ALTERNATE TIMELINE

Jack O'Neill couldn't remember the last time he had felt this exhausted. He'd worked hard for three days straight, rising at 0500, getting to bed sometime around midnight … and all in the name of national security. Hell, the desk job was supposed to be easier on him. That was one of the reasons he had taken the promotion and removed himself from the SGC. 

When George Hammond had retired, Jack had seen it as the ideal opportunity to rest his battle weary body. He wasn't supposed to be on his feet eighteen hours a day, without food or… in some cases … a pee break.  His knees were in worse shape now than they'd ever been. They were protesting as he walked up the stairs towards his apartment.

As for his back…

Damn it, he could really use a massage, he realised as he let himself into his apartment.  There were places he could have gone. Even at 0200, he could have found a place to drink and a warm bed. If he hadn't been so god damn tired, he might have been tempted.

There had been times over the past year that he'd seriously thought about taking solace in a one night stand.  Times when he wished that he hadn't screwed things up so badly with Kerry Johnson. If he'd just been able to lie to her Jack doubted he be coming home to an empty apartment and a cold bed. As to the reason behind it all... well he hadn't seen her since he'd foolishly had her reassigned to the SGC. Not that they'd seen much of each other when she'd been at Area 51, but she'd definitely been less preoccupied.  Sure, they spoke on the phone, but it wasn't the same as seeing her every day.

After the trip to the cabin, Jack had finally thought that he and Carter had made a connection. But, wary that she was recovering from the loss of her father, he hadn't pushed her. She'd broken up with Pete, something he was truly grateful for, but she hadn't shown any interest in starting a new relationship… at least not with him.  Perhaps he'd been fooling himself and all she felt for him was friendship. He couldn't exactly blame her.

Letting himself into his apartment, Jack dumped his jacket on the couch and walked through to the kitchen to grab himself a beer. Thinking about Carter wasn't helping his state of mind.  When he thought about her, he wanted to talk to her. Then, before he really knew what he was doing, his cell phone was in his hand and he'd hit the speed dial.

At first, he thought she wasn't at home. The phone certainly rang for longer than he would have expected.

"Carter."

The voice that finally answered was heavy with sleep and Jack immediately felt guilty for disturbing her. 

"It's me," he replied, hoping she'd forgive him.

"Sir? Is there something wrong?"

That was Carter. All business. She probably couldn't even imagine calling someone at 2AM just because you were lonely and you wanted to hear their voice.

"No there's nothing wrong, Carter," he snapped back, embarrassment making him irritable.

Silence. He could almost hear her mind working. If the world wasn't in immediate danger then why was he calling her? This had been a dumb idea.  He was just a pathetic old man.

"It's nothing," he repeated. "I just read a report and I… wondered how you were doing?"

"You read a report, sir?"

There was a chuckle in her voice and Jack found himself smiling back.

"Not much else to do now I'm tied to a desk," he lied.

"You just got home, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

There didn't seem to be any point in denying it.

"You work too hard," her voice teased.

But the sad thing was… she was right. Since he'd moved to Washington, Jack was working longer hours than he ever had at the SGC. Which was saying something when, unbeknownst to anyone, his timesheet had rivalled Carter's when you added up the number of hours.

"Well, you know the President," he replied, lightly. "Once he gets talking…"

She laughed. He'd missed that…  

"So… got anything exciting planned?" he continued, trying to prolong the conversation.

"Well, Daniel's dragged us all off to Guatemala to look for some rocks."

"Is that all?"

"He thinks it might be the key to creating our own Sangraal."

"Cool."

"I hope so, sir."

For a crazy moment, Jack wished he were out there with them. Any country other than the US would constitute a major adventure for him these days. He'd even tried to pull some strings to get himself on a flight to England to visit Glastonbury and see how the investigations were proceeding.  For the moment, he couldn't recall why it had all fallen through.

"Sir… one more thing."

"What?"

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"Showing me the stars."

"Any time."

As he'd done so many times, Jack pretended he understood her words. Carter knew far more about the stars than he ever would. He recalled the last night they'd spent at his cabin when he'd forced them all to go stargazing. At least Carter'd had the decency to pretend to be interested in what Jack had to say. Daniel and Teal'c had made their excuses and left.

"I'd better go," she said, "my battery is nearly dead and I forgot to pack the charger."

"'night Carter," Jack smiled.

"Sleep well."

Talking to Carter had made him feel better, he realised. Even if she hadn't said much, the sound of her voice had worked wonders on his psyche. Jack promised himself that he was going to make time to get back to Colorado Springs and visit his friends. He hadn't had a vacation in over a year and he deserved a little time off. Jack was sure that the President could do without him for a week or two. Of course, that was the Ori situation didn't go to hell in a hand basket…

Sighing to himself, Jack stripped off the rest of his clothes and buried himself beneath his quilt. He was just dropping off to sleep when he distinctly heard a voice say,

"Hello, Sir."

Without thinking about it, Jack reached for his personal gun… only to find that it wasn't where it was supposed to be. Jack found himself blinking as the room was suddenly illuminated.

"Looking for this," the voice said.

The gun was tossed onto the bed. Jack stared at it and then at the person who had spoken.

"Sorry, I didn't want you to shoot me."

"You're not supposed to be here," was all he managed to say.

The woman that limped towards him looked like crap. If he hadn't already known, Jack would never have guessed that her hair was blonde. Matted with dirt and blood, it was longer than he remembered. One of arm hung limply at her side and her eyes were almost swollen shut. She'd been in a fight… and recently.

"I just spoke to you," he stated, refusing to believe the evidence standing in front of him.

He reached for his phone but her next words stopped him.

"My battery's dead… remember?"

How could she know that? How?  Jack had seen a whole lot of weird stuff fin his time at the SGC, but this was the first time any of it had followed him to Washington. The problem was, she was very likely to be who she appeared to be… but whether she was from this or another reality Jack wouldn't like to make a guess. As she hobbled closer, he had to fight the urge to reach out to her. He wasn't that certain… not yet.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"There's a disc. It has everything we know."

Her hands were shaking as she handed him the CD.

"You have to stop them, Jack."

"Who."

"SG-1."

"For crying out… Carter."

 

With a sigh, she crumpled forward and it was all Jack could do to catch her before she hit the floor.

***

He did his best to clean her up and make her comfortable, but Jack realised he was in for a long wait. Until she woke up there was no way he was ever going to find out what the hell she had been trying to tell him. Wary of the warning, Jack had attempted to call Carter again, but she hadn't answered.  He'd then tried Teal'c, Daniel, and… as a last resort, Mitchell but no one seemed to be at home… metaphorically speaking.  He had trouble believing that everyone's cell phones had simultaneously lost charge.  Of course, they could be out of range. Jack was so far outside of the loop and he had no idea what their plans might have been. He didn't even know exactly where they were.  How the hell was he supposed to pass on the warning?

Looking over at the other Carter… Sam… Jack wondered if he shouldn't try to wake her. He needed some kind of explanation if he were to give the order to recall SG-1. Assuming that was even possible… That was the problem. Jack didn't know for sure. Carter, the other one, had said they were in Guatemala but she hadn't given him any more details, and he hadn't thought to ask. Of course, he could give Hank a call, but then he'd have to explain why he wanted to know and… well it was kind of a vicious circle.  At the very least, he'd have a bunch of people here wanting to question this Carter. Something that he wasn't sure was in her best interests.  Given her medical condition, he was also certain that she didn't constitute much of a threat. If she did turn out to be Evil Sam, he was fairly confident that he could shoot her if it became necessary. He'd done it before.

The problem was waiting for her to wake up. If this was as urgent as she seemed to indicate then it had to be sooner rather than later. Consequently, Jack spent the next few hours perched on a chair that had been designed more as an artistic statement than as a place to sit. But he didn't want to leave the bedroom, just in case she needed something.

He was just contemplating calling the office to let them know that he'd be working from home when she suddenly sat up. Jack had closed the drapes to shut out the glare of the morning sun and the darkness completely disoriented her.

"Where am I?" she asked, a touch of panic evident in her voice. Jack made haste to open the curtains.

"It's okay," Jack said, kneeling by the bed, "I'm here."

"Jack?"

There it was again. His name. Sam never used his name unless he was dying … or she was. 

"Jack?" he returned the question.

"Sir?"

"Better."

"I forgot I used to call you that."

Now he was really confused. Used to? Unless she was some kind of future Carter?

"Time travel?" he questioned.

"In a manner of speaking."

At least she sounded a little more coherent.

"Could you get me some pain killers?" she asked.

"Right, sure," Jack replied.  He could actually do with some himself, he realised. His head was starting to hurt.

Jack took the gun with him as he went into the kitchen to get the drugs and some water. Sam took both gratefully. 

"I should get you to hospital," he told her.

"No… there's no time."

Jack didn't like it, but he was willing to go along with her… for now.

"You going to have to give me an explanation," he said.

Sam sank back against the pillows, closing her eyes. For a second Jack thought she had lost consciousness again, but she started to speak.

"All out fault," she whispered.

"What was?"

"We brought it back you see. We opened it."

"What?"

"You have to stop them Jack!"

She was getting hysterical again. Jack reached his hand out, brushing his fingers against her forehead. Sam was burning up, it was no wonder she wasn't making much sense.

"Brought it back from where? Guatemala?" he asked.

Sam nodded.

"What was inside?"

"Vicious, evil… they kill… and they're everywhere. There's nothing left. No SGC, no Stargate. I had to come back to try and stop it."

Changing the timeline? Things must be pretty bad for Carter to even consider futzing with history.

"Why didn't you go back to the SGC?" he asked.

"Not that accurate. I couldn't risk running into myself… it screws you up… even now… I'm too close."

A cough racked her body. Even shrouded by the comforter, Jack could see she was thin… far too thin. And her condition seemed to be deteriorating. He had the feeling that they didn't have much time.

"Daniel thought it might be a weapon. We brought… we will bring it back to the SGC. You have to get rid of it. If you can't get in touch with them, you have to make sure they don't open it. Send it into a black hole if you have to… just don't…"

"Okay I get the message."

He wanted her to save her strength.

"It's the 23rd today… just tell me when they're due back?"

"In two days."

"I'll be there, and I'll stop them… I promise."

She lay back on the pillows, seemingly satisfied with his reply. He quickly realised that he couldn't leave her, not like this. There seemed little he could do apart from watch her grow weaker. Every time he suggested going for the doctor, Sam just shook her head. She seemed resigned to her fate … whatever that might be. Every so often, she would repeat her plea for help and Jack would reassure her again. He piled blankets on the bed but he couldn't seem to stop her shivering. 

There were times when she grew a little more coherent.

"It had to be me," she replied to his query as to why she had been the one to bring the warning. "You flew the time ship back then I used an Asgard time compression device to come forward again. We had to do it that way because ..,"

"The timeship isn't good for short jumps… I remember."

"Didn't know that one of them had hitched a lift. It killed you… attacked me. I got bitten… there's no known cure. By the time we realised we had no labs left to analyse the venom. "

Sam started coughing again, drops of her blood staining the white sheets. It was like a punch to the gut to see her this way.

"Colonel I need to know everything about these creatures, just in case… just in case I don't get there in time," he said.

He felt like crap for asking, but Jack knew it could be the difference between life and death. Dragging together the last remnants of her military training, Sam told him. Jack had no choice but to keep pushing and pushing. He had to remember that Carter, the other one was alive and well. With luck, he could stop this ever happening to her.

Towards the end, he let her grow quiet. She deserved to die with some dignity.

"Jack," she whispered. 

"I'm here."

"When you go back make sure you take Cam and Vala."

"Mitchell?"

She nodded, her energy spent. He moved to her. Taking her hand and holding it until the flesh grew cold.

***

Sometimes he felt he could have woken her with a kiss. Even though he knew time was of the essence he sat with her body far longer than he should have. Until he reminded himself that, he'd already wasted a day and the others would be back on the morrow.

And he would see Carter again.

Feeling almost as if he were betraying her in some way Jack made some calls and arranged to have the body taken back to the SGC. He knew Sam would have wanted it that way. A post mortem would tell them exactly why she had died… and might give them important information regarding the enemy of which she spoke.

Jack travelled with her body.

He hadn't stepped foot in the SGC for over a year… and as the elevator started downwards, Jack wasn't so sure he wanted to see how everything had changed. The truth was that Landry was probably better at this than Jack would ever be. His replacement was a proper kind of general… wore his dress blues and everything. Hank's psyche was far better suited to watching his men go into battle. Even now, Jack worried about the fact that SG-1 had gone somewhere without him. 

Dr Lam took Carter's body away. She reassured him that she'd assign the autopsy top priority and even offered him the chance to watch. Jack declined… albeit politely. Even if the corpse turned out to be some clone, or artificial lifeform, to Jack she had been Carter. He wasn't about to watch one of his friends get sliced and diced.

Jack was left, once more, to play a waiting game. While he'd been away, he'd deliberately never asked about SG-1's missions. Not that he hadn't wanted to know, but he preferred to find out after the fact… when they were safely home and he didn't have to worry about them. As he wandered through the base, he was amazed by the number of new faces… and concerned about the old friends he couldn't seem to find. He ended up in the commissary, wishing Daniel was there to ask him questions he wouldn't listen to… Carter to share the blue Jell-o… Teal'c to eat everything in sight.

Hank had assigned him quarters, but Jack put off using them for as long as he could. He wanted to be on hand if Lam discovered anything of importance. Deep down Jack wondered if they might forget he was there and just carry on without him. However, the fact that he'd been awake for a very long time was definitely working against him. Eventually, he decided it would be unseemly for a Major General to fall asleep in the commissary and sought his bed.

***

One look at General O'Neill's distraught features had been enough to persuade Carolyn Lam to work through the night. Before she'd seen him, her first instinct had been to refuse his request. Even though Carolyn and her father had reconciled some of their differences, she still harboured a certain amount of resentment towards Jack O'Neill. He should have told her that General Landry had taken over as CO of the SGC.  She would never have taken the job if she'd known. 

Before she'd joined the SGC Carolyn hadn't worked all-nighters since she'd completed her residency but, over the past year, she had started to get used to it again. However, she hadn't quite been prepared for the profoundly disturbing nature of this task. Seeing the corpses of friends and colleagues was nothing new. The SGC was a tight knit community and every time one of them died Carolyn struggled not to take the death personally. Sometimes she wondered how her predecessor had coped. Janet Fraiser had died in the line of duty. Carolyn sometimes wondered if a similar fate didn't await anyone who stepped through the Stargate.  Somehow, staring at Samantha Carter's body had brought it all home. 

The two General's were sat before her, waiting for her report. O'Neill seemed unable to sit still whilst her father appeared to be an oasis of calm; two different men, two different leadership styles. Carolyn sometimes wondered what it would have been like to work for O'Neill.

"Well?" he asked, seemingly not able to wait for her to start.

Clearing her throat, Carolyn shuffled the papers in front of her.

"DNA tests confirm that the body is Samantha Carter," she began. 

O'Neill closed his eyes for a brief second before asking, "And we're sure she's still alive and well in Guatemala?"

"I had a communication from SG-1 first thing this morning," her father confirmed, "They're on their way back."

"So what killed her?" O'Neill said.

The passion was evident in his voice, even though he was trying to maintain a calm façade.

"Her injuries, although painful, were superficial. Her, blood work however showed the presence of a venom that was ultimately responsible for her death."

"Venom? What from?"

"I don't know, sir. Its molecular structure doesn't seem to match anything in our database. I'm getting some more tests done."

"And an anti-venom?"

"When we find out what it is we'll start working on a cure."

Carolyn could tell he was frustrated with her reply, but he had to realise that these things took time. 

"And this is something that SG-1 are bringing back with them?" Landry asked.

"Yeah. Carter wasn't very specific she gave me a CD but I haven't looked at it. We… we didn't get the chance to talk for long."

O'Neill paused for a second, seemingly trying to get his emotions under control.

"Did they mention any artefacts?" he went on.

"I spoke to Mitchell. He said they found a box. He also said something about Teal'c," Landry replied.

"What?"

"Apparently he's sick."

"Did Colonel Mitchell mention any symptoms?" Carolyn asked.

Since the Ori plague, she had learned never to take these things lightly. Even without his symbiote, Teal'c was very rarely ill. Injured, yes, but actually sick? Carolyn feared the worst. But this couldn't be some kind of alien virus. They were still on Earth, it had to be a tropical disease… something she could treat… or she hoped she could.

"If you'll excuse me gentlemen," she said, pushing back her chair, "I think I'd better get back to the infirmary."

If Teal'c was infected then it was a fair guess that all of SG-1 had been exposed. And Carolyn would have her work cut out for her.

***

Jack decided to go to Peterson rather than wait at the SGC… and if anyone dared ask, he would strongly deny he wanted to take the earliest opportunity to reassure himself that Carter was still alive and Teal'c wasn't sick… and to make certain that Daniel's enthusiasm hadn't gotten the better of him. He was starting to appreciate that Sam… the other one had given him the barest details of the threat that faced them. Jack wondered if she was concerned about altering the timeline. However, if she was worried about that then why did she go to so much effort to deliver a warning? He didn't know and if he were honest with himself he didn't care. Here and now was all that mattered.

He watched the plane land with a mixture of relief and trepidation. Not that he wanted any of his friends hurt, but he couldn't help feeling that a whole bunch of problems would be solved if the plane crashed. But it landed safely and, with a certain amount of trepidation, Jack walked out onto the tarmac to meet his team. 

Daniel was the first one off the plane, clearly eager to start playing with his new toy. The box was clutched protectively to his chest and Jack realised he was probably going to have a hard time wrestling it away. They needed to get that thing into quarantine and fast. Then maybe he'd have Carter start looking into ways to destroy it. Failing that, they could always send the box into the sun… or a handy black hole.  There would be arguments, and maybe a few tantrums, but Jack would get his way in the end.

Moving forward to greet his friends, Jack could see the confusion on their faces.

"Jack?" Daniel questioned, "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," Jack replied.

At his signal, several men moved forward and took the box from Daniel.

"Treat it gently, guys," Jack ordered.

"What are you doing?" Daniel protested.

"Taking a few precautions."

He refused to explain until they got back to the SGC, partially because he didn’t want to discuss it in front of the driver but mostly because it annoyed both Daniel and Carter. Neither of them liked the fact that he knew something they didn't.

"Where are we going, sir?" Carter asked as he led them through the grey corridors.

They'd expected to go straight to the briefing room, but Jack had something else in mind. He wasn't usually one for melodrama, but he figured that shock tactics were probably the only way he was going to get his message across.  Either that or they'd have him consigned to a rubber room with all the mashed banana he could eat.

He took them down to the morgue.

"I had a visitor while you were gone," he began.

Her body was there, and as much as Jack really didn't want to look at it again he knew it would prove his point.

Jack was pleased to see that Lam had followed his orders and the slab in the centre of the room was occupied.  A sheet covered the corpse. Once this was over, Jack swore that he'd give her a decent burial. She may not have been the living breathing woman who was currently standing behind him, but this version of Carter had still made the ultimate sacrifice.

"What has this to do with…" Daniel began.

But his words cut off abruptly as Jack twitched the sheet away from the corpse's face.

"Oh my God!"  Carter sounded like she was about to be sick.

Realising that he'd gotten their full attention, Jack pulled the cover back into place.

"Alternate universe?" Mitchell questioned.

He actually sounded excited about this.

"No," Jack said, "I think she came from the future. Our future and she was very clear about one thing… under no circumstances should you open that box."

"I wasn't going to… at least not right away," Daniel protested.

"Excuse me, sir, could we please get out of here," Carter said.

She looked vaguely green and Jack realised that this wasn't the best place to be having this conversation. Taking her elbow, he guided her out of the morgue, knowing that everyone else would follow his lead.

***

"At least let us find out where it came from," Daniel argued.

Sam was barely listening. Her mind was occupied with the image of her own body… lying in the morgue… cold… dead.

"Guatemala… I thought that much was obvious," General O'Neill replied.

"We found it in Guatemala, but it's like nothing I've ever seen. I need to analyse this Jack."

"Fine… just don't do it here."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm having it sent to Area 51."

"Jack!"

"That's enough Daniel. Another word and I'm having the whole thing sent into a black hole."

The General's words sounded harsh… even for him. Sam could tell that Daniel wasn't about to change the man's mind. If something did go wrong, it was probably better to have the box as far from civilization as possible and the middle of Nevada was as good a place as any. 

Daniel, she noticed glanced at Landry, clearly hoping that he would countermand General O'Neill's order. There was little chance of that. Although the two men were ostensibly of the same rank, O'Neill was technically Landry's boss… and it looked as if they were presenting an united front on this one.

As soon as the briefing broke up Sam found herself heading back down to the morgue. The morbid fascination probably wasn't healthy but she had to take another look. From what General O'Neill had said, this woman had died bringing them a warning that they were dangerously close to ignoring. She couldn't help feeling that any kind of investigation was dangerous.  Staring down at the corpse only reinforced her conviction. 

She studied the woman's form almost dispassionately, taking note of the differences.

"Most of what she said didn't make a whole lot of sense," Jack O'Neill's voice said.

Sam hadn't heard him walk up behind her but she was almost reassured by his presence.

"Does it ever?" she replied.

"I wasn't going to say that …"

Sam managed to force a smile. This wasn't really the time or the place for jokes.

"Were you there when she died?" she pushed.

"Yeah… yeah I was."

"Tell me how it happened."

"Carter… you really don't want me to."

He was right, she didn't. Sam knew that if she pushed him further she might hear things she didn't want to. She had the feeling that General O'Neill had experienced something profound. Something that Sam wasn't a part of… at least not yet. She could only hope that she'd somehow managed to avoid this. But the analytical part of her brain couldn't help asking… If they had managed to make a change, shouldn't the body have faded away? Were they caught in some kind of paradox? Or was she actually from some parallel universe and had somehow managed to influence their timeline?

The complexities of time travel were not something she really wanted to contemplate right now. With effort, Sam covered the corpse.

"You were with her, that's all that matters," Sam went on. "I'm glad she didn't have to die alone."

"Always, Carter… remember that."

"I'm trying, sir."

It seemed like a lifetime had passed since he'd last said those words. They had a new enemy in the Ori, new battles to fight. More reasons that they couldn't share a future.

"Cake?" he offered.

"Yes, sir."

Cake she could handle. Once they were sat in the commissary the combination of chocolate and sugar did its work and Sam found herself in a slightly happier frame of mind. With Daniel off to Area 51, perhaps the rest of SG-1 would get some downtime. Sam was sorely in need of a little R+R.  The trip had been more arduous than she'd anticipated and it had been almost a week since she'd gotten a full night's sleep.

***

Daniel found the writing almost by accident.  Being at Area 51 was one thing; booking time on the various instruments was something else. He'd found himself in the unfamiliar position of having to wait in line. It was almost like being back at university again. However much he pleaded and, in some cases, begged, no one was going to let him jump the queue. He almost suspected Jack of being involved somewhere along the line. And, as much as he might have been tempted, Daniel had made no attempt to open the box.

He'd been there a week before he finally managed to look at the surface under the electron microscope.  As soon as he did he realised that the person who had been examining hollow polymer particles did, in fact, have the better claim.  Although the sample preparation techniques could have resulted in some damage, there was no mistaking the results. The surface was as featureless as it was to the naked eye. How anyone had managed to machine something that smooth defied imagination. Especially when considered that the box had lain in a Mayan tomb for centuries.

Since the X-ray had proved uninformative, Daniel was hoping to stick the box in for an MRI, but he was going to have to wait. It had been frustration that had prompted him to start trying a few more unusual techniques, but looking at it under UV light had been an act of pure childishness… or so he'd thought at the time. His opinion changed when he saw the writing on the surface of the box. He traced the outlines of the glowing blue script wondering how on Earth it had gotten there.  Or perhaps Earth wasn't where it had originated? Daniel knew that there were several legends linking the Goa'uld with the Mayans. Perhaps this was something one of them had left behind? But the script wasn't any form of Goa'uld that Daniel had encountered. He found himself cursing that he wasn't at the SGC with ready access to his library … and Teal'c. There was something almost familiar about it, but all he could do was take pictures and hope that he could work it out later. He had the images e-mailed back to the SGC, for him to peruse during his leisure time.

The MRI was the last test scheduled. Daniel didn't honestly think it would reveal anything, but he wouldn't be able to sleep at nights if he didn't at least try every avenue of investigation. After that… well… Jack could throw the box into a black hole, should he so wish and Daniel would probably hold his coat. Thoroughly disgruntled, Daniel left the box with the technicians and told them to send the results to the SGC.  He left Area 51, intending to catch the next flight back to Peterson. 

***

Mary Franks really didn't want to be doing this. She hated staying late but she also had the biggest crush on Dr. Jackson. When he'd asked something inside had turned to mush and she'd found herself agreeing to run an MRI on his damn box. 

It certainly wasn't much to look at. About a foot square and made of some material with which she wasn't familiar.  It wasn't metal. It wasn't stone.  Some kind of polymer, she wondered. It wasn't just a box of that much Mary was certain. For a start, she would swear that the surface was warmer than its surroundings. Under infrared, she imagined she'd see a definite flare of light. But this wasn't her project. All she was assigned to do was run the MRI. That was it. Nothing else. Afterwards she'd been ordered to take the box to secure storage and leave it there. No one even seemed to be interested in what was inside. If Mary could have opened the box, she would have. However, there didn't seem to be any obvious way to do it.

Placing the box in the machine, she sat back to let the scan progress. Knowing it would take up to an hour, she left the scanner to scan whist she went to get something to eat… and see if Daniel Jackson had left yet. She was out of the room when the scanner started shaking... when someone or something was attempting to get out. 

***

Hank Landry sometimes had difficulty remembering what his house looked like in daylight. He'd been in command of the SGC for over a year and most of his belongings were still packed in boxes. He had chosen this life, so Hank kept his gripes to himself but he couldn't help wondering what an uninterrupted weekend would feel like. His life had never been what one could describe as normal, but the posting at the SGC was proving far more disruptive than any other of his military career. He could well understand why Jack O'Neill had only lasted a year in the job. If you had any hope of a life outside of the SGC then being in charge of the facility wasn't the way to achieve that. Ostensibly Jack had left because George Hammond had retired, however Hank often wondered if there hadn't been another reason for his decision. Health reasons were a possibility. Sooner or later you had to admit that you were too old to go out in the field. Jack had hung on a hell of a  lot longer than most people Hank knew. 

Landry had been in bed for precisely twenty minutes, when the phone started ringing. His hand shot out immediately and he grabbed it from the nightstand,

"Landry," he said, trying not to sound cranky. He'd learnt over the years that it was bad practice to shoot the messenger.

"Sir, we have a situation," the voice replied.

Didn't they always, Hank thought, but only to himself.

"I'll be there in thirty minutes," he said.

His uniform pants were hanging over the end of the bed and Hank pulled them on along with a civilian shirt. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered getting undressed.

He was lucky, in a way, that he'd managed to rent a place close to the mountain. Otherwise, gas prices alone would have driven him to bankruptcy.  Hank didn't hurry. Firstly, it would have been dangerous and secondly he didn't know the exact nature of the emergency. It was best not to ask over the phone. Although he was supposed to have a secure line, one could never be too certain. The only way to find out was to go back to work.

Jack O'Neill met him at the first check point, it could have been a coincidence but the fact Jack was wearing a casual shirt and dress pants seemed to suggest that he too had been dragged away from something. Two minutes later Colonel Carter dashed up, appearing slightly out of breath. Hank looked at her, then at Jack, trying to keep the smile from his face.

"Any idea what this is about?" Jack asked, sounding decidedly out of sorts.

"Not yet," Hank replied.

He wasn't about to speculate. The fact that Carter had also been called in was worrying him, but Hank was damned if he were about to show it… especially not in front of his predecessor.

Jack deliberately held back, he noticed, as they reached Level 28. Although he wasn't in any way intruding, he was clearly uncomfortable with being there. Or was he just itching to take charge? Sometimes with Jack, it was hard to tell. 

"Talk to me," Hank ordered as he strode into the control room.

"We received a distress signal from Area 51," the technician replied, promptly. "They say they have a foothold situation. They have it contained for now but…"

A dozen scenarios flashed through his mind, each of then discarded as Landry accepted the terrible truth.

"They opened the box," Colonel Carter breathed, voicing Hank's fears.

"Damn it," Jack snapped, "I told Daniel not to do that. You heard me, didn't you Carter? I expressly forbade him to…"

"To what?"

The voice belonged to Dr. Jackson and Landry couldn't help feeling relieved that the younger man was here and not still at Area 51. He had the feeling he was going to need his best team on this one.

"If you're here then why...?" Jack began.

"Why what?"

"Did you open the box?"

"No."

"You sure."

"You told me not to."

"When has that ever stopped you?"

"What happened to it?" Hank asked, stepping in to stop the argument.

"I'd finished everything and I left them to run an MRI," Jackson replied.

"Carter?" Jack asked.

"A magnetic resonance…" she began.

"I know what MRI means. I've had enough of them for crying out loud! What does it do?"

Hank didn't miss the flash of annoyance that crossed Carter's features.

"They put you inside a magnet and flip your protons…" she began, before stopping abruptly, her brow furrowed in thought. 

"Magnets," Jack said with a certain amount of relish.

"There was something in the information the other Carter left. I'll be right back."

Hank stepped out of the way as Colonel Carter charged past him with the single-minded intent of getting to her computer.

"Colonel Carter, you have an hour… Then I suggest we continue this in the briefing room," he said. "Jack, we need enough troops in the area to make sure nothing gets in or out."

"On it," Jack said, disappearing in the general direction of the red phone.

Technically, Jack was Landry's boss, but they shared the same rank and that was reason enough for Hank to start making suggestions. And both men knew that this wasn't the time for arguments.

Even after everything the other Colonel Carter had been through, they'd still managed to screw up. That, if nothing else, made Landry more determined to beat this thing. He'd make sure she hadn't sacrificed her life in vain.

***

It was weird, Sam realised as she loaded the CD onto her laptop, and opened the files. This was all her work and yet… it wasn't. There were subtle differences in the wording and the sentence structure that were indicative of her other self's state of mind. No one else would have noticed, but Sam did.  The flow of thought lacked a certain clarity. She had been tired, Sam realised, tired of fighting a war that she could not hope to win.  

And there were omissions, lots of omissions.  Subject areas where the other Carter hadn't felt qualified to comment… and she hadn't been able to find anyone who could.

Sam had no illusions regarding the threat they faced. The fact it had happened at Area 51 and not at the SGC, had brought them time, but she was well aware that it might not be enough. No one gets in, no one gets out. It sounded like a great idea, but the records from the other reality only served to show how easily that restriction could be broken. It would only take one…

She glanced at her watch. Landry had given her an hour and then he'd expect a solution. She had no idea where to start. Should she come up with a way to kill these things or was there another answer? Their counterparts had tried all conventional forms of defence, including dropping a bomb on Colorado Springs. It hadn't worked then, and Sam doubted it would work now. There were too many variables. Despite everything, they knew too little about these creatures to formulate a viable defence. The only guaranteed way to kill them was with a knife.

They had to know more. They had to…

Crap. She'd had her hour and it was time get herself to the briefing room.

As much as she hated to admit it, the other Carter had been right about one thing, they had to go back… meet their other selves. Maybe they could find out something, anything that would help them. There was just one problem…

"The timeship is at Area 51," Sam announced to those assembled around the table. 

Those sitting at the table shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"It was moved there after we found it… I don't even know if it still works. I tried to stop them ripping it apart while I was stationed there but…"

"You can put it back together again?" General O'Neill asked.

This time, she was forced to say,

"I don't know, sir."

Sam shrugged. Sometimes the scientist's were a little overenthusiastic. Reverse engineering was all very well, but they usually didn't remember that the stuff they took apart needed to be put back together. Sam had studied the mechanism for almost a month and she had barely figure out how to turn the lights on so O'Neill's confidence was flattering, if a little misguided. She had missed this, Sam realised, his unshakable confidence that she could solve any problem. It gave her the overwhelming urge to prove him right, which she supposed was the whole point. Sometimes Jack O'Neill's leadership technique was far more subtle than anyone suspected. He had the uncanny knack of making people like and want to please him… The Irish charm, something Sam found lacking in General Landry.

"We have one advantage over the other us," Daniel interrupted.

"Explain, Dr. Jackson," Landry said.

"There's writing… on the box. They never found it."

"What does it say?" General O'Neill demanded.

"I don't know… yet."

"So It might just say, 'this way up'?"

Sam tried and failed to keep the smile off her face. General Landry, however, didn't seem quite so amused.

"You really believe that time travel is necessary?" he asked, bringing the discussion back under his control

"Yes, sir I do," Sam replied. "With all due respect, my counterpart's presence here confirms that we make the attempt.  If we start second guessing ourselves … setting up multiple timelines…"

There was no point in letting the meeting descend into the realms of speculative mathematics. General O'Neill's head would probably explode. Sam had a healthy respect for the man's intelligence, but not in a subject area she barely understood herself. But there was a more important reason for someone to take a trip back.

"There's something else, sirs," Sam went on. "According to the data the other... the other Carter sent they're going to need a ZPM."

"And? So? Therefore?" O'Neill questioned.

"Go on Colonel," Landry said.

"The other Carter left some detailed specifications. In order for her to come forward in time, they need to be able to contact the Asgard. To do that, they need a Stargate and a power source."

"I thought a Naqudah reactor could power a gate?" Daniel said.

"It can, but they're using theirs to power a force field around Area 51."

"You say they need a Stargate too…" General O'Neill began.

"I could build one… given time," Sam interrupted with a quirk of her lips.

She'd watched Orlin make a Gate out of ordinary objects… an alien MacGyver... but without the duct tape. 

"Which just leaves the ZPM," she finished.

"Assuming we can find one," Daniel said.

"We don't have to. I know exactly where we can get one."

Daniel grinned at her. He got it.

"Antarctica… two thousand years ago."

"Exactly. It should still have some power back then."

"Wait a second," O'Neill interrupted, "If we take it then… we won't find it… later."

"Assuming we're successful with regards to changing the past then we won't have to take the ZPM and…"

General O'Neill's head hit the table with a thunk. Reaching out a hand, Daniel patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. Sam felt herself smirk, just a little. Recovering himself, the General raised his head.

"We'd better get started, then," he decided and pushed himself to his feet.

Sam started to gather up her belongings and, as such, nearly missed his next words.

"If it's okay with you, Hank, I'll take Vala and Mitchell along for the ride. Samantha mentioned the two of them specifically. There's no point in risking anyone else."

"Pick your own team, for this one Jack."

Sam found herself staring at Daniel, not quite wanting to believe what she'd just heard. She was relieved to see he looked similarly dismayed. Under any other circumstances, Sam would have raised an objection, but she was a hesitant to do so in front of Landry. By agreeing to O'Neill's suggestion, he might as well have given her an order to sit on her ass.

"Dr. Jackson, get to work on translating the writing… everyone else you're dismissed," Landry ordered.

Despite having bad knees General O'Neill could move incredibly quickly when he wanted to and Sam was hard pushed to catch up with him.

"Sir!" she called out, but he didn't pause.

The man had turned avoiding a conversation into an art form. On this particular occasion, feigning sudden deafness wasn't going to work. Sam broke into a run,

"Sir!" she repeated as she managed to catch hold of his shirtsleeve before he disappeared into the bathroom.

Sam wouldn't have been surprised if he'd shrugged out of his shirt, but her touch seemed to have the desired effect, and he stopped.

"Carter… just don't," was all he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why them? Or why not you?"

"Both."

"I'm following instructions, Carter… your instructions. She told me to take Vala and Mitchell."

"Did she specifically tell you to leave Daniel, Teal'c and I behind?"

"No."

"Well then…"

"No."

He leaned against the wall, drawing his hands through his untidy hair. And… for a moment, his face lost its childish cast. And… for a moment, Jack O'Neill looked like an old man.

"Get the old team back together?" he asked, "Is that what you want?"

Sam nodded dumbly.

"I wish it were that simple. Daniel has to finish that translation and you… you have to stay here just in case we don't make it."

"Sir?"

O'Neill pushed himself away from the wall, placing his hand on her shoulder.

He smiled as he said,

"Someone has to stay behind to save the world."

Put like that there was only one answer she could give him,

"Yes sir," Sam whispered.

***

Jack tried not to second-guess himself as he walked away from Carter. Leaving his teammates behind was a calculated risk. If this all went to hell, and he kind of suspected that it would, then maybe Daniel, Carter and Teal'c could come up with another way.

He paused outside the door to Vala's quarters. Jack didn't really know the woman but from all accounts she was… interesting, although perhaps Daniel wasn't the most reliable of sources. Reading the reports was enough for Jack to know that she could be a little unpredictable, but she had also sacrificed herself for his friends, which meant she was probably worth bringing along.

Even though Jack was aware that Vala wasn't big on military protocol, he hadn't quite been prepared for her to answer the door wearing a mudpack and with curlers in her hair.  

For Vala, battle readiness was something that only happened to other people. It was no wonder that Daniel complained that she was late a lot of the time.

"What can I do for you, General," she purred.

Somehow, she managed to make 'general' sound like a dirty word.

"Let's just cut the crap," Jack said. He really didn't have time for whatever this woman's game might be. "You need to be ready to leave in about… oh… fifteen minutes. I'll meet you topside."

She gaped at him, temporarily silenced by his abrupt manner. Jack had been around a long time, and had dealt with a whole lot worse than Vala. After all, when it came to insubordination, he had written the book. Still he couldn't resist adding,

"And I'd try Dead Sea mud if I were you… gives a much smoother finish."

"Maybe next time," she shouted after him and Jack couldn't help smiling to himself. Vala would work out just fine. At least she didn't have a stick up her butt. It had taken months for Jack to get Carter to relax.

Mitchell, however was another case entirely. Jack knew he was partially responsible for the man's current position. He had after all, given him SG-1, albeit under slightly dubious circumstances.  Jack had never expected Mitchell to see action. With the Goa'uld and the replicators gone, the assignment should have been nothing more that standard recon; trips to other planets, maybe a few skirmishes with the natives… just enough to get the kid used to active duty. No one could have predicted the Ori threat. Talk about getting thrown in at the deep end. Yet Mitchell had exceeded Jack's expectations.  The fact that the kid was still on base indicated that he had a Carter-like enthusiasm for his job. 'He'd learn,' the cynical part of Jack's mind said.

Jack had to do a little searching, but eventually found the younger man shooting hoops in the gym.  In Jack's eyes, there was something very wrong about that. When he'd been Mitchell's age, he'd been spending every spare moment with Sara and Charlie. Although the memories were painful, Jack would never want to change that part of his life. Different people wanted different things out of life, he supposed.

"Hey!" he shouted, getting Mitchell's attention.

"Sir!" Mitchell snapped off a salute that was just a little bit sloppy.

"Got a job for you," Jack added.

The young man's chest swelled visibly at the thought of being singled out by General Jack O'Neill. Jack shook his head. His reputation had been built by those he'd served with… Carter, Daniel and Teal'c were the ones who deserved the hero worship.

"How do you feel about time travel?" Jack asked.

"Haven't done it yet, sir." 

"Good… you know what they say about new experiences?"

"What do they say?"

"Meet me topside in fifteen."

"I'll be there, sir."

Just enough time to get himself ready. It had been a while, Jack realised as he headed towards the armoury. Sure, he might wear his BDUs when at the SGC but that was more out of his hatred of dress blues than any expectation that he'd see action. Truth be told, he hadn't used a weapon in anger for over a year. Jack was hoping it was like swimming or riding a bike, it would all come back to him. Sad as it might sound, the thought made him feel more alive than he'd done since taking command of the SGC. He felt like himself again.