TITLE: Charlie#12: Higher Purpose
AUTHOR: Demon Faith
EMAIL: rosabeth@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Romance, Angst, Drama, Series
PAIRINGS: Sam/Daniel, Janet/Teal’c, Jack/Other
SPOILERS: Major for the Charlie series, and slight
references to Seasons 1, 2 and 3. Uses ideas from Absolute Power and
Revelations.
SEASON/SEQUEL: Set about 1 month after Charlie#11.
The whole series is set after Season 3
RATING: PG-13
CONTENT WARNINGS: Mild language, character death
and references to sexual situations.
SUMMARY: Legacies aren’t always what we try to make
them.
DISCLAIMER: The characters of Charlie ‘Sinaya’
O’Neill, Danielle, Hermione, Major Phil Radcliff and Anja belong to me. I don’t
think MGM would want these battered bruised characters back, but anyway,
anything recognisable belongs to them but I have warped them a little!
AUTHOR’S NOTES: There are so many things I could
write here. I will settle for – there’s still an epilogue.
And Thank You.
“Damn you - work!”
Charlie stared accusingly at the small box before
her, massaging her temples in frustration.
“Right - I connected the fuse wire, the micro chip
and the interface…it should be working!”
She slammed the desk, mentally cursing everything
to do with that damned Stargate…
“Okay, let’s open it up again…”
Jack watched silently, slightly amused, as Charlie
continued to mutter to herself. She was completely absorbed in her work - she
had ignored his requests for the past hour; to rest, to eat, to stop for one
minute - but it was as if he didn’t exist.
Suddenly, something caught his eye, glinting slyly
from the polished floor; and he sighed deeply. Reaching to pick it up, he slid
it across the table and directly into her line of sight.
Bewildered, she picked it up, then stared at the
device before her.
“You have got to be kidding me…”
She looked up at Jack, who shrugged. She slid the
Naquadah battery into her invention, and it began to hum steadily. She sat back
in the chair, shaking her head and smiling.
“The battery fell out…I didn’t even think to
check…stupid girl…”
Jack moved behind her, and gently massaged her
shoulders and neck. She relaxed into his hands, letting the calm sweep through
her, letting her forget. She had been doing that a lot recently - forgetting.
And pretence - she was good at that too. Pretending that the child within her
was ‘human’, an innocent, the product of deep love and affection.
Soon, the pretence would have to stop. Soon, the
child, the threat, would be very real and a major part of her once more. The
telepathic interference had all but disappeared - but the ‘static’ had
returned. A constant undercurrent of thoughts that were definitely not her own
running freely through her mind, but she could ignore them. It was the ‘connections’ that bothered her.
~She looks a little tired. I’ll cook something
special, maybe lasagne…~
Charlie closed her eyes tightly, trying to shut out
the new voice that was putting in regular appearances. Danielle’s command of
telepathy was obviously enhancing her own mind - that had not been the first
time she had heard Jack’s thoughts. How could you tell someone that: ‘By the
way, I know what you’re thinking’. Jack would go mental - probably call Janet
to run even more tests. And he’d be embarrassed…which he should be, Charlie thought, recalling some of the more
vivid images she’d received from his mind.
“Are you hungry, Jack?”
“Yeah, a little. D’ya want something?”
“Knock yourself out.”
She could almost sense his smile - actually, she
probably was sensing his smile - and his hands left her shoulders. She sat up a
little in the chair, her bump preventing her from going any further. She
watched admiringly, as he quickly gathered ingredients for lasagne; deep in his
own calculations.
Charlie’s eyes drifted back to her invention. The
ACH - designed to revolutionise Gate travel, make a difference, save a few
lives…do everything Charlie couldn’t do. The principle was quite simple: the
ACH would dial Earth automatically, once placed on the DHD. Charlie thought she must’ve picked up Jack’s
sense of humour, to name her device the ‘Automatic Call Home’. Jack loved the
idea - anything to high-tail it through the Gate that little bit faster, free
up personnel in a tight spot; yes, he was very pleased about the little ACH.
“So, when’s the launch for that thing?”
“The trial’s tomorrow. SG5 are taking it on a
routine survey; hopefully it’ll come through.”
Hopefully
I’ll come through.
Jack dumped a few more spices into the saucepan,
stirring slowly, thinking. He glanced back at Charlie, who was also deep in
thought. His eyes drifted to the calendar, and he smiled tightly. In lazy green
writing, two words were scrawled under Thursday:
Simple, clear words - no frivolities, no special treatment.
Not for this child. It would arrive in just over four days, unwanted, uncared
for and wholly deserving of these things. What a remarkable, if not dangerous,
child.
Charlie sighed deeply, and slowly got to her feet,
cursing the terrible ache in her back.
“I’m just going to freshen up. See ya in ten.”
“Sure thing. Dinner will be ready by then.”
Charlie moved slowly through the living room,
wondering when her feet had disappeared from under her. The days had slid by,
consumed by the ACH and Daniel’s regular little packets from the SGC
linguistics department. She sent Jack to the SGC twice a week, glad for the
peace, an escape from the constant worry he seemed to radiate from his eyes.
She pulled herself tiredly up the stairs, annoyed
for one absurd second that she not been born a bird. Charlie pulled herself up
the last step and walked into the small, tidy bathroom. She splashed some icy
water on her face, and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was
drawn and pale - lined with worry, and fear. Tired, world-weary eyes stared
back, shadowed and aged.
Suddenly, the image in the mirror flickered. Charlie stood up straight,
staring at the mirror. Her eyes glowed blue, as they had when Danielle had
control, and her skin appeared to fade away, replaced with a pale purple. Blue
electricity began to play on her forehead, dancing madly before her eyes. It’s another illusion - Danielle is doing
this…how can I fight it? The electricity intensified and Charlie blacked
out, falling to the floor.
She awoke a few seconds later, totally
disorientated. She got to her feet slowly and stared at her reflection. The
usual tired brown eyes stared back, surrounded by smooth chocolate brown. There
was no electricity, no nothing. Charlie wiped the last droplets of water from
her face, before she heard Jack on the stairs. With one last look in the glass,
she turned and walked towards his calling voice.
“I have outdone myself! Jack O’Neill - premier
chef!”
Charlie smiled warmly, mentally deciding not to
tell him what had transpired. He was worried enough, and she felt fine anyway.
“So, what have you stuck in the microwave?”
Feigning indignation, Jack swung her into his arms
and carried her down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“This is high-quality lasagne á la Jack!”
“Nice to know you’re good for something.”
Jack lowered her slowly into the chair, moving
towards the sideboard.
“That is grounds for divorce!”
Charlie sunk into the chair, as Jack brought the
meal over. Her eyes met his and they were caught as if by magic. A slow smile
spread over Charlie’s features.
“Jack, the lasagne…”
Jack swore indignantly, as he realised he had
tipped half the lasagne over his shirt. He set the plates down roughly, before
reaching for a cloth.
“Here, let me.”
Charlie gently prised the towel from his hands and
wiped away the sticky mess. Her gentle touch soothed his temper, and he eyed
her suspiciously.
“You’ve got me all figured out, haven’t you?”
Charlie smiled up at him, before lowering the cloth
and kissing him softly.
“It’s getting cold,” she whispered.
They broke apart and sat down to eat, companionable
silence filling the room.
~
Sam heard the door shut with a gentle click. She
glanced at the clock and sighed. 0200.
Again. She listened to the muffled footsteps moving around outside the
door, before hearing the door slowly creak open. He was trying not to wake her.
Only, she had never fallen asleep.
As he slipped off his jacket, she flicked the light
switch and sat up.
“Sam, I can explain…”
“You’re a little late, Daniel.”
Her tone was crisp, her words ice. Daniel flinched.
“I know, Sam.”
She watched him for a few seconds, trying to read
something from his eyes. But, nothing, zip, nada. Those once expressive eyes
had clouded over, showing nothing but a wall of steel. When had it all changed?
When had Daniel become so…detached?
He continued to undress, eyes flitting everywhere
but at Sam. She settled back under the covers, afraid of those eyes. She had
met too many men with steel eyes - all military, all dangerous. She hadn’t
worked with many civilians before the Stargate program. When she had met
Daniel, the first thing she noticed was his eyes. Emotional, wistful eyes -
shimmering with the glitter of a thousand stars. Sam closed her eyes tightly,
unaware of the tears soaking her pillow.
She felt the covers shift and a warm body shift
next to hers. Soft hands touched at her waist, and drew her close. His breath
played on her neck.
“Sam, I’m sorry. Lou wanted his archaeologist
reassigned, Hammond wanted twenty reports before midnight and SG-5 needed a
planetary history…”
“Daniel, it’s alright. I understand.”
But, deep inside, she was screaming, frustration
and anger ripping through her mind. Why
keep him away from me? Why work him to death? Why drive that innocence away?
There were no answers. Sam feared there never would
be.
~
Dawn brought renewed life to the SGC, and there was
a sense of excitement in the air. SG-5 stood in the Gate room, surrounded by a
few extra pieces of equipment. There was a small Naquadah reactor, in case the
ACH blew out the DHD and they needed to manually dial out, as well as a video
camera to record the landmark event. It was not every day someone made Earth
technology work with the Ancient’s Stargate.
Charlie sat in the Control Room, eyes shining and
cheeks visibly glowing. She seemed to bubble with energy, as she briefed SG-5’s
commander on the ACH.
“Right, the principle is quite simple. Place the
ACH on the red dome, and firmly press down the black button. The Stargate should
begin dialling immediately. If it doesn’t, well…”
The major smiled warmly, as Jack watched him from
the corner. One to watch, he noted.
“It’ll work, Ma’am. Excuse me.”
He moved swiftly down the stairs, as the Stargate
began to dial out. The plan was quite simple - SG-5 would perform routine
analysis for an hour, then return using the ACH. If all went to plan, they’d be
celebrating in the Commissary with the Secretary of State.
Charlie turned her attention to the Gate room,
feeling SG-1 crowd around her, also watching. The General placed a hand on her
shoulder.
“This is a monumental achievement, Charlene. You’ll
stay for the celebration?”
“I don’t like to count chickens, General. Let’s
wait and see.”
He nodded understandingly, and moved away. Charlie’s
eyes never left the forms of SG-5 moving below. The smiling major turned around
at the last moment, and saluted, before turning directly to her and smiling
again. He stepped through and the Gate closed behind him. As the iris slid
automatically across, Charlie got up and started to leave.
“Chaz, where ya going?”
Charlie looked backwards, meeting the eyes of every
member of SG-1 individually.
“I need coffee. Anyone care to join me?”
The nerves and fear radiated from those simple
words, and Jack followed her with Sam.
“I have to work, Chaz,” Daniel said.
She nodded to him, understanding this was his way.
Teal’c also held back.
“I have to meet with Doctor Frasier.”
Charlie smiled warmly at him, before moving towards
the Commissary. Coffee is probably a bad
idea, but I need distractions. Those chickens are too much trouble.
~
Major Phil Radcliff stepped through the Stargate,
and surveyed the world before him. His men had assembled at parade rest and he
moved with presence among them.
“I want that survey done in forty-five minutes. I
want you back here on time for our scheduled departure. Do not fail me.”
A chorus of ‘Yes sir’ broke out, before they moved
apart and each headed in different directions. Phil hung back at the Stargate,
eyes fixed on the empty metal ring. He checked his watch, and frowned. Surely,
he wasn’t…
“Major Radcliff, I suggest you at least look
occupied.”
Phil turned abruptly, and immediately drew himself
to attention.
“Sir, I apologise. It won’t happen again. And,
congratulations, sir.”
“I don’t like a kiss-ass, Major.”
“No sir. Is everything ready, sir?”
“Give me the ACH, Radcliff.”
Phil’s face turned ashen, as he slowly swung his
backpack to the floor. With a trembling hand, he removed the small metal box.
“Sir, surly you won’t…”
“Do not presume, Major! Give me the ACH.”
Phil stared at the little ACH, his heart yelling at
the injustice of it all. He handed over the box, fear threatening to break his
military façade.
“Sir, my men…”
“That is not your concern.”
“But, Robert…”
Phil was struck to the floor, pressing his hand to
his bleeding lip.
“We continue as planned.”
Swift as a shadow, he disappeared into the forest.
Phil slowly got to his feet, picked up his backpack and moved away from the
Stargate.
From the undergrowth, Lieutenant Collins emerged,
staring in horror at his CO’s retreating back. What would he do with the ACH?
All he knew was that they were all in serious trouble.
“Under different circumstance, I could’ve liked
you.”
Before Collins could even turn, a dagger was
plunged through his heart and he fell to the ground, motionless. The corpse was
dragged away from the Stargate, and the trail of blood covered.
Nothing would stop his revenge. Nothing.
~
Janet had just finished her paperwork, when there
was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” she called.
There was no answer. Frowning, she got up and
opened the door. There was no one outside. She stepped into the infirmary.
“What the…”
On every shelf, table and trolley, stood a vase of
red roses. Janet gasped at the beautiful flowers covering her infirmary. All
the medical staff were strangely absent, and only one other figure shared the
room.
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. And
I have the most treasured rose of all.”
Teal’c smiled warmly at Janet, and she stared at
him, wide-eyed.
“How on earth…”
“Daniel and Sam were quite happy to assist me. Do
you…like it?”
His voice was cautious, hopeful. Janet looked back
at him.
“Like it? I love it!”
“I am glad.”
He stepped forward, and drew her into his arms.
“I was told,” he whispered, “a gift is presented
before a question.”
Janet stepped back, studying his face with shock.
“A question?” she whispered tentatively.
“The fire in my heart has never burned like this
before. Never has such an amazing woman come into my life. Janet, I love you
deeply, and I would be honoured if you would…consent to be my wife.”
Janet swallowed, her eyes watering.
“Oh God, yes. Yes, I will.”
Janet flung herself into his arms and he spun her
around the infirmary, their laughter ringing through the corridors. Charlie
leaned against the doorframe, smiling to herself.
Silently, she walked away; glad something was right
in the universe.
~
Phil Radcliff walked back to the Stargate, his mind
elsewhere. As two of his team members approached, Phil felt something sink in
his stomach. Collins wasn’t coming back.
He bent down quickly, and saw the ACH lying there,
looking remarkably innocent. If only he could just throw it away, spare his
team…
“Don’t even think about it.”
A whispered voice trickled out of his radio and he
swallowed. Picking up the device, he straightened and handed the ACH to Captain
Rogers.
“Captain, dial out. Lieutenant Collins will be
here…shortly.”
“Yes sir!”
The Captain stepped forward, and placed the ACH on
the point of origin. Cautiously, he pushed the black button…
A high-pitched squeal ripped though the air, and
the DHD exploded, throwing limbs and bodies across the grass. Phil, who had
been standing the furthest away, writhed in agony, staring at where his legs
had used to be.
“You did well, Major. Now, I will reward you.”
Phil stared into those mad eyes, as the dagger met
his throat. The assailant straightened, a smile spreading slowly across his
lips.
“This is only the beginning, Jack,” he whispered.
~
“Sir, SG5 haven’t dialled in. They’re fifteen
minutes overdue.”
Charlie swallowed nervously. It had gone wrong,
terribly wrong…
“Okay, son - dial it up.”
The tension could be cut with a knife, the air
clouded with a morbid anticipation. The Stargate dialled especially slowly, and
Charlie could not ignore the pounding in her chest or the taunting voice
laughing in her mind. The blue wormhole gushed out and the computer connected
to the MALP.
There was silence. Deadly, twisted silence that was
forced upon them by the pictures on the screen. The DHD stood before the
Stargate, the dome fragmented and blood dripping from the symbols. A hand
rested on it, not attached to any arm, and the MALP picture was stained a
brownish-red.
“Widen the angle,” Charlie said, quietly.
Sergeant Harriman obeyed automatically. The view
widened, taking the focus off that ominous hand, and into the wider,
bloodstained pedestal around the DHD. Bodies lay broken and destroyed - there
was nothing living amongst the ruin. Charlie stood slowly, and walked out.
Everyone else stood in shocked silence, before the General commanded, “Shut it
down.”
~
Charlie walked the corridors in a dream, until she
came to the linguistics office. She walked in and locked the door behind her.
She drifted towards her desk, and slipped her glasses on. Automatically, she
reached for the ACH schematics and analysed them. Pencil in hand, she started
to ring possible faults, writing notes in her notebook about each one. All the time,
tears fell unhindered over the paper, but she continued, searching for justice.
Any justice.
“Charlie? Are you there?”
She ignored him, and continued with her work.
Eventually, she stopped. There were four possibilities - four things that
could’ve exploded the ACH. There were many other possibilities, but she had
made the ACH as a dependant system - every last connection had to be perfect,
or nothing would run. That would be it: the ACH would sit there, lifeless. Like SG5. Charlie shuddered, but pushed
that thought away. She re-read her notes carefully:
1) Battery
overload
2) DHD
power surge
3) Stargate
power surge
4) Tampering
It was the last one that bothered her. Someone had
tampered with the ACH to make it explode. Someone had deliberately killed every
member of SG5 - and for what? Why would someone take this opportunity to kill
them? To make it look like an accident? That made no sense; it obviously wasn’t
an accident, after all.
Worse still, it had to be one of them. One of SG5
had tampered with the ACH to destroy himself and the rest of the team? Charlie
clutched her forehead in despair. It
doesn’t make sense.
The hammering persisted, and she continued to
ignore it. She had to figure this out - for the sake of their memory. To bring
some reason to their deaths. If there was any to find.
She picked up the desk phone, and dialled through
to the General’s office. He picked up the phone slowly.
“Yes?”
“Sir, it’s Charlie. I’m trying to figure this
whole…mess out. I want to examine the site.”
“A team is going through in an hour. You can join
them. We’re treating this as an accident scene.”
Charlie closed her eyes, knowing she couldn’t tell
him, not until she was sure.
“Yes sir. I’ll be examining the…remains very
carefully.”
Charlie replaced the receiver, wondering when the
truth became so shadowed in lies.
~
Jack left the office in frustration, not willing to
believe an entire team had just been wiped out. He was almost certain the
device had been perfect - they had checked and re-checked every detail. It had
worked impeccably in every simulation. Then, how had this happened?
“Emergency retrieval team - report to the Briefing
Room.”
The loud speaker thundered through the corridors,
and Jack responded. He walked to the Briefing Room, and when he entered, the
sense of melancholy flooded him.
The team were all present - SG1, as a matter of
course, Janet and a couple of other medics, a few Naquadah specialists, and
Charlie. He looked at her - wondering what was going through her mind. She looked
up at him, and smiled weakly. The General walked in, and she stood.
“General Hammond has allowed me to brief you,
because I need to tell you what to look for.
We need to find the battery pack of the ACH. There
could have been a malfunction in the relays,” Charlie held up a hand to silence
Sam’s protests, “ even though the chance of that is incredibly small.
We’re also looking for evidence of a power surge in
the Stargate or DHD. For that, we need the power circuits of the DHD and some
residual charge detectors.
I also need every part of the ACH that you can
find. Thank you.”
Charlie sat down, re-adjusting her glasses. She
looked like any other scientist, absorbed in her work, yet Jack could see the
haunted look in her eyes and the tension in her shoulders. Everyone started to
move with a sense of reluctance. They were dealing with their own - this wasn’t
some alien massacre, or site of Goa’uld destruction. This was a massacre of
their own people, which they knew could’ve been avoided. Charlie was shot many
dirty looks, but she didn’t notice. She was still sitting at the table,
thinking about the structure of the ACH. What could’ve been altered? What could
destroy Naquadah technology? Naquadah,
obviously. Enhanced Naquadah…
“Charlie? Are you ready?”
“Yes, Jack,” she answered automatically, “Just
coming.”
She picked up all her papers, and slotted them
neatly into her briefcase. She walked towards the prep room in silence,
calculating the energy values in her head. The figures were astronomical - Naquadah
was the most explosive, volatile element they had ever encountered. It was also
durable. Whatever had destroyed the ACH had to have been immensely powerful,
and Charlie was certain not even the Stargate could produce that kind of energy
without an overload of its own.
She pulled on her clothes in a daze, annoyed that
nothing really fitted. Air Force uniforms were not meant for pregnant women.
She picked up the helmet of her radiation suit, tucking it under her arm almost
lovingly. She stopped at the armoury, picking up her Beretta, checking it over.
She hadn’t used it for months now, and wasn’t sure if she was still comfortable
with a weapon in her hand. The way of the gun had been her life for four years,
years she liked to blank from her mind. She was not proud of her past, and the
gun in her hand only served as a reminder of how dangerous she could be. She
slung it on her hip and headed for her laboratory.
She had been given this laboratory on the ACH, and
it contained every document pertaining to the ACH. She picked up a few pieces
of equipment and her containment case, before moving to the Gate room. The
Stargate was already dialling when she arrived, and the helmets were being put
on. She left hers until the last minute, unwilling to show weakness but
secretly dreading the claustrophobia of the suit. The last chevron locked, and
she carefully placed the helmet on, breathing deeply. All sound was muffled,
and she felt like she was in her own separate universe. Jack came up beside
her, and took several pieces of equipment from her shaking hands.
“Are you alright?” he inquired, worriedly.
“Let’s just get on with it,” she said, through
clenched teeth.
The team stepped through, and Charlie resisted the
urge to vomit. The blood was a physical presence in the air, floating like a
mist above the carnage. Charlie immediately went over to the DHD, observing the
hand that was fused to the casing. She lifted it off with an almost reverence,
and passed it to Janet. Charlie looked around for fragments of the DHD and ACH,
and found a large part of the ACH clinging stubbornly to a fragment of
material. Charlie swallowed down her revulsion, and pointed her Geiger counter
at the metal. The radiation was high, and she carefully used her tools to place
it into the containment box. That was the main body of the item, but Charlie
noted that the battery was missing. There was a slight crackling in her ear,
signalling that the radio had been switched on.
“The Stargate is intact, and there is no evidence
of an overload,” Sam’s words echoed over the comm.
“It’s hard to tell with these fragments, but I
think we only have two bodies here. It’s almost impossible to tell who’s
missing, but we need to take back as many…parts as possible,” said Janet,
trying to keep her medical detachment.
“Was there anything unusual about this place on the
initial surveys?” Daniel asked, trying to distract himself from situation.
“Nothing. No people, no animal life and no energy
readings. That’s why it was chosen,” Charlie said, painstakingly clearing
pieces of DHD from a dark shape that lay beneath. She lifted the last part, and
stepped back slightly.
“I’ve found one of your bodies, Janet,” she said,
slowly, trying not to show emotion. Janet moved over to her, and frowned.
“This is almost intact! The legs were probably
severed in the original explosion, but that couldn’t have killed him. Not with
preservation like this…can I get this body into a bag please?”
Charlie looked at Major Radcliff, noting the
staring eyes and open mouth. There was dried blood around his throat, too much
blood to be splatter. Charlie gently tilted his head and gasped.
“Janet, look at this!”
The doctor ran back, and looked Phil’s neck. She
pulled out her camera quickly, and photographed it. She put it away, and knelt
beside Charlie.
“That’s a clean cut, not any ordinary piece of
wreckage. It can’t be…but no…it looks…”
“Like a knife stroke.”
Charlie and Janet looked at each other in horror,
and Charlie bent closer to the doctor.
“I’m not certain yet, but I don’t think we’re
looking at an accident here. Don’t tell anyone until I’ve found proof - it will
look too escapist.”
Janet nodded, and lowered Phil’s head. She gently
closed his eyes with her gloved hand, as Charlie looked across at the large
shape next to him. She touched it gently, but withdrew when it was too hot. She
prised it open with her tools, and the Naquadah generator unfolded itself. She
signalled Sam, who came over to her with Daniel. Charlie pointed at the
reactor.
“It’s completely undamaged. We can rule out natural
disaster or Stargate surge - this would’ve been caught in either of those.”
Sam nodded, and reached to touch it, but Charlie
stopped her hand.
“It’s really hot. There must’ve been a shock wave.”
Sam looked at Charlie, and shook her head.
“That’s not possible, Chaz. Only an external
explosion could cause that kind of shockwave.”
Charlie didn’t say anything, but had the generator
collected. Soon, the party had finished
and they trooped dejectedly back through the Stargate.
~
Sam sat in her laboratory, pondering Charlie’s
comments. The suggestion of an external explosion was ridiculous - that would
imply that a member of SG5 had intentionally killed himself and his entire
team. Sam shivered, and continued with her work. She ran several scenarios
involving the Stargate and the ACH. They had roughly estimated the positions of
SG5 at the time of the explosion, and the three men haunted her. Where was the
fourth and who was he? Was he the assassin Charlie was looking for? Sam bit her
lip, liking this less and less. She had to know - and she could, as close as
she could get to trialling it again. She programmed the simulation again, but
placed a small Naquadah charge on the ACH. With trepidation, she ran the
program. The ACH exploded, and metal flew according to the predicted pattern of
DHD fragmentation. The first two soldiers were completely destroyed, but only
one piece of rubble hit Major Radcliff, probably destroying his legs. Sam sat
back, her mind reeling. There had been an external influence - someone had
planted a charge. Not only that, someone had killed Major Radcliff and hidden
his body. No other theory fitted the profile. Sam shut down the hated evidence,
and ran some more simulations. Nothing else came close, and it left an ache
inside her. She shut down her computer, and stood slowly.
“Sam, I need to talk to you.”
Daniel burst in, and Sam turned slowly to face him.
“What is it, Daniel?”
“I’m not going to be home for a few days. I have an
opportunity to oversee the civilian training program at the Alpha site.”
Sam just resisted a screaming fit. The SGC was
tearing Daniel away from her, at a time where Charlie and her needed him most.
“Why are you doing this?” Sam said softly.
Daniel looked at her as if she was going mad.
“It’s my job, Sam.”
“No, it isn’t! There are hundreds of military
personnel to oversee that program.”
“Sam, there’s no need to get upset about this. I’m
only trying to be what you want me to be.”
His voice had quietened now, and Sam’s jaw dropped.
“I have never…”
“Don’t lie to me, Sam! Isn’t that what Daddy always
taught you - marry the perfect soldier boy?”
“Daniel, how can you say that?” Sam said, not
believing his words. She wondered momentarily if he’d been possessed.
“Because it’s the truth. I’m trying to meet your
expectations, be the soldier husband you always wanted. I’m doing this for us.”
“I never wanted this! I love you because you’re
Daniel, not some pseudo-GI Joe!”
“Do you? Do you truly love me? Cos I think you’ve
never wanted me. This was just an arrangement that we found ourselves in. There
was no question of love, it was just something we tried to pretend. I’m not
your dream husband, Sam - maybe you should find someone who is.”
Daniel walked out, and slammed the door. Sam collapsed
onto to the floor, sobs wracking her chest. The phone on her desk rang, but she
couldn’t bring herself to answer. Within minutes, there was a soft knocking on
her door.
“Mum? Are you there?”
The door was prised open, and Charlie came in
slowly, quickly kneeling down beside Sam.
“Mum, what’s wrong? What’s happened?”
“Daniel…he’s leaving…I shouted…it was so wrong…”
“Okay, calm down. It’s alright.”
Charlie held Sam gently, wondering when her life
had become so very complicated.
~
Daniel gathered a few items from his locker,
deliberately ignoring the photograph of Sam. He threw the door closed, and
turned quickly, almost knocking Jack to the floor.
"Slow down, Danny! What's the rush?"
"I have to get to the Alpha Site. The team is
waiting."
Daniel picked up his pack meaningfully, and strode
towards the door. Jack stopped him.
"For how long? Don't you think Sam needs you
right now? She's falling apart - she needs you here."
Daniel stared coldly at Jack.
"To be honest, Jack, I don't think she ever needed
me. Now, she'll just have to learn to be alone."
Daniel walked out, leaving a shocked Jack standing
in the locker room.
~
When Sam was calm enough to be rational, she told
Charlie what had happened that day and her secret fear that Daniel was slipping
away from her. Charlie, horrified though she was, listened patiently. Finally,
she spoke.
"Talk to him, Mum. You've got to understand
each other, get rid of these ideas he has. As per usual, the brilliant
archaeologist has got his wires crossed."
This elicited a smile from Sam, who stood shakily.
"I've got to tell him, now, before he leaves.
Because if he goes, I don't think he'll ever come back."
~
Daniel marched swiftly through the corridors,
ignoring everyone around him. He reached the door and went to open it, but
someone was standing in the way.
"Daniel, we need to talk."
"I think we've said enough," Daniel said,
trying to get past. Sam held her ground.
"No, you've said enough. Now, it's my
turn."
"Sam, I have to go NOW. My team is waiting."
Daniel tried to get past again, but Sam held his
arm.
"If you go now, Daniel, it's over."
Daniel looked straight at her and Sam saw raw pain
in his eyes.
"Fine. If that's what you want. Now, if you'll
excuse me, I have a job to do."
Pushing roughly past her, he nodded to the men
around him and hurried up the ramp, never looking back.
~
Tuesday crept up on them. The dark brooding
atmosphere of the corridors carried a sense of impending doom –it was hard to
believe this place had been the focus of excitement and anticipation only
twenty-four hours earlier. Charlie, her head pounding and her back in spasm,
stumbled into the infirmary.
“Janet, you got any painkillers?”
“For you? No.”
Charlie looked at her with annoyance, her glasses
threatening to fall off her nose.
“You need sleep, Chaz. You’ll only kill yourself
this way,” she lowered her voice, “You can’t bring them back.”
Charlie sighed, and hauled her aching, awkward body
onto the nearest bed. Janet didn’t even reach for a syringe, as Charlie laid
back and closed her eyes, the world fading away…
It was not
supposed to be this way. She remembered something different, something better.
The darkness swelled around her, and she could hear the resounding nothingness.
Carefully, she crept forward, inching through the small space to where she must
go, as if her whole life had been preparation for this moment.
With nimble fingers, her hands attached to the
painted wall, she crawled like a snake, slithering a path to the marble floor.
She landed with no sound, cat-like, a tigress stalking prey. She stood over
him, her power greater than ever before. His eyes opened, as her finger
convulsed on the trigger. He gasped, the sound hanging in the air, smoke rising
from the neat bullet hole in his forehead. Sinaya stepped back, feeling no
remorse, no pain.
She felt this was wrong somehow, that this was not
where she was meant to be. This place was old, aged, too confined for her. She
had grown beyond this, hadn’t she? Her thoughts were confused; she didn’t
notice the door opening. A young girl stood there, perhaps eight or nine. Her
eyes widened, knowing what came next, knowing how the story ran. She felt
nothing as the child fell, her pitcher of water spilling, mingling with her
blood. Sinaya moved across the room, not looking back. She swung herself back
into the pipe, and started to crawl again, back into the darkness where she
belonged.
Charlie cried out, awake for a moment, then dragged
back into the dark. She heard footsteps draw closer, but could not quite return
to the light…
She heard
them, as clear as if she were fully formed, as if this was not her pre-natal
existence. Her eyes were not open yet, but she could hear them, talking as if
she were not listening, committing every word to infinite memory.
“You believe this to be safe? They will not find
her here?”
“The Tau’ri have forgotten the Chapa’ai. They will
remain fighting amongst themselves.”
Tau’ri…Chapa’ai…words that were familiar, as if
buried deep inside her. A hidden memory, something she was not supposed to
know…forbidden fruit…
“We must wake her, and tell her. She must know.”
Her eyes were opened, and she saw them. Her
ancestors, the ones who had created her, their eyes wide, their complexion
blue, glistening like sun on water. She had never seen the sun or water, but
she knew that they looked that way. It was planned that she knew.
“You are the one called Sinaya. You are the hope of
the Asgard. You know where you are going?”
The answer came to her, like liquid at the call of
gravity.
“Earth. The quiet place. The place where Hermione
will be safe.”
“You are wise. You hold the faith of the Tok’ra and
the future of the Asgard in your body. You must not show that this is the
truth. Look, look at yourself, before we cover you in Tau’ri guise.”
A shiny plate – a mirror – was held up to her. She
studied the purplish skin with its glistening water texture, she memorised the
wide blue eyes, and committed each strand of off-white hair to memory. This was
her identity, the genetic future of the Asgard, protector of the Tok’ra, the
hope Sinaya…
Charlie awoke to the screeching base alarm. She
slid to her feet slowly, her ‘dreams’ as clear as crystal. Yet, they were not
dreams. They had a clarity and relevance that were beyond anything she had ever
experienced, and she remembered the palace. Sinaya liked the dark and shadow –
she had felt at home there, an evil poison stored where she belonged. Sinaya
belonged to the dark. Charlie, as so she had thought, was emerging into the
light.
Now, memories – some buried deep inside her mind –
threatened to drag her back, back to when the dark was beautiful and the light
harsh. Before Daniel had stopped her drowning in the fierce snow light, when he
had shown her love and purpose. But Daniel was gone now, tearing himself away,
and she was drowning again. No one was going to save her this time.