since then sitting in that very field, against that tree, staring out onto the rolling landscape and large blue sky.

One local child in particular had seemingly taken a shine to the sullen Colonel and had managed to coax a few smiles and the rare chuckle from the woman.  They’d all noticed a very slight easing of the tension that had been present across her shoulders and around her eyes since the second she’d stepped onto Atlantis.

Sheppard knew it couldn’t last though.  They were due to leave late that afternoon and as good as this enforced day of rest had been, he’d noticed she’d kept herself apart from the others save Teal’c.  Sheppard had no illusions that the ease that had developed within Colonel Carter would continue once they boarded their ship.

As for Teal’c, who ever really knew what the Jaffa was feeling?  Sheppard supposed Carter did, since those two seemed to at times have an almost psychic connection with each other.  They were so in tune they could share a look, gesture, or fleeting touch and apparently transmit more than he could in a five minute conversation.  In many ways it was a closeness he envied and had yet to achieve with his own people.

Sheppard pushed off the tree he’d been leaning against and clapped McKay on the shoulder as he past, “Hopefully, it’s something you’ll never be able to understand.”

---

Colonel Reynolds pushed past a group of young men who were clustered together in such a way that set his nerves on edge.  Although they were all human, although they’d all suffered the same losses and atrocities, although they should be supporting each other, this pit they’d been thrown into was rapidly developing into a hostile quagmire where the strong dominated the weak.

He tightened his grip on Vala as they squeezed through the last narrow corridor and entered the small alcove the General had claimed for himself and the injured Doctor Jackson.

“Reynolds!”

“General, look who I found.”  Reynolds pulled her fully into the alcove and positioned Vala so she was facing O’Neill.

“Vala!  Damn, you’re hard to kill, you know that.”

Vala nodded and smiled slightly, “I could say the same thing about you.  Where’s Daniel?”

Since Daniel was visibly sprawled out on the floor at their feet O’Neill looked to Reynolds in question.  The Colonel pointed to his eyes and waved his hand in a nixing gesture, which was all the General needed.

O’Neill stepped forward and took her arm, pulling her forward gently, “He’s right here on the floor.  He’s sleeping right now, but I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.  Here.”  He guided her down onto her keens and placed Daniel’s hand in her lap.  Vala grasped it like a lifeline and sat rigidly until Reynolds cleared his throat.

“You said you had something to tell us?”

Vala nodded, “Yes.  But you better wake Daniel.  I only want to say this once.”

O’Neill leaned over and patted the archaeologist’s face, “Daniel.  Time to wake up.”  It didn’t take long for him to start stirring.

“Jack?  What.- Vala!”  He gripped her hand tightly and smiled until he realized she hadn’t smiled back, “What’s wrong?”

Vala’s face contorted into that look she got when she had to say something she knew they weren’t going to like, “It’s the aliens.  They’re…I didn’t start off blind.  They did this.  The people they take are being cut up, experimented on.”  She shook her head rapidly as if trying to deny what she was saying, “Most of them die.  And I…I don’t think they’re going to leave anything – or anyone – behind when they go.”

O’Neill leaned forward, his face tense, “What do you mean?”

“We’re on a ship that’s still on Earth.  I saw, through a window.  But they’re getting ready to bombard the planet.  I saw their weapons, their bombs.”  She started shaking her head again, heedless of the tears that had started running down her cheeks, “Some things translate without understanding the language.”

Daniel propped himself up a bit to get a better view of Jack and the others, “So what do we do?”

O’Neill shook his head, “I don’t think there’s much we can do.”

“Sir, are you saying we just give up?”

“Well what do you suggest, Reynolds?  That door’s impenetrable.  Should we storm them the next time they open it?  When there’s always a good half-dozen armed to the teeth?  And good luck trying to get any of these idiots to help us.  They’re too busy being at each other’s throats.

“And if we do get out, then what?  Stop an entire fleet?  Us against an army?  When we’ve already lost the war?”

“We’ve done it before,” Daniel said quietly, unsure where Jack’s sudden defeatist attitude had come from.

“Yeah, when we knew the layout, had people who knew the language and understood the customs, and the element of surprise.  We don’t know anything about these people!”

“So we just lay down and die?” Reynolds asked.

Their conversation was cut off by sudden shrill screams from the main room and the unmistakable zing of gunfire.  Reynolds ducked around the corner then came back wide-eyed.  “There’s at least fifty of them.  They’re grabbing some people and shooting the rest in the head.”

He’d just barely finished his sentence when a group of the aliens rounded the corner.  One of them grabbed the Colonel around the neck and after a moment’s scrutiny snapped his neck.  Then they advanced on Daniel and Vala.

“I don’t think so,” Jack practically growled as Daniel watched on helplessly.  The General flung himself over his friend’s prone body and got his hands on one of their guns.  He was cuffed solidly in the head before he got a shot off though, the hit spinning him around to see Daniel being pulled up by two aliens, one on each arm. 

“Daniel!  Daniel!”  Vala was yelling and kicking anything in reach until one of them got its arms around her and lifted her bodily off the ground.  “Let me go!”

“Jack!”  The urgency in his name had him whipping his body around to the threat Daniel had seen behind him.  He brought his arms up too late, and the last thing he saw was the barrel of a gun aimed at his forehead.

“No!  Jack!”  Daniel twisted, screamed and punched as he watched Jack fall, an extra hole between his eyes.  He craned his neck and spotted Vala a body length away being advanced on by a third alien with a device that looked like a syringe in its hands.

Just as the alien reached her Daniel’s head was forced around and he caught sight of the same kind of device moments before it was plunged into his neck.  As his vision blurred and tunnelled he hoped it was poison.  Dying would be better than living in this Hell.

---

Teal’c thanked their contact one last time and started dialling the Gate.  Master Bratac’s friend had come through and a ship was waiting for them on another planet that was significantly closer to the Taur’i.  Their journey would only be one day now, instead of three.

He was thankful, because he did not enjoy the thought of spending that much time on a cargo ship with five other people, especially when he knew that the closer they got to their destination the more anxious Colonel Carter would get.

And although the Atlantis members were good company he could not help but feel slightly uncomfortable around them.  He did not know them, nor they he.  And he knew they were making Colonel Carter even more nervous with their constant scrutiny which in turn put him on edge.

Teal’c keyed his radio as he pressed the central crystal, “We may depart.”

In the distance, Sheppard waved in acknowledgment.  He was saying their last goodbyes to the village council and thanking them for their hospitality.  Off to one side of the path Colonel Carter was parting with the young child who had determinedly followed them to see them off.

Teal’c watched as McKay, Lorne, and Teyla closed in on the Gate first, with Sheppard and Ronan close behind them.  Colonel Carter had just started moving when the idyllic silence was shattered by a sonic boom.

Teal’c’s whole body jerked as he looked up and raised his weapon in one motion.  He felt his face pale as his eyes latched upon the ship that had just entered the atmosphere.  It was a ship of the same kind that had invaded Earth.  The planet was under attack. 

He darted his gaze to Colonel Carter who had paled dangerously and seemed frozen for one heartbeat before she exploded into action.  “Run!” She yelled at the team, waving frantically as she pelted toward the Gate.  “Now!  Through the Gate!”

They were not moving fast enough so Teal’c added his voice, “We must go!  Hurry!”

The Atlantis members had looked up at the sonic boom, curiosity the main emotion on their face.  They certainly didn’t realize the danger, and although that didn’t change when Colonel Carter started yelling they recognized the stark fear in her voice.

Lorne grabbed McKay’s arm to encourage him to move faster.  Teyla was slightly behind them and was soon joined by Ronan and Sheppard who had started yelling his own encouragement.

When McKay stumbled at the steps Teal’c pulled him forward while Lorne pushed, making the scientist fly through the Gate.  “Go,” Teal’c said to the Major who, after a moment’s hesitation, went.  Teyla was next while Sheppard and Ronan paused to wait with Teal’c for Colonel Carter who’d been the farthest away.

Carter had just finished giving the girl a tentative hug when the sonic boom had shattered her nascent good mood.  One look at the sky had splintered the control she’d painstakingly built up over the last day and re-twisted that knot in her gut.  She’d reacted on instinct, running towards blue salvation while screaming at the others to move. 

She’d felt just the slightest loosening of the band around her chest as all but the last three made it through.  She wanted to yell at them to move, knew Teal’c knew better because the biggest threat wasn’t the ships at first.  It was the aliens who transported down wherever they thought was strategically important and shot whoever was in sight.  They knew the Stargate was a prime target.

Carter was a half-dozen steps from the Gate when she heard the sound that was the precursor to their transporter technology.  She kept running, saw the look in Teal’c’s eyes that meant he knew too, and dropped her shoulder, determined to plough through them like a linebacker if she had to.

She was almost there when suddenly there was something in front of her.  Carter didn’t stop though.  She planted her foot and pushed off with everything she had, powering through that last foot that stood between her and safety.  She hit with bone-rattling force and they started to fall into the blue embrace of the wormhole.

Carter came out on top in the landing as the alien took the brunt of the impact on the stone steps.  As they rolled down the steps she fumbled for her sidearm since her P90 was twisted behind her back.  She reached it just as they landed on grass and the alien swung at her stomach.  His blow was limited by their positions and lacked power but Carter still felt like it displaced her lungs.

She rolled off him and up, swinging her gun around at the same time to lodge just under the alien’s jaw.  He was already swinging again, this time for her head.  Carter squeezed the trigger three times in rapid succession just as his fist landed.  They both fell but she knew from the smell that her bullets had done their job.

Her head was ringing and the world seemed dull and distant in the wake of her adrenaline rush.  The only thing that kept Teal’c from being shot when his hands landed on her upper arms was the slight naquadah tingle she still got from him.  That, and she simply knew it was him.

She almost fell over as he pulled her up but steadied herself after a moment.  “Colonel Carter?”  She nodded dumbly then blinked as she finally met his eyes.

“I’m okay.”

“You are bleeding.”

Carter’s hand went to her face of its own accord, wiping absently at her split lip and cut cheek.  “I’m fine,” she said absently as she turned to stare at the now headless alien.

“Damn,” Sheppard whistled softly as he stood beside her, eyes on the alien.  “That’s big.”  Carter nodded.  They were massive, taller than Teal’c by a good foot with limbs thicker than some small trees Carter had seen.  Much of their body had a hard shell, much like an insect’s carapace, and whether it was armour or their natural physiology really didn’t matter.  What did was that it made them difficult to kill.  Small calibre bullets did very little unless you were up close and personal, and even then it was chancy.

Carter stared in silence and kept staring even when the others started shifted behind her.  She finally raised her sidearm and pumped three more bullets into its body.  She holstered her gun and dropped to her knees, rummaging around in what looked like compartments and around its wrists.  Teal’c dropped to the other side of the alien and helped.

She had no idea what she was looking for since they couldn’t make heads or tails out of the alien language, but this was an opportunity they’d never had before.  She finally pulled a small rectangular device out that had glowing purple text on it.  Carter pocketed it and when Teal’c indicated he was finished they stood.

Carter turned to face the others, ignoring the looks on their faces, and nodded towards the dimly seen cargo ship in the distance, “Let’s go.”

---

When Daniel opened his eyes he almost wished he was dead.  His vision was blurred and the world was still spinning.  Jack and Colonel Reynolds were dead.  Vala was missing.  He still couldn’t feel anything below his waist.  The only upside was that his new accommodations didn’t stink.  But that didn’t count for very much in his opinion.

He gazed around, recognizing he was in a different part of the alien ship, perhaps on a different ship altogether.  If he had a hope in Hell of helping himself he had to have at least a vague idea of his surroundings.

Daniel pushed himself up onto his elbows to survey the room.  The entire thing was gray.  Gray walls, floors, and fixtures.  He almost would have preferred the pretentious gold décor the Goa’uld had favoured.  At least it hadn’t been so…boring.

There wasn’t much to work with.  The door was at the opposite end of the room and he figured it’d take him a good half hour to drag his useless lower body that far.  Aside from the flimsy cot he was on and the sparse light fixtures that were set so high he wouldn’t be able to reach them even if he could stand, there was nothing.  His eyes tracked the room again.

Nothing…except the window above his head.  Knowing if they were at least still on Earth would be helpful.  Daniel eyed the distance and decided he should just be able to get his hands onto the bottom sill which provided a decent grip since the window was indented.

He took a few minutes arranging himself by lifting his legs so they’d hand straight down when he pulled up so that, hopefully, if he fell he wouldn’t break them.  When he was ready he started to pull.

Daniel was no slouch in the gym.  He’d spent a fair amount of time working out alongside the others to ensure he could pull his weight.  But this was beyond impossible.  He had no leverage or support from his legs.  It was all upper body strength that had to pull a significant amount of dead weight vertically upwards.

He gritted his teeth, reaffirmed his grip, and kept pulling though, mostly because of the cussedness he’d developed from almost ten years of working side-by-side with Jack O’Neill.  Finally he was far enough to get his arm on the sill and now he could push up with his elbow.  By the time he had a clear sightline he was huffing and red-faced but filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Then he looked out the window.  They were in space.  Travelling rapidly, but not in hyperdrive.  As reality crashed down on him, Daniel almost lost his grip.  He steadied himself, took one last look, then lowered his body back onto the cot.

He had no idea where he was or how long it’d been since they’d left Earth.  He didn’t even know if Earth was still there.  He had nowhere to go.  Not that he had any illusions about escaping the ship.  Even if he found Vala, what could a blind woman and paralysed man hope to accomplish?

Daniel flung his arm over his eyes but before he could sink too deeply into his self-pity the door to his cell clanged open.  He looked up to see three of the aliens coming towards him, all of them pushing carts of equipment and jars of oddly coloured liquids.  He had no idea what any of it was, but the entire situation was sinister enough in tone to raise his hackles.

He started squirming, instinctively trying to flee, but even if his body had been able to obey he had nowhere to run.  So Daniel fell-back on what he did best.  Talking.  Or in this case, pleading.

“No, please, don’t do this.”  Daniel raised his hands in the universal gesture of surrender as he started talking a mile a minute, oblivious of much of what he said.

The aliens had never given any indication that they understood English or any of the other languages Daniel had babbled at them in since their invasion.  But that didn’t necessarily mean anything.  Perhaps they were mute.  Perhaps they had no interest in talking but understood every word.  Perhaps they had a shred of compassion lurking somewhere inside.

And perhaps pigs flew, the world was a perfect place where no one ever did any wrong, and he was master of the universe.

The door opened to admit an armed guard and Daniel caught the sounds of screaming.  That had him choking on his last sentence as he actively started fighting.  He flung his body forward into the closest alien, making it stumble and knocking a few jars off a cart.  He was grabbed and strapped down before he could do more than spit and fling a few choice words, but the active resistance had made him feel a bit better.

Completely immobile, Daniel watched wide-eyed as one of the aliens advanced on him with a multi-pronged instrument.  His voice joined the symphony of screams.

---

Ronan caught the front of McKay’s shirt and pulled him away from the door to the back room of the cargo ship.  “You are not going in there.”

“What?  Why?”

Ronan tilted his head slightly to indicate the room, “Colonel Carter is in there.”

“And?  I need to get something from my bag,” McKay said as he gestured and tried to edge out of Ronan’s grip, “Just let me…”

Ronan glared and tugged on the shirt a bit to reinforce his point.  That’s when Teyla intervened, “Rodney, Colonel Carter is finally at ease.  I believe she is meditating.  We do not wish to disturb her.”

McKay glanced between to two resolute aliens then turned to encompass Sheppard and Lorne in his gaze.  When they stared back, offering no aid, McKay nodded, “Fine.  It isn’t that important anyway.”  He crossed his arms when Ronan released him and slid down a wall to sit in the corner.  “How much longer?”

Teal’c adjusted his controls and scanned his readouts as he considered the question, “We should arrive within the next twenty-eight minutes.”

McKay nodded and smiled, “Great!  Then shouldn’t we get Sam?  She’ll want-“

“NO!”  Four voices stated vehemently in unison, making McKay click his jaw shut.

“When it is time, I will retrieve Colonel Carter,” Teal’c said from the pilot’s chair, his eyes still glued to the hyperspace window before him.  He resettled his shoulders and blocked out the quiet conversation that started behind him. 

He had probably been the most relieved when Colonel Carter had retired to the back room several hours ago and not returned.  Teyla had eventually gone to check on the Colonel out of concern and reported that she had been meditating.  Teal’c had felt immensely relieved since he knew better than anyone else that Colonel Carter was lucky if she got more than four hours of rest a night, sleep and meditation combined.

It was clearly taking its toll, and on top of her stress and nerves, combined with the close confines of the ship and the others trying her temper, the last leg of their trip had gotten extremely uncomfortable.  Teal’c took solace in the fact that none of the Atlantean team members blamed Colonel Carter for her current disposition.  But that did not keep tempers from fraying. 

Teal’c sighed as he realized his concern for Colonel Carter had only increased in the last few days.  And try as he might, he was not optimistic about what they would find upon their arrival.  He returned his attention to the task at hand, reasoning it was impractical to worry about things that had not yet happened.

Teyla gave McKay one last stern look after Teal’c’s pronouncement then turned toward Sheppard.  She approached slowly, aware of the introspective look on his face.  “John?”

He looked up slowly then smiled, “Teyla.”

She sat beside him and studied his profile, “Has any thought been given to what we will do if the worst comes to pass?”

Sheppard turned to make eye-contact as he said, “You mean if Earth’s gone?”

“Yes.”

He nodded slowly as if gathering his thoughts, “Me and Elizabeth talked about it.  It depends a lot on how bad it is and what they plan to do.”  He tilted his head to indicate Teal’c.

Teyla was silent for a long time as she mulled that over.  It was the response she’d been expecting.  Elizabeth had been more cautious since her return, and the fact that no concrete plans had been made in the event of catastrophe did not surprise Teyla.  Finally she said, “I hope that does not happen, John.”

He gave her a crooked smile in return, “Me, too.”

They sat together in comfortable silence until Teal’c stood from the controls.  He didn’t say a word, just headed to the back room and emerged a few minutes later with a slightly better looking Colonel Carter in tow.  Teal’c retook his seat and Carter stood at his left shoulder with one hand on the back of his chair.  The rest of them gathered around the front window as the ship gave a small lurch and dropped out of hyperspace.

For a long time, there was utter stillness in the cargo ship.  Then Major Lorne jerked away and lost his lunch in the back corner of the ship.  Teyla’s arm shot out to support Sheppard as he swayed in place and made a small distressed sound at the back of his throat.  McKay wobbled backwards then fell, his eyes still glued uncomprehendingly at the view outside.  Ronan stood stock still as the others reacted around him, unsure what he could or should do to help.

Teal’c sat in the pilot’s chair, both shocked and not.  He’d expected this after Master Bratac’s video and Colonel Carter’s revelation about the destroyed planet’s proximity to Earth.  He’d expected it but hoped desperately to be proven wrong.  He was shaken from his stunned state when he heard Rodney McKay fall.  Teal’c turned to look up at Colonel Carter, reflexively placing his hand over hers that rested on his chair.

Colonel Carter was as pale as he’d ever seen and her hand was ice cold.  It was also shaking.  Her gaze was glazed and distant, making Teal’c wonder where she’d gone in her mind. 

As her near catatonia dragged on, reminding him of far too many close calls, Teal’c’s alarm grew.  He stood and placed both hands on her shoulders, a move that allowed him to feel her whole body trembling.  He bent and filled her entire field of vision with his face and softly called her name.

It took six calls before she blinked once, agonizingly slowly, and then tracked slowly to his eyes.  They stared in mutual agony until Colonel Carter straightened and turned decisively on her heel.  She brushed by the others, still arrayed in numb shock, and headed to the back room.

Teal’c followed on instinct.  This was not the reaction he’d been expecting.  Another meltdown, yelling, and perhaps – finally – some tears had been on his mind.  This non-reaction turned his stomach in a way none of the other possibilities would have.  When he entered he found her flinging their bags around haphazardly in search of something.  When she pulled out the laptop and reached into her pocket, Teal’c knew.

“Colonel Carter,” he stepped forward, paused, and tried again when she failed to acknowledge him, “Samantha,” the name rolled off his tongue slowly since he rarely said it, “what are you doing?”

She looked up, cold fire in her eyes, “You know damn well what I’m doing, Teal’c.”

“What do you hope to accomplish?  There is nothing we can do.”  He closed the distance between them and took the laptop from her as he recognized her desire to throw it.

“Because the planet’s fucking gone Teal’c!  It’s in three pieces.  Over six billion people dead in a week!  And that’s just us.  Six planets, Bratac said.  Well we can add one more to that list,” she was almost yelling, thinking of the last planet they’d been on, the little girl who’d reached her despite the darkness that had become her permanent state of being.  The girl who was probably dead now, along with her entire planet.  “How many others that we don’t know about?  Where are the ones who hit us headed next?”

By this time the others had gathered in the doorway to listen.

“What are we supposed to do?  Just hide out?  Go to Atlantis and start new lives, fight another endless war that never stops no matter what we accomplish?  And what about when these people get to the Pegasus galaxy?  They’re moving fast and there’s no one to stop them!  No Asgard, or Goa’uld, or Ori, or us.  Just them, and death, and destruction.”

“You are not motivated by a desire to stop them, Colonel Carter.  You are motivated by revenge.”

Her head snapped up at his words and her whole body started visibly trembling, “What’s wrong with that?  You understand revenge, Teal’c.  Don’t tell me you don’t.  And don’t you dare say you wouldn’t do the same if it was just you in this situation with the means to go after them.”  She held out her hand without breaking contact with his eyes, “I can’t do it, Teal’c.  I can’t go off and live carefree knowing they’re out there.  And I don’t think you can either.  Don’t ask that of me.”

Teal’c raised the laptop to hand it back but paused with it above her hand, “I do not wish for you to make a rash decision, Colonel Carter.”

Carter shook her head, “I’m not.”

Teal’c nodded, “Very well.  But you must promise me that we are in this together, no matter what transpires.”

The slightest ghost of a smile crossed Carter’s lips before disappearing.  She nodded, “Is there any other way?”

Teal’c nodded once again and placed the laptop in her hand.  Colonel Carter sat and inserted the disc O’Neill had given them as his last act.  He only hoped this course would not lead them to theirs.

---

A wall to her left, a wall to her right.  Unknown in front of her.  That was the extent of Vala’s world.  She’d woken after the drugs to a seemingly vast, cold, and apparently empty room.  Fierce panic had gripped her and she’d indulged for a few seconds before resolutely pushing it away.  She’d survived worse than this. 

 

She’d examined the room as best she could without sight, verifying it had four solid walls, one door, and no windows she could feel.  There was precious little else.  Almost no sound filtered through the walls.  The utter lack of stimulus to occupy her mind had it creating its own entertainment in short order.

 

That was when she’d retreated to the corner farthest from the door and wedged herself into it.  It was safe.  Well, as safe as she could hope for.  She’d taken to signing to distract herself, an old ditty and one of the few things her father had left her with.

 

The door banged open.  Vala tensed in anticipation of being hauled to her feet.  It never happened.  There were footsteps, creaking, a thump, more footsteps and then a bang as the door slammed shut.

 

Vala stayed totally still though.  There was someone else in the room.  She knew it, with as much certainty as she knew how many fingers and toes she had.  It was just a sense, like that feeling that someone was watching you.  Or the barest rasping of another’s breathing.

 

Her roommate groaned.  Vala flinched back.  When the groan came again she started to relax.  She knew that groan.  “Daniel?”

 

Daniel opened his eyes at his name to see Vala huddled on the other side of the room.  “Vala?  Are you okay?”

 

“Yes.  Fine,” she said as she started tentatively crawling forward.  “Where are you?”

 

Daniel shifted to get a better view of her, stifling another groan, “Forward.  Left a little.  Straight now.”

 

Vala crawled slowly, patting the floor before advancing lest she squish him.  Eventually her hand landed on his arm and she smiled, patting him down carefully to assure herself he was really there.  “What about you?  You don’t sound well.  What happened?”

 

Daniel grabbed her questing hands and squeezed them in reassurance.  “They did something to me.”

 

“What kind of something?”

 

“Medical something.  My legs are burning and tingling.”

 

Vala couldn’t keep herself from reacting as her hands automatically tried to drift to his legs, “You mean you’re getting better?”  The hope in her voice was undeniable.

 

Daniel shook his head.  When he remembered she couldn’t see that he tugged on her hands to gain her attention, “No.  At least I don’t think so.  I think it’s just something they did to my…ugh,” he licked his lips as another wave of unusual sensation crashed over him, “my nerves.  I don’t think I can actually feel anything.”

 

Vala so wished she could see him.  Daniel was a diplomat.  He was used to negotiating, keeping his thoughts and feelings out of his voice when the situation called for it.  He wasn’t so adept at keeping them entirely off his face.  His expressions weren’t as obvious as the normal person’s but they were there, at least if you knew what to look for.  So much of interacting with him depended on the combination of voice, face, and body language, and Vala wasn’t quite sure how to operate without two-thirds of that equation.

 

“Vala?”

 

She jerked from her thoughts, scraping up a smile for him, “Do you…do you mind if I check?”

 

“No.  Go ahead.”

 

She nodded and moved carefully down his body.  When Vala reached his legs she carefully wrapped one hand around his calf and then gently squeezed.  “Did you feel that?”

 

“No.”

 

“Hm,” she murmured as she switched to the other leg, this time applying a bit more pressure.  “That?”

 

“No,” Daniel said, little inflection in his voice.  He hadn’t expected any kind of improvement but couldn’t help being somewhat disappointed.  But he didn’t want Vala to know that.  They had enough problems without her feeling guilty for dashing his hopes or something.  “Come here.”  He held out his hand and met her as she scooted back up to his head.

 

She stretched out beside him, more than a little surprised when he pillowed his head on her lap and clutched her hand in his.  “Daniel?  What are we going to do?”

 

“I guess we wait.  For now, anyway.”

 

---

Carter stared at the laptop’s screen in disgust.  The planet they needed to get to was almost a week away by ship.  She didn’t want to wait a week.  She wasn’t sure they would survive a week together on this ship.  But they could Gate there.

 

She started going through her mental list of planets with Gates that were close to Earth.  It was information she’d just sort of gleaned over the years of countless missions, endless on the fly plans, near deaths, and rescue operations.

 

Carter nodded to herself and scrawled on a piece of paper.  When she looked up Teal’c was waiting patiently while the others stood, bewildered and pale.  She handed the paper to Teal’c who took it without question, “We’ll Gate from there.  It’s too far by ship.”  He nodded and headed to the front of the ship.

 

She started to put the laptop away and straightened the mess she’d made she they actually had a place to sit down.  Carter could practically feel the air crackling as it waited with baited breath for the inevitable question.

 

Sheppard finally spoke, “Where are we going?”

 

“To get something,” she answered without turning towards him.

 

“To get what?  Atlantis is waiting for us.  We should get back there to report.”

 

Carter turned and stared him down, “What’s the rush?  It’s not going to get any worse,” she gestured to the front window and the floating remains of their planet.

 

“They have a right to known,” Lorne said as he edged out from behind Ronan.

 

“They certainly do,” Carter nodded her head, “and they should have been told three days ago.”

 

“We didn’t know anything three days ago,” Sheppard said, his tone considerably harder.

 

“Didn’t we?”  They all heard the cold, hard edge to her voice and saw her suddenly clenched fists.  It was enough to make McKay back away a bit.  He’d been on the receiving end of an irate Major Carter, but never Colonel Carter.  And he’d certainly never pissed off a woman who seemed to be heading for a nervous breakdown.  At this point, McKay full believed she was capable of hitting any one of them.  And more importantly, that she would.

 

“I think we knew quite a bit,” Carter continued, “we knew aliens had the planet.  We knew they were blasting the shit out of everyone and everything they could get their hands on.  We knew it had all happened in less than four days.  I think that’s enough to know the future wasn’t exactly looking bright.” She’d been advancing on Sheppard the entire time and now they were face-to-face.  She poked his chest as she finished, “You should have told them sooner.  You should have let us come back sooner.  Now you’ll have to explain that their planet is just gone.”  Carter’s voice was deep and rough sounding.  She was halfway back to their gear before Sheppard responded.

 

“And what would you have done if you’d come sooner?”  His took three short strides forward, his voice not quite loud enough to be called yelling.  “What good would have come of them knowing?”

 

Carter spun around and yelled, “I don’t know!  But they still would have been here!  And there would have been more of us!”

 

“And then what?”  Sheppard was yelling back now, and McKay was sending uneasy looks towards the cockpit, half expecting Teal’c to come charging in to separate them.  The Jaffa had been extraordinarily protective of Sam ever since their arrival. 

 

“I don’t know!  But at least we would have been here, done something.  At least we would have tried!”

 

“You couldn’t do anything the first time, what would have been different?  Even more people got to die?”  Everyone froze, Sheppard and Carter included, at his last words.  It sounded like an accusation to all their ears.

 

Sheppard’s mouth flopped open and closed like a beached fish as he desperately sought a way to take back his words.  He couldn’t take his eyes off Colonel Carter so he saw her shock, then pure anguish and torment in her black-rimmed eyes, and finally pure fury.  He had never feared more for his well-being than he did in that moment.

 

“Out.”  If it were possible for a human being to growl, then Carter had just done so.  When they didn’t move she took two vicious steps forward and flung her arm violently at them, as if trying to sweep them away.  “Get OUT!”

 

They stumbled over themselves to get through the door.  Lorne managed first and almost fell flat on his ass as he hit something solid.  He looked up at Teal’c’s face and audibly gulped.

 

Teal’c had a truly murderous expression on his face.  Lorne got the impression he wanted to rip someone limb from limb.  As cowardly as it might seem, Lorne scurried off to the side so the Jaffa’s smouldering gaze could land on the right target.

 

Sheppard stopped in his tracks as he turned and met Teal’c’s eyes.  When he realized Teal’c wasn’t going to simply give him a look and return to the cockpit, Sheppard dragged his hand through his hair to buy time to gather his thoughts.  He finally settled on the tried and true, “I’m sorry.  I don’t know how much-“

 

“All of it,” Teal’c said, his voice burning with repressed anger.

 

“Okay,” Sheppard nodded and frantically re-planned his words, “well, I didn’t mean it.  Not like it sounded, anyway.  I don’t blame Colonel Carter, you, or anyone for what happened.”

 

“I am not the one to whom you must apologize,” Teal’c said.

 

Sheppard nodded and waved at the door, “I know that, but she threw-“

 

Teal’c raised his hand, halting the Lieutenant Colonel in his tracks, “I am not the recipient, and I do not believe you.  It is doubtful that Colonel Carter will.”  He paused and cast his gaze over the rest of them, including them in his next words, “If you are not with us, you may depart through the Stargate to Atlantis when we reach our destination.  I do not desire your company if your behaviour will be detrimental to Colonel Carter.”

 

Teal’c turned and was almost back to his seat when he paused and looked at Sheppard over his shoulder, “If your words have significant repercussions for Colonel Carter’s condition, I shall hold you responsible, Colonel Sheppard.  That is a promise.”  He reclaimed his seat, confident Colonel Sheppard was motivated to rectify the situation and assured the others would be more cautious with their words.

 

Sheppard felt almost light-headed as Teal’c sat.  He had no illusions that he had just avoided something that could have resulted in bodily harm on his part.  Sheppard collapsed onto the floor, buried his face in his hands, and seriously considered if he could get through whatever Teal’c and Carter were planning without taking his life into his hands.

 

---

It had been nine and a half hours, and the atmosphere of the cargo ship had only gotten more strained in that time.  Teal’c hadn’t moved from the pilot’s chair except to check on Carter once, and he hadn’t said a word since delivering his threat to Sheppard.  The rest of them had settled into various positions around the front of the ship, not daring to say a word or make any sudden movements, as if the very act would cause an explosive eruption of the tension that had been steadily building.  They hadn’t gone anywhere near the door to the back of the ship either, and Carter had yet to emerge.

 

Teyla was worried about that.  She didn’t think Colonel Carter would do anything rash since the woman clearly had a purpose in mind.  But it hardly seemed healthy to leave her stewing back there after John’s harsh, if unintentional, words.

 

Deciding that someone had to break the silence, if only because they would be landing within the hour and going onto an alien world unable to even look at each other was dangerous, Teyla stood and approached John.  He didn’t move from his intense scrutiny of his boots as she sat.

 

“I believe the term is ‘out of line.’”  Teyla said, her voice soft but still carrying in the complete stillness.

 

Sheppard nodded twice, eyes still on his feet, “You don’t think I realize how stupid that was?  I wasn’t thinking.  It just…came out.  I didn’t realize how it sounded until I heard it.”

 

Teyla pursed her lips and nodded in understanding, “Perhaps the fact that it was unplanned speaks more to its validity than you realize.”

 

Sheppard’s head snapped up, an incredulous look on his face, “You don’t seriously believe I think it’s their fault, do you?”

 

“Do you?”

 

“No!”  His voice was indignant and now Teyla had his complete attention.

 

“Still, we often reveal the truth when our words are said in the heat of the moment.  Even if that truth is ugly and subconscious.”

 

“Teyla, it isn’t anyone’s fault.  I know they did everything they could.”

 

“But it is natural to want someone to blame.  And you have just lost your entire planet, John.  I believe it is understandable that you would lay that blame on the closest target.”

 

Sheppard swallowed and blinked rapidly as if trying to hold back tears, “Yeah.  I just hope Colonel Carter sees it that way.”

 

“Despite what you may think, Colonel Carter is still a reasonable woman, John.  She is not beyond your reach.  You must have a calm and reasonable discussion, and realize that she has a valid point.”

 

The confusion was clear on Sheppard’s face as he turned to face Teyla, “About what?”

 

“The rest of Atlantis should have been informed when they first arrived.”

 

“But-“

 

She raised her hand and cut him off, “Please, John.  I am well aware of your thoughts.  It is time for you to listen.  They had a right to know their people were threatened, perhaps lost.  And they had a right to decide for themselves if they wished to return either to try and retake their planet or see its fate for themselves.  To say goodbye. 

 

“If I had know ahead of time that my people were going to disappear,” Teyla’s voice cracked slightly, the fact that they had yet to be found still weighing heavily on her, “I would have chosen to be with them.  I may not have been able to make a difference, but I would have had the peace of mind that comes with knowing with certainty that I had done everything I could.

 

“Colonel Carter left Midway Station not because she chose to, but because Teal’c saved her life by making the decision for her,” Teyla chose her words carefully, fully aware Teal’c was likely hearing every word and not wanting to cause him any guilt by suggesting he had done any less than assure Colonel Carter’s survival, “When she left, Earth was still salvageable.  She must be asking if she could have saved it if she had been just slightly faster and had more help.  You cannot dismiss her perspective if you wish to make amends, John.”

 

Sheppard knew Teyla was right.  He certainly didn’t know Carter like Teal’c did, but he knew she had a strong sense of duty and honour, and often took responsibility for things over which she had no control.  He had no doubt that she’d been questioning if she was responsible, and maybe already blaming herself for Earth’s destruction.  Which was a ridiculous notion.  But by saying it out loud, Sheppard had given legitimacy to it.

 

He nodded decisively and stood, squeezing her shoulder as he past, “Thanks, Teyla.”  Sheppard headed for the door, took one steadying breath, and then entered.

 

Carter was seated on the back bench, her legs pulled up to her chest, head tilted up against the wall, and her eyes closed.  Her expression was slack and all Sheppard could notice was that with her defences down, her exhaustion and pain were written clearly on her face.  He felt even worse.

 

When she still didn’t move he thought perhaps she was sleeping.  Sheppard started backing out, aware that for her sleep had been almost nonexistent and an apology did not warrant waking her.  He had one foot out the door when her voice stopped him, “Did you need something?”

 

Sheppard almost chickened out.  He could take that last step and pretend he hadn’t heard her.  But that would make this conversation even more difficult.  So he stepped back and waited until the door closed before he swung around.  She hadn’t moved but her eyes were open, a bone-deep weariness in her gaze.

 

“Yes.  No.  I mean…”  He huffed in frustration, watching as her eyebrow edged upwards in an expression reminiscent of Teal’c’s.  “I wanted to apologize.  What I said was in the heat of the moment.  It was stupid, and uncalled for, and absolutely not true.  I was just pissed, and shocked, and a thousand other things and I lashed out.”  He went closer, hands in front of him in supplication, and held her gaze as he said the last part, “I’m very, truly sorry.

 

“And I wanted to say that I understand you’re furious.  That you can’t help but wonder what may have happened if we’d told the rest of Atlantis and we’d all immediately set up to move out.  But you can’t let all the what-ifs plague you like that.  It’ll tear you apart, and make it impossible for you to make any future decisions.”  He paused and studied her face, looking for some sign that what he’d said had at least gotten through to her.

 

“You think you understand all that, do you?”  Her face remained passive but her voice was sceptical, bordering on being unkind.

 

Sheppard nodded, “I do.  We may never have been friends, but we used to be able to talk.  You used to ask for my advice, my experience.  I think I gained a bit of understanding about how you think.”

 

Carter nodded slowly but otherwise made no other response.  They had gained an insight and appreciation for how the other worked during her time on Atlantis.  She wouldn’t deny that.  But she failed to see how it was relevant to this situation.  They hadn’t ever faced the apocalypse together.

 

“So,” Sheppard started again hesitantly, “are we okay?”

 

She’d been staring at the wall for most of the conversation, but now she found his eyes as her lips pursed in honest contemplation.  Were they okay?  Carter shook her head, “No, we aren’t.  Not yet.”

 

Sheppard moved as if to speak again but Carter raised her hand to stop him, “Please.  There isn’t anything else you can say.  I just…”  She stopped talking and ran her hands over her head, stopping with them clasped around the back of her neck.  It was a pose that made Sheppard think she had a headache.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

A short, bitter laugh burst from her mouth.  She was pretty sure no one had actually asked that question since this whole thing had started.  The answer seemed pretty obvious to her.  Teal’c didn’t have to ask, he just knew; and he knew the question wouldn’t be well received by her, since it wasn’t in the best of times.  And these were certainly the worst of times.  Hearing it now, it sounded utterly ridiculous.

 

“Am I okay?  What kind of question is that?  Are you okay, John?”  She looked at him, waiting for his answer.

 

Sheppard eyed her carefully, wondering if this was some kind of trick conversation that he’d gotten himself into.  “I…no, I’m not.  No one is.  But I meant, aside from everything,” he waved his hand, vaguely indicating the destruction of Earth and the almost complete genocide of the human race, “if you, personally, physically, are okay?”  He continued eyeing her, sure he wasn’t expressing himself clearly, and looking for any sign that she was about to start yelling again or take a swing at him.

 

Carter moved her hands from behind her neck to her knees that she stretched out in front of her.  Sheppard couldn’t help but follow the motion, something about it capturing his attention.  He kept staring, trying to figure it out, when his eyes landed on her hands.  Her shaking hands.

 

Sheppard’s gaze flicked up to be met by her steady regard.  She was staring back, as if daring him to say something about it.  He couldn’t think of anything beyond what he’d already said, though, and repeating the question when she’d already shot it down seemed the height of stupidity.

 

“I just, I want you to know that you aren’t alone, Col-”  He cut the rank off, it seeming too impersonal, and started again, “Sam.  We’re here, too.  And we’ll help, but you have to let us first.”  He paused, waiting to see if she was going to say anything.

 

As the silence stretched on he decided it was time to leave, lest he put his foot in his mouth.  So he nodded and was gratified when she nodded back.  He was almost to the door when one last thing occurred to him, “I’ll let Teal’c know you’re okay.  He was worried when you wouldn’t let him in to see you.” 

 

The Jaffa had gotten up to check on Carter about two hours into her self-imposed isolation and been met with a sealed door.  He had knocked and spoken to her, eventually being told she didn’t want to speak to anyone.  Teal’c had taken it in stride but they’d all seen his concern at being locked out, literally and figuratively.

 

Regardless of the state of his relationship with the Colonel, Sheppard felt the conversation had gone fairly well and he was happy he could tell Teal’c she seemed all right.  Or at least as all right as she had been.

 

Perhaps things would look up once they got off this ship.  He was pretty sure they were all going a little stir-crazy.

 

---

“Are we sure we’re in the right place?” McKay asked as he fiddled with his gun and looked around.

 

Carter looked at the paper she’d scrawled the directions from the disc on and mentally reviewed their path.  They’d followed the directions to the letter, not that they were terribly expansive.  She wondered who had written them.

 

Teal’c had been watching Carter and so he responded when he saw her minuscule nod, “Indeed were are, Rodney McKay.”

 

“Well I don’t see anything,” Ronan said as he spun in place to double check.

 

Sheppard nodded, “It’s not like there’s anyplace to hide something.”  The directions had taken them to a slightly hilly clearing, spotted with sparse trees, and mostly filled with swaying grass.  It was notable simply because there was nothing special about it.  It hardly seemed the ideal locale to hide their quarry in.

 

“What, precisely, are we looking for?” Teyla asked, making everyone turn to look at Carter.

 

Carter looked up when she realized no one was speaking anymore to be met by their curious expressions.  She blinked, then reviewed the conversation in her head, “A box.  Metal.”  Her hands formed rough dimensions, shaping out something the approximate size of a shoebox.

 

“Guess we should have brought a metal detector,” Sheppard muttered as he started kicking at the knee-high grass.

 

Teal’c observed the field with a practiced eye as the others save Colonel Carter began wandering aimlessly.  They both spotted it at the same time, a hillock in the ground that stood solitary and unusually shaped. 

 

Teal’c stomped the ground around the hillock, confirming it had an unusual springy feel.  Colonel Carter kneeled, drew her knife, and began poking the ground while Teal’c marked out the perimeter of the unusual area by flattening the grass.  The others had joined them by this time and were looking on with expectant expressions.

 

Carter moved her knife around systematically and was soon rewarded when the tip touched metal.  She bore down on the knife applying as much pressure as possible then pulled back and was rewarded with a pop and puff of dirt.  She grabbed one side of the cover that had popped up while Teal’c took the other and together they lifted.

 

It was heavier than it looked, causing them to falter, until Ronan took position between them.  The trio toppled it over, revealing a roughly square hole about a foot deep that held the object of their search.

 

Sheppard pulled it out and dusted the dirt off.  “Well, now what?”

 

Carter didn’t answer, she just dropped to her knees again, pulled out her dog tags, and retrieved the key strung on them.  The top cover opened to a combination lock that she opened after consultation with her instructions.

 

The inside was rather unremarkable.  There were two switches, an electronic readout, and a small metal disc connected to an electronic lead that looked not unlike the Tok’ra memory devices.  Carter stared at it for a moment then flicked one of the switches, causing the readout to come to life indicating an operational power source.

 

Sheppard squatted across from Carter, his eyes glued to the machine, “I think it’s time you tell us what the hell this thing is.”  He looked to the Colonel, his irritation growing when she failed to reply.

 

Teal’c inclined his head and spoke, “It is a repository.”

 

“Not Ancient,” McKay chimed in, being well versed in the SGC’s experiences with those.

 

“It is not,” Teal’c replied, his uneasy gaze directed toward Colonel Carter, “it is of human design.  O’Neill entrusted us with its location while we were on Earth.”

 

“And what does it do?” Teyla asked, getting to what she saw as the heart of the matter.

 

“It imparts to the user its contents.”

 

“As in, it downloads all its information into their brain,” McKay clarified.

 

“Is it safe?” Ronan asked.

 

Teal’c shifted as he replied, “It is not fully tested.”

 

“Meaning what, exactly?” Sheppard snapped, that feeling he got when he just didn’t like a situation growing in his stomach.

 

“Meaning it might not work as advertised,” Carter finally added to the conversation as she reached out for the disc, turning it over in her fingers.

 

“And what would that entail?”  Teyla was quickly gaining insight into what had Teal’c so on edge.

 

Carter shrugged as if the answer didn’t really matter to her, “Any number of things.”

 

“Brain damage, catatonia, loss of speech or other skills.  And that’s just to start,” McKay said.  The Atlantean members shared rapid looks of disbelief and concern while Carter and Teal’c remained oblivious.

 

Sheppard’s hand snapped out when Carter reached to flick the second switch, “You are not doing this.”

 

Carter flung his hand off and glared, “You can’t stop me.”

 

“The hell I can’t,” Sheppard said as he leaned over the machine.  He only got so far.  Suddenly he was moving backwards and up, the collar of his jacket twisted painfully around his neck as Teal’c held him aloft.

 

“This is not your decision, Colonel Sheppard.”

 

Sheppard grabbed for Teal’c’s arm and tried to shake himself loose, “Let me down.”  After a moment’s consideration Teal’c released him.  “You can’t honestly tell me you’re on board with this?”

 

Teal’c nodded, “I am, if it is what Colonel Carter wishes.”

 

“She could end up a vegetable!”

 

Teal’c’s face twisted into a brief expression, too fleeting for any of them to really interpret, “We are aware of the risks.”

 

Sheppard turned to Carter, trying a different tactic since Teal’c was obviously resolute, “Is this really worth it?”

 

“Yes.”  Carter was standing loose-limbed and calm, and it struck Sheppard that this was as relaxed as he’d seen her since the world had ended.  Maybe for her, it was.  But still…

 

“You’re going to risk everything for some distant chance at revenge?”  Sheppard shook his head, “I don’t believe that.  What about the rest of us?”

 

Carter’s eyebrows creased, “What about you?”

 

“We could use you at Atlantis.  Isn’t that better than…than this,” he jabbed a finger at the machine then looked at the Colonel.  The expression on her face told him he’d said something wrong.

 

“So, you want me to just forget about all this and go happily off to Atlantis?  For everyone else?  Because they need me?”

 

“Uh,” Sheppard surveyed his teammates for some clue as to where this had gone wrong since the venom in her voice was making his ears hurt but got no help, “yes.”

 

Carter stared at him for a long appraising moment then spoke, “I spent eleven years doing and being what people needed.  Saving the world, averting the next crisis, being the SGC’s go-to person for impossible.  I’m sick of it.  I’m done,” Carter made a vicious slashing motion with her hand, her eyes flashing with anger, “Just this once, I’m doing what I need.  And this,” she pointed to the machine with her P90, “will get me what I need.  So back off, Sheppard, or so help me God I will shoot you.”  They locked eyes until Sheppard raised his hands and took a few steps back, conceding that this was an argument he wasn’t going to win.

 

“Good choice,” Ronan said lowly as they stood shoulder to shoulder.

 

Carter turned back to the machine and fingered the disc again until Teal’c’s voice intruded, “Colonel Carter.“

 

“It’ll work,” she managed to smile at him as she turned to where he kneeled beside her and gave him her full attention.

 

“If it does not-“

 

Carter put her fingers over his lips and smiled again, a real one this time, as she thought Then I’ll be at peace.  But she didn’t dare say it aloud.  Not only was it entirely selfish, but it sounded vaguely suicidal.  She didn’t want to die, but she wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea anymore.  She’d fight it if it came for her, but now the prospect of losing that fight didn’t seem so scary.

 

So she didn’t say anything.  They just looked at each other, communicating everything they needed with their eyes.  Everything they didn’t dare say, as if admitting this could be good-bye would make it so.  They fell into a fierce hug that went on for an eternity.

 

Carter pulled back and turned to the machine.  She blew out one breath then reached for the disc and attached it to her temple.  As she reached for the switch that would start the data transfer she gave Teal’c one last smile.

 

It hit her with the force of a thousand zat guns.  It was like standing under a waterfall.  It hammered into her, making her head spin and buzz.  Her vision swirled then blackened, cleared, then dimmed once more.  She had the slightest sensation of falling.  Then nothing.

 

Teal’c didn’t remove his eyes for even a second as she reached for the switch.  He was ready when she suddenly listed to the left, right towards him.  Colonel Carter ended up in his lap as he caught her.  He wrapped her in his arms, unsure if she knew what was happening around her but wanting her to feel safe if she did.

 

Her entire body was trembling, and although that wasn’t unusual considering the last several days, these were more like convulsions.  Teal’c arranged her head into the crook of his arm and noticed her eyes were partway open but rolled back in her head so only the whites were visible.  It unnerved him.

 

Teyla stretched Carter’s legs out straight in front of her and rearranged the electrical lead so it wouldn’t catch on anything.  She glanced at the machine then reported, “It appears the transfer is thirty percent complete.”

 

Teal’c nodded then looked up at the tense Sheppard, “I do not appreciate your interference.”

 

Sheppard shifted and huffed, “This could end up being the stupidest thing anyone’s ever done.”

 

“That is not your decision.  It is not your life.  And you are not responsible for Colonel Carter’s well-being.  I am.”

 

Sheppard flung his arms out, “Exactly!  How can you be okay with this?”

 

“It is what she desires, so it is what I desire.”

 

“Come on, Teal’c, it can’t be that simple.  You’re friends.  Family!  Don’t you want what’s best for her?”

 

Teal’c twisted his neck in irritation and glared at them all, “What I want is for Colonel Carter to live.  To sleep through the night.  To smile and laugh once more.  To not be consumed by guilt. 

 

“I do not wish for her to kill herself.  Or to stop functioning and simply waste away.  And that is what will happen if she neglects what she needs to move on.  If she is without purpose.  This is her purpose, and so I will support Colonel Carter.”

 

“Revenge isn’t exactly a coping tactic.”

 

“It is for many, just not among the Taur’i.”

 

Sheppard crossed his arms and considered Teal’c’s words.  It was achingly simple when the Jaffa put it that way.  Carter needed this to keep going, and Teal’c needed her to keep going for his sake so he was on side with her.  “But if it doesn’t work?”

 

Teal’c’s eyes acquired a certain sheen then as he looked down at Carter’s head and smoothed his hand over her brow, “Then I shall grieve her and miss her dearly.  But she will have found a certain kind of peace.”  Teal’c met Sheppard’s eyes again as he continued, “You must remember that O’Neill would not have passed this on if he believed there was no chance it would work.”

 

Lorne nodded vehemently at that, “He’s right about that.  The General was almost fanatical about his team’s safety, even when they weren’t his team anymore.”

 

That was when Teyla spoke, “It’s finished.”

 

Teal’c nodded as he felt Colonel Carter’s body still.  He removed the disc from her temple and handed it to Teyla who replaced it in the box.  Teal’c then shifted the Colonel so he could get a better view of her face.

 

“How long do you figure, before she wakes up?” McKay asked.

 

Teal’c shook his head, “I do not know.  It could be several hours, or minutes.”

 

Ronan looked around, not comfortable staying in such an exposed location that long with the sun quickly approaching the horizon, “Can we move her?  Gate back to the ship?  Or Atlantis?”

 

“Probably wouldn’t be the best idea,” Lorne said as he knelt to take Carter’s pulse.  “That seems okay.”

 

Teal’c pulled out his canteen, prepared for when she woke, and pronounced, “We shall wait.”

 

---

“Daniel!  Daniel, wake-up!”  Vala shook his shoulder gently, sure she heard footsteps headed directly for them.

 

They’d been waiting a long time.  They’d spoken quietly for hours until Daniel had fallen into a restless sleep.  Vala had been left to keep vigil and grow increasingly familiar with the sounds of their prison.  And these footsteps she heard now were definitely different from all the others.

 

“Vala?  What’s wrong?”  Daniel swiped at his eyes and looked blearily around the room, searching out something threatening or different.

 

“Someone’s coming.”

 

“Are you-”  The door flew open, cutting off his words, as six armed aliens marched in with their version of a gurney.  They grabbed his arms before he could get a word out.

 

“Daniel!”  Vala stood with them, determined not to let go of his hand.  Suddenly someone had her around the shoulders and was pulling back, trying to rip her loose of Daniel.  “No!”  She started kicking and then another pair of hands were there.

 

“Vala!”  Daniel didn’t take his eyes off her, just struggled and yelled to the best of his ability, knowing it ultimately wouldn’t do any good but unable to stop fighting. Once they had him secured to the gurney one of the aliens on Vala broke off and joined him, leaving one to corral a still wild Vala.  The last view he had of Vala before the door closed was of her sinking her teeth into the alien’s arm.

 

Vala heard the door close and knew Daniel was gone, as were all but this one alien.  And suddenly, for the first time since she’d been blinded, she knew she had a chance.  She stopped thinking and started reacting, letting her long honed survival instincts and dirty fighting moves take over.

 

After biting him she kicked back as hard as possible aiming for the groin.  She had no idea if these aliens had the same anatomical weakness as human males, but it was worth trying.  The alien grunted, and even though it wasn’t as extreme a reaction as she would have liked, his grip loosened.  Vala twisted and raised her hands, pushing them onwards towards his face and, ultimately, his eyes. 

 

Eyes were a target no matter the species.  They were universally fleshy, vulnerable, and easily damaged.  And as she well knew, being blinded put one at a serious disadvantage.  But she’d been blind for days now.  Vala was fairly confident she’d win in a battle of the sightless.

 

She knew she’d hit her target by the squishy wet feeling under her thumbs and the alien’s sudden frantic movements.  Vala bore down mercilessly, pressing her thumbs in as deep as possible and feeling an eruption of liquid that she knew was blood. 

 

As they fell, her hands finally released their target and headed down, seeking the weapon all the aliens seemed to carry.  She found it seconds before they hit the floor and had it pulled out while the alien was still writhing on the floor.  She aimed based on the racket he was making and squeezed the trigger, pleased when the weapon turned out to be an automatic.  She didn’t let the trigger go until the smell of burnt flesh and viscera filled her nostrils.

 

Vala allowed herself a moment to collect her wits and let the adrenaline pass until she stood carefully and positioned herself, her purpose clear in her mind.

 

She and Daniel wouldn’t be dying at the whim of these aliens.  They’d go on their own terms.

 

---

Daniel had no illusions about his possible fate.  But he still kept his eyes peeled, taking in the route they took, the contents of every room he looked into, the movements of the aliens, and everything else he saw.  Jack had taught him long ago that you never knew when or how escape would be presented to you, and it was best to always be prepared by observing your surroundings.

 

When he was pushed into a large room, filled with beds and equipment, he felt his throat constrict.  It was a medical bay.  That he was here, instead of the much smaller room he’d been in originally, turned his stomach.

 

The aliens transferred him to another bed and strapped him down securely then left with their gurney, presumably to move someone else.  Daniel took the opportunity to take it all in, and the first thing he was struck by was the sheer number of people in beds.  And not abducted people like him.  The vast majority were the aliens, their pallor sickly and their frames toothpick thin, all with various injuries.

 

It baffled him.  That a species powerful enough to accomplish in a few days what the Goa’uld had spent years trying to do would have such inadequate medical care for its people boggled the mind.

 

His alien porters returned then, an alien on their gurney who they set up on the bed next to Daniel whose confusion was growing by the second.  As the porters lifted and arranged the alien’s legs, the beginnings of comprehension started dawn on Daniel’s face.

 

It was confirmed when an alien doctor approached and took various readings from Daniel then injected a colourful liquid that, to his immense relief, ended the wave of sensation that had consumed his limbs.  The doctor went to the alien next, took more readings while manipulating his legs, and injected the same medication.  This went on for a few more moments until the doctor nodded and the porters started loading Daniel back onto the gurney.

 

As they headed back to his and Vala’s cell, Daniel’s mind whirled.  It seemed apparent to him that although they were obviously advanced, for some reason they’d lost the ability or knowledge they needed to treat their own people.  To get around it, they were looking for medical proxies.  People with the same injuries or ailments, trying out treatments on them looking for whatever would work, then applying it to their own.

 

Daniel’s thoughts were broken as the door to their cell opened and one of the aliens started to loosen his straps.

 

“Daniel!  Down!”

 

Vala’s voice startled him but he reacted on instinct, long-used to spontaneous escapes and often baffling instructions from his teammates.  But it always seemed to work.  Daniel flung his body as hard as possible to the left, using the leverage his free right arm gave him to topple the entire gurney, taking out one of his porters in the process. 

 

Weapons fire ripped over his head in a haphazard screen of injury.  Daniel twisted around to get an idea of where they stood then yelled, “Vala, to your left!  Left!”

 

Vala obeyed without question, shifting her aim and laying on the trigger, filling the alien’s body with holes.

 

“Now to the right, but centre!”

 

Vala adjusted her aim again and after a few misses hit pay dirt.  The alien’s body jerked then fell, ending up sprawled partially on the gurney and his fallen comrade.  Daniel didn’t notice though, because he was busy with the final alien, the one he’d knocked over with his dive.

 

After a moment of struggle Daniel got his arm around the alien’s neck and positioned his head then, anchored as he was to the gurney, used his upper to smash the alien’s head into the floor.  The alien stilled as a pool of oddly coloured blood started to form.

 

“Daniel?”  Vala had stopped firing and lowered her gun but stood uncertain and rigid.

 

“I’m okay, Vala.  I need a hand, though,” he said.

 

“Of course,” Vala dropped the gun and walked forward slowly until she bumped into the gurney, “what do I do.”

 

“Feel the back of the gurney?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You need to reach down and undo my left hand.  Then we need to get these guys inside.”

 

Vala set to her tasks and after a good twenty minutes had the bodies inside and Daniel situated on the gurney, untied, with an array of weapons before him.  “I think I know why they’re doing this,” Daniel said.

 

“Does it matter?”

 

“Of course it matters!  They’re doing it to help their people.”

 

“So?  That doesn’t justify destroying planets, using people for experiments, and killing everyone they couldn’t use.  It doesn’t matter!”

 

“But they aren’t monsters, Vala.  They have a reason.”

 

“Daniel,” she found his hands and squeezed, “I know you think this is important, and maybe it would be if they were interested in negotiating.  But they aren’t.  And it won’t change what’s happened to Earth.”  Vala shook her head slowly, her face sad as they fell into silence.

 

Daniel sighed and had to admit she was right.  Knowing the why didn’t change the facts and that no one would be prepared to negotiate and perhaps help them with their problem after everything they’d done.  “You’re right.  And we need to get out of here.”

 

Vala nodded, “Right.  How do we escape?”

 

“Escape?  We need to destroy this ship.”

 

“What!  Daniel, we can’t do that.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Look at us!”  She gestured between them rapidly, her eyes wide as they stared unseeing over his shoulder.

 

“And?  You don’t think it’ll stop us from escaping, how will it stop us from destroying the ship?”

 

Vala opened her mouth to respond then snapped it shut.  He was right.  Their chances of complete failure were the same either way, so if they were going to die they might as well do it making sure these bastards weren’t going to destroy any other planets.  “How, though?”

 

Daniel’s brow creased as he thought furiously.  Finally it came to him.  “I think I know where the shuttle bay is.”

 

Vala shook her head, “And?”

 

“And, shuttle bays have ships full of fuel and fuel stores.  They make a big explosion.”  He smiled at the thought of using the alien’s equipment against them.  “Let’s get going.”

 

“How do we set it off?” Vala asked as she took her position at the end of the gurney to push while Daniel was their eyes and protection.

 

“A little something we call ‘kamikaze.’”

 

---

The sun was fast approaching the horizon, heralding the beginning of dusk, and it was making everyone except Teal’c and the still unconscious Carter antsy.  Not that they would dare say it, though.  Teal’c had been adamant that they weren’t moving until Carter woke up unless it was a dire emergency.  And none among them were brave enough to cross the stone-faced Jaffa.

 

But they were closing in on two hours, and the Atlanteans were beginning to doubt that the Colonel would be waking any time soon, if at all.  Not that they’d say that, either.  But they were sharing meaningful looks, exchanging the odd gesture, and trying to nominate someone to be their spokesperson.

 

It was finally Lorne who was shoved forward, since it was deemed he knew the most about SG-1 by virtue of the time he’d spent stationed at the SGC.  The Major knelt with his gun on his knee and cleared his throat softly as he considered how to start.  “Teal’c,” he finally said, gaining the man’s attention, “I think it’s time we start considering that maybe it would be best if we got the Colonel to an infirmary.”

 

Teal’c’s gaze remained rooted to Carter’s face, as it had been for most of the last two hours.  He would occasionally take her pulse and call her name, but other than that there had been precious little activity in the meadow.  “No,” he said, totally resolute.

 

“Teal’c,” Lorne shifted to sit and gaze at the large man, “there might be something wrong that Doctor Keller could fix.  But we need to be on Atlantis.”

 

Teal’c shook his head and said again, “No, because she is awakening.”

 

Lorne leaned forward to see that Carter’s face had taken on tension and lines, that her eyes were edging open the slightest bit, and she was reaching up to grasp at Teal’c’s forearm that was clasped around her stomach.  “Well,” Lorne smiled, “would you look at that.  It’s good to see you, Colonel.”

 

Carter made an odd grunting noise and raised her hand, blocking out the sun that was angled so it hit her eyes just so.  Lorne noticed the move and changed position so he blocked the sun and Carter dropped her arm immediately, as if holding it up had been a great effort.

 

“Colonel Carter,” Teal’c said her name softly as he offered his canteen that she grasped and drank from gratefully.  “Are you well?”

 

Carter made another inarticulate noise as her head rolled on Teal’c’s arm so she could get a better view of the others arrayed around them.  Her eyes spent awhile appraising them, her squinted gaze flicking to and fro as if she couldn’t decide who to look at.  When Teal’c touched her cheek Carter’s eyes flew to his immediately and held.  “Colonel Carter, do you know who we are?”

 

Her face creased as she continued to stare, but they couldn’t tell if it was from an effort on her part to answer, or because she didn’t know, or simply because she couldn’t fathom why he was asking.  When her lips finally parted they all leaned forward slightly to hear as she rasped out, “Teal’c.”

 

Teal’c’s grin split his face, “Indeed.  It is good to see you.”

 

Carter raised her arm again and placed her hand on his lips before he was entirely finished speaking, much like her earlier gesture.  This time, though, she accompanied it with, “Shh.” 

 

Teal’c inclined his head in understanding as she closed her eyes and relaxed in his arms.

 

Carter allowed herself to take comfort in Teal’c’s presence as she allowed her eyes to droop shut and strove to remain utterly still.  Her head pounded.  Every sound, every movement, every thought sent the low-grade constant throbbing into a crescendo of incessant pounding, like someone was working a jackhammer inside her skull.

 

It was the worst headache she’d ever had, and when you were someone who’d had an alien parasite die in their brain and your entire consciousness removed, that was a significant pronouncement.

 

But she knew who she was.  She knew who the others were.  She could move, think, and as far as she knew, talk.  And those were all pluses.  Nothing felt different, besides the massive headache, and she found that slightly odd.  Carter had no idea what she’d been expecting, but for someone who’d supposedly just had a ton of information dropped in her head, Carter felt like her thought processes were pretty damn pedestrian right now.

 

Teal’c watched with a fond smile as Colonel Carter dropped into a light doze.  He looked up when Lorne started rummaging in his bags and pulled out two tablets of aspirin.  “I’ve got these,” he said as he held them out to Teal’c.

 

The Jaffa eyed the little white pills then shook his head, “Two are inadequate.”

 

“Oh,” Lorne said, looking at the pills and then the others, “well how many does she take?  I’m sure we have enough.  Three?  Four?” The Major hazarded.

 

Teal’c tilted his head and replied, “I believe Colonel Carter must normally consume no less than six aspirin to see any effect.”

 

“Uh,” Lorne looked up from the pills Sheppard had handed him and blinked, “six?  At once?”

 

“Indeed.  It is for that reason she stopped using them.”

 

“Oh, well, what does she use?”

 

“Nothing you have, I am sure.  Doctor Frasier and later physicians prescribed something.”  Teal’c apparently considered that the end of the discussion because his gaze went to the horizon and sky before returning to Colonel Carter.  “I believe it is time we depart.”

 

Ronan nodded, “It will be dark soon.”

 

Teal’c nudged his charge, “Colonel Carter, we must return to the ship.”

 

“Ugh,” Carter rolled her head and blinked at him then nodded slightly.  She grasped his arms as he stood, pulling her with him, and then wobbled as her legs lost their rubbery feeling.  Carter spent a moment assuring her balance and then released Teal’c and nodded, “I’m good,” she whispered.

 

McKay gestured to the machine, “Are we bringing this?”

 

“Indeed.”

 

McKay gathered the device and they set out at a slow pace to accommodate Carter’s cautious movements.  They made the Stargate just as full darkness descended on the planet and the stars started twinkling.  Sheppard dialled and they stepped through to daylight and blue sky.

 

“Gotta love planet hopping,” Sheppard said as he descended the steps.

 

Carter turned back at his comment and her gaze landed on the Stargate.  She spent a second considering the device when her headache suddenly surged fiercely and she was assailed with endless numbers, equations, and symbols she only barely understood.  The onslaught hit so hard she was brought to her knees.

 

Teal’c was there instantly, his hand on her shoulder, as the others clustered around.  “Colonel Carter?”

 

Carter gritted her teeth as she pressed her forehead into the dirt, desperate to still the sudden swirling of information.  Eventually it eased off and she leaned back only to feel another set of hands clasp her face.

 

“Colonel Carter, you are bleeding,” Teyla said as she held a Kleenex to the Colonel’s gushing nose, the blood already running over her lips and off her chin in a red stream.

 

Carter took hold of the Kleenex and waved with her other hand saying, “I’m fine.”  She moved to stand but only got half-way up before she fell into a heap, her entire body convulsing in a seizure.

 

Teal’c reacted instantly.  “Dial Midway Station,” he ordered as he gathered Colonel Carter into his arms and stood.

 

McKay had been closest to the DHD and was frantically slapping symbols before the command fully left Teal’c’s mouth.  Once the wormhole opened Sheppard charged through first to start dialling the next Gate to Atlantis with Teal’c hot on his heels.

 

The wormhole to Atlantis had barely stabilized before Teal’c almost leapt through, a still shaking Carter in his arms.  He burst out onto Atlantis, his expression as near panic as it had ever been, and bellowed, “Doctor Keller!”

 

---

“Run!  Straight, Vala!  Go!”  Daniel yelled as he frantically tried to reload his gun.  Three separate guards from three directions had caught them and he’d expended a lot of ammo to take them down.  Which was why he had an empty clip when this alien had stepped out directly into their path.  Daniel had immediately given the order to charge, turning the gurney into an impromptu battering ram.  He knew it wouldn’t stop the alien, but it would buy him the time he needed.

 

The alien slammed into the wall with an audible poof and Daniel clicked the clip home just as Vala started to pull the gurney backwards.  Daniel didn’t hesitate as he took aim and fired, dropping the alien permanently.

 

They were almost to their destination and he’d be damned it they were going to be stopped now.  “Right, Vala.  We’re almost there,” Daniel said.

 

“Excellent,” Vala huffed, “this isn’t as easy as it looks.”  She was straining as they wheeled into the shuttle bay but Daniel had never been so proud of her.  He shot out the door controls as they headed to the closest ship.

 

It took some doing to get the gurney in, and Daniel immediately spotted a problem when he laid eyes on the cockpit.  “Vala, there are pedals.”

 

“Really?”  She sounded intrigued, obviously not keying in on the significance.

 

“Yeah, I can’t-“

 

“Pff,” Vala waved her hand dismissively, “really, Daniel, you’re supposed to be smart.  You’ll just have to sit on my lap.”

 

Daniel’s eyes widened, “Uh,” he stalled as he flicked his gaze between the controls and the woman beside him and realized she was totally serious.  “Okay, let’s do it.”  He shook his head as they manoeuvred into position, idly wondering how all the members of SG-1, past and present, seemed to get themselves into these situations.  He figured it must be a curse.  Or maybe a blessing since, until now, they’d all come out in one piece.

 

“Okay, ready?” Vala asked.

 

“Um.” Daniel checked their positions, his arms braced on the back of the chair she sat on and the control console to boost himself, her ready to guide him and lift, “as I’ll ever be.”

 

“On three.  One,” Vala said.

 

“Two,” Daniel echoed as he readied his arms.

 

“Three!”  They said it together and in one bumpy but continuous motion, Daniel was on Vala’s lap.

 

“All right,” Daniel muttered as he looked over the controls.  He was no expert but he’d been in enough ships to realize they had the same basic functions and the principles of flying were identical the universe over.

 

Vala wrapped her arms around Daniel’s waist and rested her cheek against his back.  “The pedals are for banking.  Tell me when you want to go left or right.”

 

“Gotcha.”

 

It wasn’t long before they were lifting up gently, hovering as Daniel looked around for a likely target.  His hunt was interrupted as the shuttle bay doors opened to admit a throng of angry aliens.  “Oh, boy,” Daniel said as he slapped at what he figured were the weapons controls.

 

There was a slight delay and then the ship let loose a large volley, flattening the aliens that had entered and taking out a number of ships.  “Vala, we’re going to spin in a circle, to the right.”

 

Vala nodded against his back and activated the appropriate pedal.  She felt the motion as they started to turn rapidly, then heard the accompanying explosions as Daniel blew the shuttle bay to pieces.

 

Daniel kept a close eye on the explosions and knew when one was suddenly much larger that they’d hit something vital.  “Okay, stop spinning.  Now right.  Stop!  We’re out of here!”

 

He shot the ship forward, firing one last time to blast open the shuttle bay doors.  A large explosion rocked the ship after they left and Daniel turned to check out the damage.  His elation diminished as he swore, “Damn.”

 

“What?  Daniel?”

 

“The ship’s huge,” Daniel said as he shook his head, “the damage to the shuttle bay isn’t enough to take them out.”

 

“So what do we do?”

 

Daniel rotated and looked around, then noticed the shuttle was caught up in whatever field the ship created to travel at this fast a speed.  Then his eyes drifted to the large, obvious engines that were just above and to the right of them, “I think I know.”

 

“But?”  She could hear the tone in his voice that meant although it would accomplish their goals, there was a serious drawback.

 

“But it’ll probably get us killed.”

 

“Tell me,” Vala squeezed him in encouragement.

 

“We ram this thing into their engines.”

 

Vala was silent for a while as she thought that over, “What will that accomplish?”

 

Daniel smiled a little, “It’ll knock them out of this…hyperspace or whatever it is.  And I may not be Sam, but I’ve spent enough time listening to her to know that suddenly being knocked out of this will tear the ship apart.”

 

Vala nodded in understanding.  The forces on the ship would be too great for it to withstand upon a sudden exit, and without engines to help correct its course and speed, the ship’s destruction would be assured.  She squeezed him again, smiling into his back, “Let’s do it.”

 

Daniel didn’t respond.  He just reached down to squeeze her hand back and then lined up the ship and let the engines rip.  They shot forward so suddenly he was pressed back into Vala so the duo found themselves in a backwards hug.  Daniel allowed himself to lean back and relax.

 

There were worse ways to die.  They were doing good for the galaxy’s sake.  They were together.  He would get a good light show.  And it wouldn’t hurt. 

 

Vala leaned into the hug and smiled again.  It wasn’t what she’d pictured for her death.  In her mind, she’d died alone, an outcast, without a purpose, having never fit in anywhere.  This was more than she had ever hoped to have, and with her last act she was preventing the destruction of countless other planets.  It was a good feeling.

 

Those were their last thoughts before the shuttle struck and their world erupted into heat, and light, and the absence of sound, and then…nothing.

 

---

Elizabeth Weir was getting a report from one of the teams about a device they’d found when the Stargate activated and she was informed it was Colonel Sheppard.  She raced to the control area in time to see Teal’c charge through the event horizon and hear his desperate yell.

 

She’d been prepared for anything.  At least she thought she had.  But Teal’c running through with a bloody, convulsing Colonel Carter in his arms, followed by Sheppard and the others, all of whom had slightly haunted looks on their faces hadn’t been in her top hundred.

 

Doctor Keller and a medical team had arrived and were halfway out of the room, Teal’c at their heels, before Elizabeth got to the bottom of the stairs.  She zeroed in on Sheppard and asked, “What happened, Colonel?”

 

Sheppard ran his hand through his hair and gestured in the direction of the medical personnel, “It’s a long story.”  They started walking to the infirmary, totally silent, the rest of his team and Major Lorne behind, and took up position just outside the infirmary.

 

Sheppard turned to Elizabeth and lowered his voice, “Earth’s gone, Elizabeth.  Completely.”

 

“By gone…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

 

“It is in pieces,” Teyla’s quiet voice filled the gap, her sorrowful eyes wide and caring, “I am sorry, Elizabeth.”

 

She swayed and Sheppard steadied her, guiding her to a chair as it sank in.  “But…I thought.  Gone?”

 

“Yeah,” Sheppard nodded, “three big pieces just…floating there.”

 

“And the aliens?”

 

“Gone,” Ronan said as he kept an eye out for anyone who they might not want to stumble upon this conversation.

 

“So, what happened?  What’s wrong with Colonel Carter?”

 

McKay cleared his throat and shifted, thrusting a metal box into Elizabeth’s line of sight, “Well, you see, after we saw the planet Sam got a little,” he paused, considering how to describe the events that followed, “well, she made a decision.”

 

“What kind of decision, Rodney?  And what is that?”

 

“Apparently, Earth had something set up in case this happened,” Sheppard said.

 

“Meaning?”  Elizabeth motioned for them to continue, fed up with their vague answers and whatever they were dancing around trying not to say.

 

Ronan finally took the bull by the horns and dove in, “This,” he gestured to the machine, “was made by Earth to download a bunch of stuff into someone’s head.  Colonel Carter,” he pointed to the infirmary doors, as if they needed reminding who was who, “decided to use it to get revenge.”

 

Elizabeth blinked as she ran that over in her head and decided she hadn’t understood a word.  “Wait.  What?”

 

“General O’Neill left them with instructions to this device,” Sheppard said, “and they decided to use it.  And everything seemed fine except for a major headache until she just dropped.  Then there was blood, and a seizure, and we headed back here,” Sheppard finished with the pertinent details, sure Elizabeth would have more questions – because he sure as hell did – but knowing they could wait.  And they had to, because he didn’t have the answers.

 

“Okay,” Elizabeth raised her hands as she stood, “you can explain later.”  She led the way into the infirmary and they immediately saw Teal’c standing against a wall, hands clasped behind his back and rigid, as he gazed at Colonel Carter being worked on by Keller.

 

“Teal’c.”

 

“Doctor Weir.”

 

“Have they said anything?”

 

“Not as of yet.”

 

Elizabeth nodded and briefly clasped his arm as they waited.  It was perhaps ten minutes later when Doctor Keller finally broke away from where Carter was being settled into a bed and headed for them.

 

“You’re going to want to see this,” she said as she gestured at a computer screen.  “You see here,” Keller said as she pointed to a few areas that were lit up, “Colonel Carter is definitely using more of her brain than normal.  About twenty-six percent in total.  And the areas associated with memory and recall, as well as skills acquisition and learning are all hyper-stimulated.”  She pointed to a few more areas then turned to look at them.  “Which means that machine definitely did something.”

 

“Why did she have a seizure?” Sheppard asked.

 

Keller sighed, “I can’t be entirely certain.  It was likely just a matter of overload.  Too much, too fast.  Her brain hadn’t had time to adjust yet.  Did anything happen to trigger it?”

 

Everyone started shaking their heads until Teal’c spoke, “Colonel Carter looked at the Stargate.”  When he didn’t seem inclined to continue, Keller gestured for elaboration, “O’Neill indicated scientific information was among that contained by the device.  If Colonel Carter thought about the Stargate’s function, it could trigger information related to it.”

 

McKay nodded in agreement, “Yeah.  Physics, wormhole theory, not to mention time travel and all the other things that might be possible functions of the Stargate.”

 

Doctor Keller nodded as well, “That sounds possible, especially since she was fine until that moment.”

 

“Yeah, but,” Sheppard held his hands out in question, “who looks at something they’ve seen every day for eleven years – that they figured out – and thinks about how it works?”

 

McKay raised his hand slightly in silent response.

 

Teal’c turned to eye Sheppard, an expression on his face that made Elizabeth think she was missing something important, and said, “You obviously do not know Colonel Carter well.”

 

Keller jumped in then, “It could have been a subconscious process.  Either way, it doesn’t really matter.  I’ve given the Colonel something for the inflammation of her brain that was probably contributing to her headache, and I think with some rest she’ll be fine.  There are already signs that her brain’s adjusting, and if there were going to be any major problems we would have seen them by now.”

 

“Except that’s not what happened with the Ancient repositories,” Elizabeth said as the only person in the room except for Teal’c who’d read all the reports on those mishaps.

 

“The repositories downloaded far more information than was given to Colonel Carter.  It was too much for O’Neill’s brain to hold,” Teal’c said as he started to head towards Carter’s bed, “I am sure that was a main concern of the scientists who developed this device.”  Teal’c pulled a chair over beside the bed and sat, taking up Colonel Carter’s hand in his own and starting his vigil.

 

The others recognized it for the tacit dismissal it was.  They filed out at a nod from Elizabeth who stayed behind until it was just her and Teal’c.  “I’ll need a report from you at some point, Teal’c.  And I’d like to know why you and Colonel Carter didn’t tell me about this fallback plan of yours.”

 

Teal’c nodded after a long silence, “Indeed.  Once Colonel Carter awakens.”

 

Elizabeth nodded and left, the weight of a destroyed planet and her duty to inform the others about it settling on her shoulders.

 

---

Teal’c sat in silent darkness, unwilling to leave despite the numerous people who had tried to coax him out of the infirmary.  He couldn’t count the number of times, the total cumulative hours, he had spent at his friend’s bedsides in the past eleven years.  He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know.

 

One thing he did know was that no one had ever been alone for long unless the world was in danger, and even then Doctor Frasier had been a friendly face for seven years, as much a member of the team as the rest of them.

 

And despite the hordes of people on Atlantis concerned for Colonel Carter, and the competent and kind Doctor Keller, Teal’c couldn’t help feeling like it wasn’t the same.  These people hadn’t been through all the things SG-1 had gone through together, hadn’t weathered crisis after crisis the SGC had endured.

 

So Teal’c sat, because to move felt like a betrayal.  He could meditate in his chair and the medical personnel ensured he had something to eat and drink every once in awhile.  He sat, and he stared, contemplating his life if the woman before him did not get better.  It was a bleak future, indeed. 

 

Colonel Carter was all he had left, just as he was all she had.  Together, he was sure they could conquer anything, but apart his prospects were dull and depressing.  Teal’c resolved that Colonel Carter would awaken because he required it, and she knew very well what leaving him would do. 

 

Teal’c leaned forward to deliver his conclusions into Colonel Carter’s ear, missing Sheppard’s entry into the infirmary.

 

Sheppard studied the bed for a long moment as Teal’c leaned forward then turned to Doctor Keller who was set up off to the side, surrounded by papers and files.  As he approached he stepped carefully over a few stacks and removed some papers from a chair so he could sit.  “Little light reading, Doc?”

 

Keller looked up briefly and snorted, “Hardly.”

 

“How’s she doing?”

 

Keller’s eyes flicked to the woman in question as her lips pursed, “Better.  The swelling has come down completely.  Her blood pressure has stabilized, and her brain activity isn’t all over the place anymore.  For all intents and purposes, Colonel Carter is sleeping.”

 

“So why isn’t she awake?”

 

Keller shrugged slightly, “Sometimes the body just knows it needs rest, time to adjust.  She’ll wake up when she’s ready.”

 

“And Teal’c?” Sheppard couldn’t keep the concern out of his voice as he turned to study the large man whose pallor was looking a little off and had dark circles around his eyes.

 

Keller sighed and put down her file entirely, “He hasn’t moved from that chair in the last nineteen hours.  I don’t think anything’s going to get him out of here.”

 

“Anything except Colonel Carter, you mean,” Sheppard said.  He looked around at more of the papers and finally held up a sheaf, asking, “What is all this, anyway?”

 

The doctor groaned and rubbed her eyes and temples, “Colonel Carter’s medical file.”

 

Sheppard’s eyes popped wide open, “Are you serious?”

 

She nodded, “And this is just volume one.  There are two more,” she inclined her head to the far corner of the table she was working on at two files, one that was so thick it was almost bursting, the other a quarter of the size.

 

“And you never read it before?”

 

“I never had reason to know more than basic history.  She never had so much as a cold when she was here.  Now, though,” Keller waved some papers around agitatedly, “I’ve been playing catch up.”

 

“Hm,” Sheppard set his papers down when another sheet unlike the others caught his eye, “and this?”  He held up the list of words inquiringly.

 

Keller glanced up, “Oh, at least someone had the foresight to highlight the important stuff.  Those are drugs that don’t react well with the Colonel.”

 

“Ah, you know,” Sheppard replaced the sheet and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, “I’m beginning to wonder if I want to still be doing this in five more years.  We’ve had some weird stuff happen, but not on this scale.”

 

“They did seem to always get into trouble,” Keller mused.

 

“Doctor Keller,” Teal’c’s call broke into their conversation and they turned to see him standing at the Colonel’s bedside, a hopeful look on his face. 

 

Teal’c had felt the slightest squeeze from Colonel Carter’s hand and had responded instinctually before the significance could register.  When it had, it had been in the middle of another, stronger squeeze.

 

Carter’s eyes opened seconds before Doctor Keller and Sheppard arrived.  Her eyes flew around the walls, not immediately recognizing them, until they landed on Teal’c and she relaxed.  He smiled and she managed to respond, squeezing his hand again for good measure.

 

“So, Colonel Carter,” Keller started as she leaned over the bed, “how are you feeling?”  She took the Colonel’s pulse and adjusted an overhead lamp to get a better view of Carter’s face.  Carter squinted and pulled her head away from the light as it stabbed her eyes.  Keller immediately turned it away, “Sorry, Colonel.”

 

Carter’s eyes were on Teal’c when she finally responded to the doctor’s question, so she missed the confused looks on Keller and Sheppard’s faces as she spoke.  Teal’c had little reaction, simply inclined his head slightly and raised his eyebrow.

 

“Uhh,” Keller was at a loss for words as Carter quickly realized something was wrong and started looking between them all.

 

“Teal’c?” Carter said as she tugged on his hand a bit to encourage an answer out of him.

 

“Colonel Carter, you must repeat what you just said, in English.”

 

Sheppard leaned over to Teal’c a little while Carter stared in shock and asked, “What language was that?”

 

“Goa’uld.”

 

“Huh,” Sheppard nodded, “I didn’t think she knew that.”

 

“Colonel Carter did not.  It appears she now does.”

 

Carter blinked uncomprehendingly.  In English?  She’d answered in English…hadn’t she?  Not according to Teal’c.  Carter reviewed it in her head and found she couldn’t recall either way making a choice about what language to use.  This time so consciously focused on the words as she spoke, “I’m okay.  Headache.  A little dizzy.”

 

Doctor Keller nodded, “Unfortunately, I think you can expect the headache to stick around.  Your brain’s not used to all that activity.  How bad is it now?  The truth, Colonel.”

 

Carter’s forehead creased in thought as she considered how to respond.  How did one quantify head pain?  Compare it to other head pain, except this doctor hadn’t been around to see the agony she’d suffered for months after the Ashrak had tried to fry her brain, or know what close-range zat fire felt like and the havoc it wreaked on the nervous system, or countless other experiences she could compare it to.  What did that leave?  “Bad, but I’ve had worse.  A lot worse.”

 

Doctor Keller nodded, “You need to tell me if it gets any worse or starts debilitating you, so we can start you on some medication.  Or if it goes away completely, of course.”

 

“If it goes away completely?” Teal’c said.

 

Keller looked up, her expression carefully neutral, “Yes.  The fact is, no one’s ever been in this situation before.  Considering everything Colonel Carter’s just put her body through, you have to expect some permanent damage or side effects.  I’d say a headache is coming out on top.”

 

Carter shifted in the bed, restless with the inactivity and uncomfortable with the attention already, and had to agree with that.  “When can I go?”

 

Keller eyed the Colonel carefully, well aware from her reading that all of SG-1 were notorious bad patients who campaigned for release as soon as possible.  “You’ve stabilized and nothing’s changed in the last twelve hours, so there’s nothing more I can do here.  You can go to your quarters if Teal’c will keep an eye on you and you’ll get some rest.”

 

Carter nodded immediately.  Teal’c mimicked the motion a few seconds later.

 

“All right, then.  Get out of here.”

 

---

Teal’c immediately drew the curtains in his room as Colonel Carter headed for the bed, her motions still slow and shaky.  That she was intending to lie down and rest without any objections or side-trips only increased Teal’c’s concern.  She had never been one to concede easily to doctor’s orders unless it was really serious.  Only O’Neill had tended to resist when even he had to have known doing so was detrimental to his health.

 

Teal’c settled on the edge of the bed and helped adjust the cover then squeezed her shoulder.  Carter caught his hand and looked at him, a gentle expression on her face, “I’ll be okay, Teal’c.  I’m tired is all.  And it’s just a headache.”

 

“Indeed,” Teal’c said, nodding.  “You shall be fine.  I will accept no less.”

 

Carter chuckled the slightest bit then released his hand and turned on her side.  Teal’c remained where he was, watching over her for an untold amount of time, until suddenly she was thrashing around and then bolting upright, eyes wide.

 

The moment Carter was upright she grabbed her head and groaned, then half-fell out of the bed as she staggered to the bathroom.  Teal’c was there to catch her when she fell at the midway point, and he carried her the rest of the way, arriving just in time for Carter to collapse to her knees and lose the contents of her stomach.  Teal’c dampened a washcloth and put it on the back of Carter’s neck as her body continued to heave.

 

Carter gripped the edge of the toilet for dear life, it being the only thing keeping her upright until Teal’c returned.  He braced his arms on either side of her and Carter gratefully allowed her body to relax, relieving much of the tension that made throwing-up even worse.

 

It seemed to last forever.  Carter finally felt like her stomach wasn’t trying to crawl up her throat so she collapsed back into Teal’c’s chest, exhausted, sweating, and shaking.  Teal’c moved the washcloth to her forehead, providing the tiniest bit of relief.  But she still felt like the slightest movement would set off firecrackers in her head again, which had yet to come down from the jackhammer status her nightmare had caused.

 

After a time, Teal’c whispered, “Colonel Carter, we should move from the floor.”

 

“No,” Carter gripped his forearm, “I can’t move.  Just…let me lay here.”

 

So they sat, Teal’c as a makeshift lounger and Carter his boneless, quivering, but oh so precious cargo.  He soothed her to the best of his ability, and when he thought she’d fallen asleep Teal’c resolved to put her back in bed.

 

He shifted his arms carefully so Colonel Carter’s head rested against his shoulder and moved to stand.  Teal’c hadn’t made it into a crouch before Carter’s whole body jackknifed and she voiced an inarticulate groan.  He quickly adjusted his position but it didn’t matter.  Carter had moved into dry heaves.

 

“Colonel Carter, I must retrieve Doctor Keller,” Teal’c said although he was loath to leave her like this.  But if she couldn’t even get off the floor because the pain was so bad, medical intervention was required.  “I will return as swiftly as possible.”

 

Carter kept her eyes closed and listened to Teal’c leave, holding her body rigid lest she set of another wave of agony.  She couldn’t move, could barely think, and she wasn’t going to open her eyes because even the slightest amount of light was anathema to her right now.

 

All that left was waiting, dependent on Teal’c, and the opportunity to wonder if she’d made a colossal mistake.  She dismissed that thought immediately.  It would do no good now.  She’d made her decision and now she had to live with it.  Regretting it was counter-productive.

 

Carter’s arms started to give out from the strain of supporting her so she let herself collapse onto the floor, the motion causing flashes of light to erupt behind her eyes and her ears to buzz as that firecracker she’d been avoiding went off.  She groaned and pressed closer to the tile floor, hoping it would leech some of the pain out of her body. 

 

Eventually it waned and she squinted her eyes open.  She looked at her shaking hands and the new scars that were starting to fade from angry red to pink.  Carter’s eyes flicked up and she caught her reflection in the stainless steel storage cabinet that was across from her.  She stared, hardly recognizing the gaunt face with sunken, empty eyes surrounded with black circles.  Her cheeks were more hollow than normal, her jaw more defined, and the scar that was forming from the cut along the outside of her left eye pulled the skin outwards, making it look like it was permanently squinted closed just the slightest bit.

 

Souvenirs.  They were her souvenirs of the apocalypse.  Monuments to Earth’s destruction, SG-1’s death, and her failure.  They were permanent reminders but more importantly, they were visible motivation for her revenge.  Because she’d have revenge, even if she had to rip the galaxy apart to get it.

 

The door opened with more force than necessary making Carter wince.  Teal’c kneeled and placed his hand on her back as Keller sat in front of the Colonel, the doctor’s bag open before her.

 

“Colonel, I need to know if anything triggered this?”  Carter closed her eyes.  Looking at Doctor Keller required too much effort.  “Colonel?”  Keller’s gaze flicked to Teal’c in question.

 

Teal’c rubbed Carter’s back a few times, “Colonel Carter, you must respond.”

 

Carter licked her lips carefully, the movement of her jaw triggering little lightning bolts of pain, “I had a nightmare,” she said, almost inaudibly, “I woke up, sat up quickly, and it just…exploded.”

 

“How long ago was this?”

 

Carter had no idea.  She hoped Teal’c did.  The Jaffa consulted the clock on the bedside table and reported, “It has been nearly forty-five minutes since Colonel Carter first awakened.”

 

“And it hasn’t gotten any better?”

 

“No,” Carter said, “just talking makes it worse.”

 

Doctor Keller tried to keep her face passive but Teal’c was watching her like a hawk and she knew he saw her reaction.  She started digging in her bag for painkillers, mentally listing options.  The problem was anything Carter took for even moderate pain had to be fairly strong to start with because of the Colonel’s wonky body chemistry, so severe pain – pain Keller was pretty sure would be chronic – needed something that packed a hell of a punch.

 

“Colonel Carter, have you ever had a migraine?”

 

“No.”

 

Keller was disappointed even though she’d expected the answer.  If Carter had even a tiny history of migraines, this could possibly be an exacerbation of that condition and meant different drugs that weren’t strong narcotics.  “Okay, Colonel, I need to know you’re hearing me.”

 

Carter mulled that over for a moment then cracked her eyes open to peer at the doctor.  She tried to force herself to listen but knew most of it was going to go in one ear and out the other.  But that’s what she had Teal’c for.

 

“This isn’t just a headache, or a migraine.  It’s pain, very likely chronic pain.  And managing that means using a heavy-duty drug.  Have you ever taken Percocet?”

 

“No,” Carter said after a moment’s thought.  “Isn’t that habit-forming?”

 

Keller paused in rifling through her things and looked at the Colonel, “It can be with long use.”

 

Carter started to shake her head but stopped immediately, wincing, as she replied verbally, “No.  I don’t…want that.”

 

“Colonel,” Keller leaned closer and touched the woman’s shoulder, “you can’t even stand Teal’c lifting you off the floor.  You can’t function at all.  If you let this get out of control you’ll end up having to take even more drugs to manage it.  You need this.”

 

“What about something else?”

 

Keller pulled the bottle she’d been looking for out and checked the contents, “I’ve been reviewing your medical file.  I think this is the best option.”

 

“But-“

 

“You could down an entire bottle of aspirin right now and I guarantee it wouldn’t do a thing for you.  Please don’t fight me on this.”

 

Carter was still and silent for a long time as Teal’c continued rubbing circles along her back.  Finally she answered, “Okay.”

 

“Okay,” Keller nodded, “these are five-hundred milligram pills.  Never take more than two at once, and never more than eight in a day.”

 

Carter squinted at the white tablets suspiciously, “No schedule?”

 

“Some people take them as needed.  I think that will work best with you, I suspect your condition will flare up based on other factors.”  The doctor handed a pill over, “Take one now and we’ll see how things go.”  She stood to retrieve a glass of water while Teal’c helped slowly ease Carter into a half-reclining position.

 

The Colonel downed the pill with a look of distaste.  They settled her back in bed twenty minutes later with a minimal of discomfort.  As Carter drifted off, Keller motioned to Teal’c to step outside.

 

“Did you require something, Doctor Keller?”

 

“She seems pretty against taking those pills.”

 

“Indeed.  Colonel Carter has never been fond of painkillers,” Teal’c said.

 

“Hm, well she needs these ones.  You have to keep an eye on her, Teal’c, and call her on it if she’s not taking them when she needs them,” Keller said.  She wasn’t entirely sure if Teal’c knew how out of control things could get if a patient let their pain get the better of them.

 

“I had intended to do so from the beginning.”

 

“Good.  You’re a great friend, Teal’c, just make sure you take care of yourself, too,” Keller said.

 

Teal’c inclined his head, “Indeed I shall.  Once Colonel Carter has recovered more she will be most displeased if she sees I have neglected my own health.”

 

Doctor Keller smiled, “Well, that should be motivation enough.” 

 

Teal’c nodded again in response then returned to Carter’s bedside.  As he closed the door, Keller couldn’t help but think how good those two were for each other.  And how lucky the rest of them were.  She couldn’t imagine trying to manage either of them without the other’s presence.

 

---

Carter pulled on her jacket and didn’t even notice when she had to try multiple times to do up a few buttons.  She was getting used to perpetually shaking hands, just as she was getting used to looking in the mirror and seeing a very different face staring back.  She leaned against the sink and scrutinized her reflection then shook her head, “You’re a mess, Carter,” she muttered.

 

The last twenty-four hours in bed with Teal’c constantly hovering nearby hadn’t done her much good.  The only change was that her head no longer pounded so much it kept her from thinking.  It was just a low-grade constant ache, kept that way by the painkillers that had in essence become her lifeline.  She’d never been a fan of strong narcotics, but even she would admit using them was vastly better than not being able to move.

 

And now it was time to venture out because she had things to do.  When she stepped outside the door of their quarters Teal’c was there waiting patiently, a pair of sunglasses in his hand.  Her eyesight was still extremely sensitive so she accepted them with a smile.

 

“I believe Doctor Weir wishes to speak with us,” Teal’c said as they started walking.

 

“I imagine,” Carter said, “that it won’t be a very nice conversation.”

 

“Indeed.  I cannot be certain, but I believe Atlantis has still not been informed.”

 

“Are you serious?  It’s been two days!”

 

Teal’c nodded, “I am aware.” 

 

They had arrived at Elizabeth’s office and stepped inside when they saw she wasn’t with anyone.  The strain was showing on the doctor’s face but she managed to smile at them as she waved them in.  “Please, sit.  Colonel Carter, I hope you’re feeling better,” Elizabeth said.

 

“Just peachy, thanks,” Carter said, “What’s this about everyone not knowing?”

 

Elizabeth leaned back in her chair, taken aback by the Colonel’s attitude and immediately on the defensive, “It isn’t something you can just blurt out, Colonel.  I’ve been thinking out the best way to break the news and considering support for when we do.  And there are logistical issues-“

 

“Logistical issues my ass!  You’re stalling, and the longer you put it off the worse it’ll be.  Just tell them.  They need to know so they can start dealing with it!”

 

“Colonel-”

 

“No!  Stop!  If you don’t tell them, I will,” Carter said lowly, her eyes obviously locked on Elizabeth even though they weren’t visible behind her sunglasses. 

 

Elizabeth returned the look evenly, at a loss about what to do or say to smooth over this situation.  “I can’t do that.”

 

“Really?  It’s easy.  You just open your mouth and words come out.  You’ve been doing it all your life.”  Carter paused again and when Elizabeth still gave no indication she was going to do anything, Carter stood and was gone.

 

Teal’c seemed as shocked as Doctor Weir but recovered far more quickly and was following seconds later.  Elizabeth finally forced herself into action and followed the duo to the control area.

 

Carter walked to the nearest console she could address the whole base from and slapped the appropriate buttons.  A technician moved to stop her but froze at the cold look he got from the woman he recognized as not only his superior, but former commander.  Then Teal’c was between Carter and everyone else in the room, his glower keeping everyone at bay.

 

“Colonel…” Elizabeth arrived just as Carter activated the system but had nothing to say beyond that.

 

Carter didn’t even spare Weir a look before she started speaking, “Atlantis, we have some bad news.  Likely everyone knows Teal’c and me arrived about a week ago.  What you weren’t told was that Earth had been taken over by aliens.  Two days ago we, along with Colonel Sheppard and his team, got back from seeing if there was anything we could do.  There wasn’t.  Earth is gone.  It doesn’t exist anymore.  I’m sorry,” Carter finished and deactivated the system. 

 

As she turned, she got that feeling like all the air had been sucked out of the room.  Everyone who could see them was staring, equal attention paid to both Carter and Elizabeth.

 

But Elizabeth didn’t notice, she was too busy fuming, “You had no right to do that.”

 

“I had every right.  It’s their planet.  Their families.  Their lives.  You wouldn’t or couldn’t do it, you should be grateful.  Now if you’ll excuse us,” Carter said as she turned and headed for the stairs.

 

“Colonel!  I’m still in charge of this base.  We aren’t done here!” Elizabeth had raised her voice and it drew even more attention from the shell-shocked personnel who were ready to latch onto the nearest diversion.

 

Carter paused with one foot on the first step and turned to look over her shoulder.  She pulled her sunglasses down her nose and met Elizabeth’s eyes, “You don’t get it, do you?  Earth is gone.  The US Air Force is gone.  All the rules are gone with them.  I don’t have to listen to you, Doctor Weir,” Carter held her gaze for a second more then pushed up her sunglasses and continued down the stairs.

 

Elizabeth shut her eyes and rubbed her forehead as she felt a headache starting.  This wasn’t the person she’d dealt with before.  This Colonel Carter was different.  Unrestrained and unrestricted by military protocol, hierarchy, and regulations she was an entirely different entity.  One Elizabeth had no idea how to interact with, and one she was pretty sure was capable of anything.  God help us, she thought.

 

---

Carter grumbled under her breath as she marched down the corridor.  Everyone they past was staring gape-mouthed but she tried her damndest not to notice.  She stuffed her hands in her pockets reflexively but stopped in her tracks when her fingers closed around an object.

 

“Colonel Carter?”

 

She didn’t hear him.  Carter stared at the small box with purple writing, absolutely transfixed as neurons started firing and images flashed behind her eyes.  Her mind whirled with more languages than she could keep track of, referencing and cross-referencing, translating and rearranging.

 

It clicked.

 

Carter’s head jerked up and she grinned.  “I’ve got it, Teal’c.”

 

“You have got what?”

 

She thrust the box towards him, “I can read this.”

 

“Indeed?  Is it of use?”

 

“Oh, hell yeah,” her grin widened as she started leading them back to their quarters, “Come on, I’ll tell you about it.”

 

---

Teal’c set the tray of food on the table and clasped his arms behind his back as he watched Colonel Carter work.  She’d been going systematically through the alien PDA for the last six hours, writing down anything and everything of relevance.

 

The aliens called themselves Vantari.  Their standing orders were to obtain subjects of enough genetic similarity to the Vantari who had either injuries or disabilities the same as those most common among the Vantari people or who could successfully be inflicted with such conditions.  They had been authorized to go as far as was necessary and do whatever was necessary. 

 

What Teal’c found most pertinent was that the wholesale destruction of planets was not simply because they were malevolent beings who sought destruction for destruction’s sake.  From what technical information Colonel Carter had gleaned, it appeared that a substance they created by dispersing a chemical on planets powered their ships.  The chemical reacted with the base elements of the planet, ultimately resulting in severe damage or complete destruction, but creating enough of their power source to run their ships for a significant amount of time.

 

It seemed to him a fundamental design flaw and he had said as much to Colonel Carter.  She had agreed but suggested that perhaps the composition of their worlds were different and the power source was naturally abundant there.

 

Teal’c refocused on Colonel Carter and noticed her face had taken on the look it often got when her brain was making connections too quickly for her conscious mind to follow.

 

Carter allowed herself to unfocus and forced the tension from her body when that familiar disconnected feeling engulfed her body.  She’d quickly figured out that the process went faster and easier if she just let it happen, a difficult task since she liked to be in control of herself.  But the rewards far outstripped her discomfort, and she was getting more comfortable with it every time it happened.

 

She watched as her mind pulled together various information about the Stargate, then numerous Ancient technologies.  Next Asgard symbols flashed before her eyes, followed swiftly by the miniscule amount of knowledge they’d gleaned from the Tollan.  It all transformed into numbers and mathematical symbols, floating freely on a black landscape.  This was her domain, an area where she could follow the lightning fast developments and connections without effort.

 

Carter tentatively tried to take control of the process and reached out, gently moving the symbols around into equations.  She quickly realized where it was all going and started moving faster, frenzied.  Her heart rate picked up as it started to coalesce in her head and the implications became clear.

 

She gasped as it ended and she was left feeling like she’d just slammed back into her own body, swaying slightly on the stool.  Teal’c was there, steadying her, his head cocked in question.

 

Carter blinked and released the edge of the table to wipe at the sweat on her face.  She saw a flash of red and realized her nose had started bleeding again.  Not gushing this time, just a small trickle.  She turned to Teal’c, “I know what we have to do.  I know how to do it,” Carter said as excitement shone in her eyes.

 

Teal’c pushed the tray of food closer to Colonel Carter and nodded for her to continue.  This was the most animated he’d seen her in weeks.  But he felt the slightest bit of hesitation.  She’d started to change already, and he feared revenge would fully destroy some of the best parts of the woman he called friend.

 

“Teal’c, we can save Earth.”

 

That stopped him cold.  He literally froze in his movements, one hand suspended mid-air on its way to retrieve the glass of water he’d brought.  It was the last thing he’d expected to hear, because if one thing was certain, it was that Earth was gone.  He turned to meet her eyes and saw the conviction in them.  And he believed.

 

“Explain.”

 

---

“Are you crazy!” McKay yelled as his arms flailed wildly, “That’s madness!”

 

“It will work,” Carter said from where she sat, calm and cool in a briefing room chair.

 

“How can you be so sure?”

 

“Because I can see it all in my head, McKay, and I know it’ll work.”

 

Sheppard shifted, unsure if he wanted to jump in-between the two scientists.  When he realized Elizabeth wasn’t going to speak, he bit the bullet, “What you’re suggesting impacts more than just us.”

 

“Yes,” Carter said.

 

“Well,” Sheppard hesitated and fiddled with the pen on the table, well aware he hadn’t been able to say much more than one sentence to Carter lately without pissing her off, “what right do we have-”

 

“Don’t give me that bullshit!”  Carter slammed her hands on the table, suddenly on her feet and glowering as her control slipped, “I’m talking about stopping people who are using the rest of the universe as their guinea pigs!  How long until they reach the Pegasus galaxy?”

 

“There is nothing to indicate that is their aim,” Teyla said, “once they reach their goal-”

 

“Once they reach their goal they’ll realize they’ve just conquered an entire galaxy!  Why stop there?  Damn it!” She slammed her hands again and spun from the table in frustration, “You know it’ll happen!  And I’m not here asking for your help, or your permission.  I’m telling you as the last survivors of our species.  I’m telling you so you’ll know what we’re doing and so if you have any problems with it, you can tell me now.”

 

“And if we do?” Elizabeth finally spoke up.

 

“We’ll leave,” Carter said immediately.

 

“And go where?” Teyla asked, “You do not know this galaxy.  You do not have any allies, nor the equipment this would require without Atlantis’s help.”

 

Carter shrugged, “We’d figure it out.  I’m doing this.”

 

Elizabeth sighed and placed her elbows on the table, “We need to discuss this.”

 

“Fine,” Carter said as she and Teal’c stepped outside.

 

Sheppard flicked his pen off the table in agitation, “I don’t see what we have to discuss, Elizabeth.  Colonel Carter’s going to do it.  That won’t change no matter what we decide.”

 

“Unless we stopped them,” she said.

 

“What,” McKay said, “You mean like…lock them up?”

 

“It’s an option.”

 

Ronan weighed in as he leaned against the table, “I don’t understand what your problem is.  Colonel Carter is saying she can bring back your planet.  Your entire people.  I’d be on board with that.”

 

“Sam’s suggesting they go back in time and prevent the Vantari from ever becoming a threat,” McKay said, as if the rest should be obvious.

 

Ronan shrugged, “And?”

 

“And, we don’t know anything about them.  What they did, who they are.  It could have massive repercussions for everyone.”

 

Doctor Keller chimed in from one corner of the room, “And there’s the little fact ‘preventing them from becoming a threat’ probably means genocide.”

 

Ronan shrugged again, “And?  How many people have they killed?  How much genocide have they caused?  Kill a few to save a lot.  Where’s the problem?”

 

“Time travel itself is the problem.  Ethically.  Morally.  And to do it to wipe a people out,” Elizabeth shook her head, “it’s inconceivable.  I don’t think I can live with that.”

 

“You will not have to,” Teyla said, “if Colonel Carter and Teal’c succeed, this will never have happened.  You will have never made the decision.  And if they fail, no one will have been killed.”

 

Sheppard raised his hands to quiet them, “Ultimately it’s out of our hands.  The question is, do we want them on Atlantis while they do it?”

 

Silence as they all exchanged looks and finally turned to Elizabeth.  She was still for a long time, her hands over her face, and then finally nodded, “I’m not kicking them out.  I won’t do that to two people who routinely saved the world.  People I respect.  They might change their minds.  Or it might not even work.”

 

Sheppard stood and nodded, “I think that’s the right decision.  I’ll go tell them.”  He never thought he’d be in a position to see the world saved after it had already been lost.

 

---

47 Days Later

 

Carter sat back and eyed the device.  After a month and a half of work, the fruits of her labour weren’t very impressive.  But they didn’t need to be because it would work.  It was roughly the size of a remote control and didn’t look like anything to write home about.  It was black, had a small display, and a few scattered buttons. 

 

She hadn’t wanted it to look impressive or interesting.  Impressive and interesting drew curiosity and attention, and Carter couldn’t do anything now without considering the possibility that it could end up with them – and by extension the device – in enemy hands.  And she certainly wasn’t planning on handing time travel to anyone.  Not the Goa’uld, the Replicators, the Ori, and especially not the Vantari.  Hell, not even Earth if – when – they got it back.

 

The remote control was not, in fact, the main device; it had simply taken the most time to complete because of its intricacies.  The main device was a generator that took up a sizable amount of the lab.  It would actually create the rift they would use while the remote would pull them back after a predetermined amount of time.  The remote on its own was fairly useless unless one had an extraordinarily good grasp of the principles and intent behind its construction.  Carter was pretty certain she was the only person who fit that description. 

 

“Colonel Carter,” Teal’s said from where he stood at the door, having just arrived with his daily delivery of lunch.  He walked blithely into the lab she had taken over, not disturbed by the extremely low lighting and the fact that every available surface was covered in scribbled equations.  And it was every surface, the floor included.

 

He often thought perhaps she did it on purpose to discourage visitors.  When Colonel Carter had first begun her work she had not been able to turn around without tripping over someone.  As the lab grew increasingly eerie, the number of interruptions dropped drastically, although Rodney McKay still hung around a lot to watch.  Indeed, Teal’c often thought it had been intentional, but Colonel Carter had become increasingly oblivious and disconnected from everything except her relentless drive to make the device and Teal’c himself.

 

Carter smiled in greeting and grabbed the water, immediately downing a Percocet.  Today was one of her worse days.  There were many she could get through without taking a single pill.  And there were others that required them almost every four hours or more, to the point where she was often exceeding the eight a day limit.

 

“I’m done, Teal’c,” Carter said softly, aware he had some reservations and unsure of his reaction.

 

Teal’c stilled.  He knew this pronouncement was coming and he had been mulling over his response.  Ultimately, there was only one, “Then we must discuss our course of action upon our arrival in the past.”

 

Carter took a moment to simply bask in his total support.  Then she nodded, all business, “I think the ideal thing to do is hit their shipyard.  From what I got off the PDA, it looks like all the ships came from a single planet in Vantari territory that was also the manufacturing centre.  If we take that out, no invasion.”

 

Teal’c nodded, “A sound strategy.”

 

“But?” Carter asked.

 

Teal’c raised an eyebrow.  She knew him well.  “But their numbers are surely vast.  How are we to accomplish our goal in our allotted forty-eight hours?  It is not enough time to plant explosives on each individual ship and the manufacturing areas.”

 

“I know,” Carter said, “so we take it all out.”

 

Teal’c was silent a moment as he inferred her meaning, “The entire planet?”

 

“Yes,” Carter nodded, her eyes locked on his face to deduce his thoughts.

 

Teal’c eyed her carefully, saw the resolute set to her jaw and quiet, deadly gleam in her eyes that almost dared him to suggest it wasn’t the best tactic when he knew damn well it was.  In that moment, he understood that the past two months had wrought more change in Colonel Carter than eleven years of continuous war had.  He understood and he could not fault her for who she had become.  So he simply asked, “How?”

 

Carter stood and moved to the back of the lab where she rummaged around before returning with another machine, this one far more sinister looking.  Its shape communicated ‘weapon’ before Colonel Carter opened her mouth.  “I made this first.  It was easier.  Weapons are always easier,” she said as she set it before him to study.

 

“What does it do?” Teal’c did not think it looked like a bomb, but if it was, the thought that something capable of blowing up a planet could be made so small and be the product of Colonel Carter’s hands unsettled him.

 

“It’s a wormhole generator.  You wouldn’t ever be able to use it for travel like a Stargate, that’s not its design.  It’s a weapon, through and through.  And it can eat planets,” Carter said, and Teal’c wondered if she was aware just how dispassionate her voice sounded.

 

“When do you wish to depart?” And with that question, Teal’c gave his approval to the entirety of the plan.

 

“As soon as we can get our gear together.”

 

“Indeed,” Teal’c said and nodded, “I shall gather supplies and inform Doctor Weir.  You,” he grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards the tray, “will eat.”

 

Carter gave a mock two-finger salute as he left the room and muttered, “Yes, sir.”

 

---

“What will happen if you are successful?” Teyla asked as Carter settled her pack and adjusted her weapon.  “Will we remember?  Will the timeline begin at this point, but with different events?”

 

Carter shrugged, “I don’t know.  It’s pretty safe to say you won’t remember any of this.  Whether time picks up now, or wherever the first major change occurs is anyone’s guess.”

 

“What about you guys?” Sheppard asked.

 

Carter shrugged again and turned to see if Teal’c was ready, “I don’t know.  We won’t be in our timeline to be affected by the changes.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we remember it all.”

 

“I am prepared, Colonel Carter,” Teal’c said.

 

Carter nodded and started putting commands into the generator that would create the rift, “You guys need to get out of here.  You don’t want to get caught up in it with us,” Carter said absently as she finished and moved over beside Teal’c.

 

Sheppard was the last one out of the room and paused at the door, looking back to say, “Good luck.”

 

The duo nodded in tandem and watched as he closed the door.  Teal’c grasped Colonel Carter’s hand tightly.  They did not know what the trip would be like or if there was a possibility that they could be separated.  Teal’c was not going to lose Colonel Carter now.

 

The last thing they saw was the wall of Carter’s lab blur and undulate before it disappeared.

 

---

The world was still.  Silent.  Nothing moved.  No sound penetrated the darkness.  Teal’c got the impression that they were the only two people out under the black sky, and that suited him just fine.  The fewer the people, the less their chances of being caught.

 

They had arrived one year prior to the Vantari’s departure to begin their assault on the rest of the universe.  Colonel Carter had been uncomfortable with arriving mere days beforehand, since the possibility they would be discovered and fail had been too great. 

 

And arriving hundreds or even thousands of years before the Vantari even claimed this planet as their manufacturing centre, although easier, would have had too many consequences.  They very likely would have developed a different kind of technology not dependent on the properties unique to this planet, or become even more powerful and unstoppable.

 

But a year suited their purposes perfectly.  The Vantari were fully committed to this technological track and they were just slightly into their massive campaign to expand their fleet for invasion.  Which meant all the best minds behind their military and ship technology were gathered here, one giant target.  In one move, they would destroy the Vantari’s ability to build the ships they were skilled in, and eliminate the people most likely to invent an alternative.  It was also a safe bet that major military and political leaders were also present to oversee the project, and their deaths would undoubtedly further hinder the Vantari agenda.

 

Teal’c was fairly confident that the Vantari would be crippled for decades, potentially longer if their lack of space worthy ships put them at the mercy of other species in their area of space.

 

Carter gazed in the darkness as her eyes adjusted more rapidly than she had expected.  She simply counted her small blessings and motioned to Teal’c.  The biggest hinge to their plan was that, for maximum effectiveness, the wormhole generator needed to be deployed in space.  Which meant they had to hijack a small shuttle, fly it up there, and set off the generator all undetected.

 

It would work on the planet, but the chance of discovery on a planet they knew nothing about was greater than if they were in a ship.  They had a maximum of two days to accomplish their goal, but could go back sooner if they were ready before then.

 

Carter peered around the corner of a building and blew out a sigh of relief when she saw the spaceport just down the street.  She’d calculated it so the generator would deposit them within half a mile of the port, but things like that were always chancy, and she’d been counting on the information in the PDA being accurate.  For once, it appeared that things were going to plan.

 

They moved down the street in a steady but cautious leap-frog formation.  As Carter checked one last corner before the gate she saw a Vantari guard come around the corner, patrolling the spaceport.

 

She pulled back and pressed against the wall, motioning to Teal’c who was across the street that one was incoming.  Carter reaffirmed her grip on her gun as her hands shook a little more.  She couldn’t help but think about doing much the same thing on Earth.  They’d spent three long days dodging Vantari, getting into the odd confrontation and barely escaping with their lives.  The only thing that had kept them alive was that they’d known the city.  Carter was achingly aware that they did not have that advantage this time.

 

As the guard closed in on Teal’c’s position Carter readied her zat in case the impossible happened and Teal’c missed.  Guns were a last resort.  Zats, while silent, were bright and only a slightly better option.  This mission called for absolute stealth in the form of knives and snapped necks, because if they were caught it was the two of them against an entire planet.

 

Teal’c moved in a blur, suddenly emerging from the dark alcove he’d been hiding in and grabbing the guard around the neck, his other hand covering the Vantari’s mouth.  There was no sound; the Vantari’s neck was just suddenly sideways as his body slumped to the ground. 

 

Carter crossed the street carefully and arrived just as Teal’c pulled a key card from the guard’s pocket.  She kneeled next to the body and tugged off his jacket, wrapped it around the zat while Teal’c blocked the alcove’s entrance, and then vaporized the body.  

 

Then they were moving again.  As the approached the gate Teal’c motioned to indicate a guardhouse.  There was no way to kill the guard without taking the chance of being seen.  They circled around the perimeter, taking out two other patrols, before they found a dark secluded section to scale.

 

They dropped to the ground and Carter felt like pumping her fist in triumph.  There was an array of small shuttlecraft before them.  They boarded one and Carter went directly to the back compartment, pulling out wires and ripping covers off consoles.

 

Teal’c was securing the door and taking up a position so he could watch for any on-comers.  “Colonel Carter?”

 

Carter fiddled with a few wires, tracing them back to their origin, and confirming that the particulars matched up with the schematics she’d gotten from the PDA.  “Give me an hour, and I can rig this up into a cloak,” Carter said.   The Vantari didn’t have cloaking technology, but they didn’t realize how close they actually were. 

 

Teal’c nodded and studied the horizon, “I believe the sun will rise shortly thereafter.”

 

Carter nodded her understanding, “I’ll be ready.”

 

---

The sky was just turning pink in the pre-dawn hours when Carter sat back with a satisfied smile, “Done.”  She walked to the cockpit and hit a few controls to engage the cloak.

 

Teal’c nodded his approval, “I believe we must depart before we are discovered.”

 

Carter took the seat beside him as he prepped for take-off.  Stealing the ship was risky enough because someone was eventually bound to notice it was missing, but it wouldn’t do to have some errant guard or technician walk into it.  And that wasn’t taking into account the missing guards.  The faster they got off the planet, the better they would both feel.

 

Teal’c lifted the ship up just as the sun burst over the horizon, providing a picturesque view before they broke out of the atmosphere and into space.  Teal’c rapidly adjusted course as they broke out into space and almost ran directly into another ship.

 

Carter almost swallowed her tongue at the sight before her.  There was an armada before them.  Nearly a hundred ships, most of them massive in scale, were floating serenely before them.  She hadn’t expected this.  If their fleet had already been this large, she didn’t know why they needed to start a major building project before they struck out for Earth and other planets.

 

Ultimately, the why was immaterial.  What mattered was that this changed things.

 

“Will your wormhole device still work?”

 

Carter blinked as she pulled her eyes from the fleet and rubbed her head.  She stood and headed for the weapon, absently pulling a bottle from her pocket and popping a pill, “Yeah.  I’ll just have to dial up the power levels and effective range.”

 

“How long will that take?”  Teal’c settled the ship into orbit on the dark side of the moon and set the sensors to alert him if anyone got too close.

 

Carter started pulling tools from her pack and pulled a panel off the generator.  “I’m not sure.  It would help if I knew for sure how far out they have their ships stationed.”

 

Teal’c took that as his cue and started long range passive scanning.  It wasn’t long before they had their answer, “Colonel Carter, it appears that there are major deployments just past the third planet, for a total of three-hundred ships.”

 

Carter whistled softly as she peered at the results over Teal’c’s shoulder.  “That’s a lot.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

“I’m going to have to really dial up the power if we want to be sure we get it all.  It’ll probably take several hours.”

 

Teal’c turned back to the controls as he said, “Then you must get to work.  I will keep watch.”

 

---

It was, in fact, eight hours and forty-six minutes later when Colonel Carter declared that the device was now prepared.

 

Teal’c watched as Colonel Carter set the time delay on the trigger.  It would engage twenty seconds after it was turned on.  The device would immediately put out an energy signature once it was powered up, and a longer delay would give the Vantari time to take action.

 

The two of them simply needed enough time to grab their remote and key in the sequence that would pull them back into their proper timeline.  Admittedly it was cutting it close, but they wanted to be sure nothing had time to go wrong.

 

“All right, Teal’c,” Carter said as she placed the device in the Vantari transporter, “Get ready.  One, two,” Carter paused to ensure her finger was on the right button, “three!” She flicked the switch nano-seconds before speaking then pulled her arm back as Teal’c immediately activated the transport.

 

The device was gone and it was lighting up their sensors like the fireworks on the Fourth of July.  Carter grabbed her pack and pulled the remote from her pocket as Teal’c ran next to her.  She started keying in the proper command as they watched the Vantari ships approach the weapon.

 

With five seconds left on the countdown, Carter pressed the final button.  Teal’c grabbed her left hand as the walls of the ship started to blur and dance, just as the walls of her lab had.  The last thing she saw was a blurry number one before it all disappeared.

 

Except it didn’t happen like it happened before.  This time it was agony.  Carter felt like her entire body was compressed then it was being ripped apart, pulled in a thousand different directions at once.

 

She felt her pack ripped from her hand and then realized her grip on Teal’c was slipping as well.  He responded to her squeeze, taking a tighter hold and trying to pull her closer, but that only added to the agony.  Their arms were stretching farther and farther apart as the distance between them increased, but still they refused to let go.

 

With one final rending tear, Carter felt her entire arm pulled out of its socket, her nerveless fingers releasing Teal’c’s hand.  Without her help, his strength was insufficient to keep them tethered together and they spiralled apart.

 

As Carter dropped into screaming, twisting agony all she could think was that she would have liked to have seen Teal’c’s face one last time.

 

---

Landing was a shock.  He’d been falling, falling into nothing, falling forever.  Then the sensation that something was different, and now he was falling towards something.  Before Teal’c had time to do much of anything, he hit the ground so hard his teeth rattled.  He tumbled and rolled then finally, blessedly, stopped.

 

The sky was grey.  Grey, smoke-filled, and eerily still.  It set his nerves on edge.  Teal’c pushed himself up onto his elbows as soon as he felt capable of it and stared. 

 

He knew only two things for sure.  One, he was not on the Vantari planet, there were too many fundamental differences.  And two, Colonel Carter was nowhere to be seen.

 

Pushing resolutely to his feet, Teal’c set out to remedy the only one of those things that mattered.  He was here, and Colonel Carter had to be somewhere.  He would find her.

 

Choosing a direction randomly, Teal’c set out, keeping his eyes open for anyone but especially Colonel Carter.  There was something in the atmosphere of this place that he didn’t like, something that unsettled him and suggested that somewhere, something was very wrong.

 

He eventually came across a distinctive SG pack, one he knew had to be Colonel Carter’s since his had been secured to his back the entire time.  He picked it up and stepped up the pace, sure now that he was headed in the right direction.

 

Teal’c fingered his weapon as he pushed onward, determined that no one would keep him from his goal, even if that meant he had to shoot his way through.

 

---

Carter was pretty sure she would have rather kept falling into infinity.  It had acquired a certain kind of serenity after awhile, and it was far preferable to her current reality.

 

When she landed, Carter had the misfortune of doing so on her severely dislocated arm.  It had happened abruptly, leaving no time to adjust her position, so she’d bore straight down on it, then followed that up by tumbling down a hill further battering the beleaguered limb.

 

And Carter was pretty sure her arm and her head were in some kind of competition to see which one could hurt the worst.  She couldn’t move.  It was a situation she had hoped dearly not to repeat again since it didn’t get better the more times you did it.

 

Carter carefully inched her right arm across her body, questing for the bottle of Percocet that was, of course, in her left pocket.  She pulled it out then had to conquer the child-proof lid with one shaking hand.  When Carter finally popped it off it was to send a little explosion of Percocet confetti across her chest as a half-dozen pills rattled their way out.

 

Carter cursed under her breath as she scooped two up and dry-swallowed them.  Psychologically she felt better immediately, but she knew trying to get up would be an exercise in futility.

 

Finally she felt slightly more human and pushed herself up, getting a good look at her new locale.  It was depressing.  Barren plains spattered with sparse trees that were shrivelled and twisted like they had to fight every second of their lives for survival.

 

When she was finally on her feet, Carter decided to strike out forward, only because the hill she’d fallen down was at her back and she was certain she wouldn’t make it half-way up before collapsing.

 

Cradling her numb arm against her, she set out, determinedly setting one foot in front of the other.  She felt herself going slightly up and realized she’d fallen into a small basin, the other side of which was far less steep.

 

Hoping whatever lay beyond the basin was more impressive and welcoming looking than everything else, Carter raised her eyes from their scrutiny of her path.  And was met with a dozen gun barrels levelled precisely at her head. 

 

Carter stared in that shocked surprise that people felt when they’d just run into someone they never expected to see again in the most outrageous of places.  Like the middle of a bank robbery.

 

These people were Vantari, and yet they weren’t.  The hard outer shell that had made them so difficult to kill was gone.  They weren’t as tall or robust looking, either.  But they were pissed and well armed.

 

And behind the soldiers, stretched out in the field as far as Carter could see, were bodies.  Endless piles of them, strewn haphazardly, small fires burning among them, some starting to rot.  And none that she could see wore Vantari clothing.  It seemed they had not changed much at all.

 

Carter finally reacted, pulling her right arm away from where it hovered just over her P90 and raising it while her left hung limply at her side.  The soldiers didn’t so much as blink.  Carter was just starting to wonder why they hadn’t blown her to hell yet – since that had been their modus operandi – or if they were going to stand here forever in some bizarre Mexican standoff when there was rustling among some of the soldiers.

 

Another man came forward, his dress more elaborate but his face no less menacing, and sized her up in a very familiar manner.  Carter would eat her boots if this man didn’t end up being in charge.

 

Her suspicion was confirmed when he barked a short order then walked away.  Carter stared as his back as three Vantari surged forward, pulling her weapons and remaining gear from her before forcing her to her knees.  She paid the soldiers no heed as they secured her arms and manhandled her into a standing position.

 

The soldiers didn’t matter, and they weren’t doing anything she hadn’t experienced a hundred times over.  But that other man, the one in charge, she had a feeling she’d be seeing a lot of him.  And that she wouldn’t like it.

 

---

Teal’c had his weapon raised and aimed before he’d consciously realized someone was watching him.  “Who are you?”

 

Three people stepped out from a pile of rocks, their cloaks pulled around their bodies and hoods over their heads.  The one in front swept her hood back and gave a tentative smile as she raised her hands, “We mean you no harm,” she said, in slightly halting English with a heavily accented voice.  “We saw you fall from the sky.  Are you well?”

 

Teal’c gave a small nod, “I am.  I have a companion…”

 

The woman nodded, her red hair catching the sparse rays of sunlight, “The woman.  Yes.  We saw her as well.  I am sorry, she has been taken.”

 

Teal’c stepped forward, his anger clear, “Taken by whom?”

 

“The Vantari.” She said, immediately noticing his shock at hearing the name, “You know them?”

 

Teal’c did not know how to answer that question, so he asked one of his own, “You must take me to her.  I must retrieve Colonel Carter.”

 

The woman shook her head, her expression regretful, “I am sorry, but they are gone.  The Vantari keep their prisoners well guarded.  No one has ever escaped.”

 

“Colonel Carter will, with my assistance,” Teal’c said.

 

The three people shifted and conferred quietly, their lilting tones indecipherable to Teal'c, obviously not sure what to do with him.  Just as Teal’c’s patience was on the verge of running out the woman turned and stuck her arm out, “I am Rene.”

 

Teal’c clasped her forearm, “Teal’c.”

 

Rene smiled, “We will take you to where she was captured.  And then to our leader.  He may be able to assist you.”

 

“You are in conflict with the Vantari?” Teal’c asked as they started walking.

 

“Yes,” Rene said, “War.  For many years.  They were once a great force, but they suffered many losses at the hands of a distant enemy.  Now they are no more than local tyrants, with enough power to invade us, but not enough to conquer.”

 

They crested a hill and Rene gestured down.  “There.”  Teal’c charged forward without another word.

 

---

Teal’c felt like hitting something.  They had found precious little.  He had identified some tracks that belonged to Colonel Carter and retrieved a few spilled Percocet pills.  That was all.  Any other evidence had disappeared into the sea of bodies.

 

Rene had said nothing about the dead, but Teal’c had seen a look in her eye that he had grown accustomed to seeing in Colonel Carter.  These people were fighting for their survival as a planet, as a species.

 

They had returned to the Resistance’s base camp where Rene said Teal’c could speak with their leader.  The woman had refused to answer any further questions, like what Colonel Carter would face in Vantari hands.  She had simply said “he” would answer everything.  Teal’c had the uncomfortable feeling she simply did not want to be the one to tell him.

 

“Teal’c,” Rene waved at him from a doorway, “come.”

 

He followed her into a small room that was filled with maps, diagrams, and other tools of war.  Teal’c took only a moment to notice that it was fairly well appointed before he turned his attention to the man on the far side of the room.

 

When the man turned, Teal’c felt the axis of his reality tilt once more. 

 

“Baal.”

 

End.

 

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Continued in The Way the Future Changes

 

 

 

THE WAY