TITLE: Charlie#9: So, this
is marriage?
AUTHOR: Demon Faith
EMAIL: rosabeth@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Romance, Series,
Angst, Drama.
SPOILERS: You will not
understand the majority of this story if you haven’t read the rest of the
Charlie Series. Minor references to: Shades of Grey, Singularity, Family, FIAD,
The Gamekeeper, Hathor, Past and Present, Fair Game, Tok’ra, Need, In the Line
of Duty, Torment of Tantalus, COTG, Broca Divide, The Devil You Know, The Fifth
Race, The Movie and Cold Lazarus.
SEASON/SEQUEL: Directly
after Charlie#8, which follows all the other Charlies. The series is set just
after Season 3.
RATING: PG-13
CONTENT WARNINGS: Blood,
violence, implications and language.
SUMMARY: Charlie’s wedding
is put on hold, as Goa’uld invade the SGC…
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1
belongs to MGM and Showtime/Viacom. I didn’t make any money from this and don’t
intend to. Charlie and any original-looking characters belong to me, like
Dakatte, Hermione etc.
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis,
Charlie’s Stargate, Stargate Novels and Novellas. Any other, please ask.
AUTHOR’S NOTES: Number 9! We
are doing well! Feedback welcomed and appreciated. Charlie has a home at ‘Faith
of the Heart’, with my other fic: http://faithoftheheart.ahkay.net.
Check it out!
Okay, I know I promised a
list of all the stuff I made up but it is really too long to go here. Instead,
it will be on Charlie’s Stargate, the Charlie homepage.
Enjoy!
Stargate Command. The first
line of defence for Earth, though very few people were aware of it. And SG1 was
the best in the SGC. Quite surprising really, considering SG1 wasn’t exactly
your regular USAF team. Sure, it had
your typical Colonel in command and his 2IC was an Airforce Major. But the
other two members were…slightly unusual. Dr Daniel Jackson, their rather
accident-prone archaeologist/anthropologist/linguist, who Jack thought was more
trouble then he was worth, and Teal’c, an alien to Earth with an even stranger
alien housed in his stomach, which just happened to be Earth’s deadliest enemy.
Not your run-of-the-mill team but the best, none the less. The very best.
Danielle is revealed as a Harseisus and is growing at an abnormally fast
rate. After Charlie is rescued from Harry Maybourne, who wanted to study
Danielle at Area 51, the team heads to the Land of the Light. Drey’ac commits
suicide, and Janet and Teal’c ‘adopt’ Ry’ac. A spell in the snow brings thing
to a head and Charlie and Jack decide to get married. But, Maybourne bursts in
to ruin the show…
“Your DAUGHTER? What kind of
bloody father are you?”
Charlie was practically
simmering with rage, as Maybourne swaggered down the isle.
“The legal kind, girl. And
you need my permission for this marriage.”
Charlie couldn’t retort to
that. She knew he was right, she did need his permission to get married. Jack
touched her arm lightly, stopping her dead. But Daniel wasn’t going to stand
by.
“Actually, she doesn’t. The
General can order you to let her marry.”
General Hammond quirked an
eyebrow. The boy’s learning, he thought, admiringly.
“You’re just a civvie,
Jackson. The General can’t control my daughter anymore than I can shoot you.”
“Was that a threat,
Maybourne?”
Jack stepped forward,
putting his full height to advantage. Harry cowered slightly but held his
ground. But Charlie had other ideas.
“How…dare you? You bloody
bastard!”
Charlie charged the man,
knocking him clean off his feet. She stood over him and pulled a gun from
her wedding dress. She aimed it carefully at him, as the whole room was held
silent.
“Apologise,” she said,
menacingly.
“O…kay, I’m s…sorry.”
Charlie nodded and replaced
the gun within the folds of her dress. She grabbed his wrist and hauled him to
his feet.
“Now, get the hell out.”
Maybourne looked just about
ready to comply, when he started to cough. Charlie soon followed, sinking to
her knees. Greenish smoke swirled through the vents, as Jack ran over to
Charlie.
“What’s wrong, Chaz?”
She looked up at him, and
her eyes flashed once.
#Knock-out gas#
Her eyes drifted shut as
Jack started to cough with the rest of the room. Somewhere, someone screamed.
As darkness took him, Jack could’ve sworn he saw a Zat fire into the crowd.
~
Jack woke up with a
splitting headache. He sat up slowly, clutching his head and surveying his
surroundings. He was in a roughly square cell, with about four square metres of
floor space, almost all of which was occupied. Jack did a quick head count. Okay;
Danny, Teal’c, Janet, Cassie…Charlie!
Jack stood up immediately, looking around the small space with wild
determination.
“Where’s Chaz?”
“She has not been imprisoned
with us, O’Neill. Neither has Major…Jackson.”
Jack glanced over at Teal’c, who hauled himself to his feet. Then,
Daniel moaned softly, forcing his eyes open.
“Where are we?”
Jack shrugged, and helped
the younger man to his feet. Teal’c shook Janet’s shoulder gently, and she
lifted her head.
“Cassie?”
Teal’c motioned to the small
bundle of blue silk in the corner. Janet got up and ran over to her, gently
coaxing her awake.
“Cassie? Wake up, darling.”
The girl’s eyes flew open
and she looked around.
“Where are we, Janet?”
“I don’t know, love.”
Jack looked up towards the
source of light; four grills, one on each wall. Jack estimated that the ceiling
was about four metres high, and the cell walls looked like solid naquadah.
“Just peachy,” muttered
Jack.
“What do you think happened
to us, Jack?”
Jack turned back to the
group, who were all looking at him expectantly. Well, looks like I’m in
command.
“Last thing I remember is
Charlie telling me the green stuff was knock-out gas and then, then…”
A deep horror set in, as
Jack began to realise what had happened. Bloody hell! Her eyes glowed!
“Jack? Are you okay?”
Daniel stood up and looked
Jack in the eye. The man had a vaguely preoccupied look about him, as if he was
running some harrying scenario through his mind.
“O’Neill, are you unwell?”
“No, Teal’c. I’m
just…thinking.”
Cassie bit her lip and
looked down at her bridesmaid’s dress, and sighed. It was covered in dirt and
cobwebs, and was now more black than navy. She closed her eyes slowly, and
something seemed to happen…
~
Voices. Lots of people
talking over her, in a harsh Goa’uld tongue. She was small, insignificant and
they passed her by. Her eyes refused to open and she squirmed in
her…restraints? Someone shouted and she felt herself slip back…
~
Cassie woke with a scream.
Janet took her shoulders, as the girl sat there, frozen in shock.
“Cassie? What’s the matter?”
The girl looked at her with
wide, scared eyes.
“I saw the future.”
~
Many hours had passed since
Cassie’s ‘vision’, and the girl had settled into an uneasy sleep. Daniel had
slumped against the wall, wondering about his wife, his Sam. Was she all right?
Had their captors hurt her? Was she…dead?
Pacing around the cell, Jack O’Neill’s thoughts were drifting in the
same direction, but towards Charlie, his bride-to-be. He could almost hear her
talking to him, stating with a little chuckle: ‘Well, it certainly went off
with a bang, Jack’. A slow smile played on Jack’s lips, as his thoughts were
filled with his beloved.
Janet held Cassie in her
lap, as the child thrashed in her restless sleep. I saw the future. The
words echoed in her mind constantly. Cassie had explained the ‘vision’, the
countless voices and feelings of fear and powerlessness. Was that the future?
Or, merely a figment of a frightened kid’s imagination?
Teal’c shot inquiring
glances at his Ful’ma, wondering about his son. Was Ry’ac lonely? Hurt? Images
of death, destruction and torture haunted Teal’c’s thoughts, as he attempted to
reach Kel’no’reem.
So much had happened in the
last few days, so many things to occupy his mind. Drey’ac, the mother of his
child, had died by her own hand, Ry’ac was living with him and Janet, who was
now his Ful’ma, and his to’var had aspired to marry O’Neill, the Tau’ri for
whom he held the most respect. And also to know that his wife’s child, though
not his, was somewhere among the stars. He could now empathise with Daniel,
searching for a Harseisus in the cold, dark universe.
But Daniel had found a new
life, a new love and Teal’c had done the same. Teal’c opened his eyes again and
glanced at the young man, taking in the slight tremble and wet cheeks.
“Major Jackson is not dead,
Daniel.”
Daniel looked up, realising
someone was speaking to him. His glass-less eyes dimly focussed on Teal’c
looming form and he smiled.
“Thank you, Teal’c.”
Teal’c nodded and went back
to his Kel’no’reem. Sometimes Daniel wished he could escape like that, just
drift into a dreamless state where there were no shadows, no memories, no
death. Daniel had experienced too much of that particular horror in his young
life, without the consistent reminder in his sleep. It was those very thoughts
that kept him awake now.
First, it was his parents,
then Sha’re and now, he might’ve lost Sam as well. He sniffed quietly, brushing
at his moist eyes. He brought up a mental picture in his mind but it was
immediately replaced by fear. Daniel shut his eyes tight and, instead, tried to
picture a photograph, an actual image of Sam.
One instantly sprang to mind; the one he kept in his locker. He
didn’t bring it out often, only when he felt especially lonely. He had brought
it out when Charlie had returned from the Tok’ra, when Sam and him were
fighting about their marriage. Sam had walked in on him, not even realising
what he held in his hand. He pictured it now: a simple love-heart frame with
Sam’s picture in the centre. It was taken on their wedding day and Sam was a
radiant angel shining from within the silver frame. Just thinking about the
image brought tears to his eyes but Daniel forced himself to hold the moment,
that beautiful picture, that beautiful woman in his memory forever.
~
Charlie could hear voices all around her. Danielle was pushing her
to wake up, urging her to break free of this artificial sleep that she was
drowning in. Concentrating her thoughts, Charlie forced her eyes open. They
were closed within seconds, as the bright light assaulted her tired, unfocused
eyes. Should’ve brought my glasses, thought Charlie, grumpily. Her neck
was aching badly and it was then Charlie realised she was sitting in a
reclining chair. Why on earth would I be asleep in one of those? Wait, why
am I sleeping? Aren’t I supposed to be getting married? Charlie’s mind
clouded over slightly, until her memories fell into place. Charlie prised her
eyes open again and saw a complicated-looking laboratory, which she was sitting
in the centre of. There were a few screens dotted around the room, two of which
contained people she recognised. Bloody hell!
“You are awake.”
Charlie turned quickly, to
discover a man studying her carefully. She knew she recognised him from
somewhere, but the memories weren’t coming. Okay…blocked memories, I have
plenty of those…just which one…
The man began to circle her, studying her face for signs of recognition.
He stopped his circling and looked directly into her eyes.
“My name is Dionysus.”
“You’re Tok’sokar.”
The man cocked his head and
motioned around the room, letting a tattoo show. A grape vine…I should’ve
known.
“You’re very observant.
Unlike your dear friends.”
Charlie’s eyes snapped to
one of the monitors, where Jack was pacing around a small cell. Daniel sat on
the floor behind him and Teal’c was meditating not far from them. Janet and
Cassie were there as well, still in their bridesmaid’s dresses. Charlie looked
down at her own gown, slightly soiled and bloodied. Blood…
Charlie looked carefully for
the source of blood and groaned. The wounds of the Asgard monitors had been
re-opened and she wouldn’t need three guesses to find out who had opened them.
“Where’s my mother?”
Dionysus cocked his head
slightly, looking puzzled.
“The Tok’ra? A being so
unique was required for study.”
His hand indicated a screen
and Charlie gasped in horror at what she saw…
~
Sam could hear something,
she was sure of it. She tried to get up, but there were thick bonds restraining
her. Well, this is a new wedding ritual…
“Hey Sam! Y’alright?”
Sam opened her eyes, to see
Daniel beaming down at her.
“Daniel? Can you get me out
of here?”
“Shan’t.”
Daniel pouted brattishly and
sat in a nearby chair.
“Why not?”
Sam was getting more than a
little frustrated. What the heck was wrong with her husband?
“You didn’t say please.”
Now, Sam was worried. She
watched Daniel’s movements carefully, all too aware of the nervous twitches and
over-confident demeanour.
“Daniel…have you been…near
a…sarcophagus recently?”
Daniel turned to her, eyes
overly bright with laughter.
“Now, why would I do a
stupid thing like that? Huh? Huh?”
Daniel’s unstable mood
quickly turned ugly and he began to rant, flinging his arms around
dramatically.
“Why would I do that? I mean, I’m not stupid! Do you think I’m stupid?
Is that your game, huh? Trying to deceive the UNSTABLE LUNATIC!”
Daniel’s voice reached
crescendo and he grabbed Sam’s chin firmly, forcing her to look into his mad,
staring eyes. Sam met his gaze bravely but the truth shocked her to the core. Daniel’s
addicted again? It can’t be…Sam searched those wild blue eyes, sparking
with the unleashed electricity of rage and uncontrolled energy.
“Okay, Daniel. I wasn’t
trying to…”
“Now, you’re lying. It’s not
nice to lie, Sam. You’ve been a very bad girl. Haven’t you? HAVEN’T YOU?”
Daniel squeezed her chin
tighter before letting go in disgust. He picked up a long curved blade, testing
it against his thumb.
“I think you need
punishing.”
~
“Stop it, you bastard!”
Charlie leapt to her feet,
completely forgetting herself. In her mind, she was a dangerous Indian rebel,
able to do anything that needed doing. Completely lost in her rage, she started
to babble on in Hindi. Dionysus was very confused and soothed her like a
demented child.
“Okay, woman. Calm down
now.”
The smooth English words
crashed her back to Earth, and her eyes cleared. She remembered the growing
child squirming in her womb but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hold her own. She
was infamous in the Indian Subcontinent; she still had Generals cursing in her
name. Charlie shuddered at that particular thought. She wasn’t particularly
proud of her past and the years when quiet Sinaya had turned terrorist and
murderer were best left alone. At least, she was free of it all. She had Daniel
to thank for that. The remarkable Daniel Jackson, Charlie smiled to
herself. Then, the sting of her present situation, the thought that her dear
father, mother and lover could be in trouble, not to mention the rest of the
universe, hardened her resolve.
“You don’t what you’re
dealing with. Back off while you have the chance.”
Her words were calm and
steady, masking the fear that she couldn’t pull off this bluff for long. But
Dionysus looked truly rattled, and his placating grin quickly vanished.
“And, what would you know,
little girl? We only chose you for interrogation because of the Harseisus in
your womb, and the faint protein marker in your blood. You have millennia of
knowledge in that pretty little head of yours, and we have no idea how. And, if
you don’t tell us…your closest friends will die.”
~
Yes, I suppose it would.
Oh well.
Daniel sighed to himself, his mind absently searching for a dangerous
weapon in the room. Suddenly, his eyes fixed on a barely discernible knife
hanging on the wall behind him. Daniel did a quick sweep of the room and nodded
in satisfaction. Teal’c was still meditating, Janet had fallen asleep over
Cassie, who was also sleeping. Jack looked as if he was in a world of his own,
and Daniel knew if he were to do it, it would be now.
“See you in heaven, Sam,” he
whispered.
Daniel raised the knife,
closed his eyes and let his hand go limp.
“What the hell are you
doing?”
Daniel felt a strong hand
grab his wrist, as the knife point grazed his throat. Daniel opened his eyes,
to meet Jack’s unwavering stare. The older man prised Daniel’s fingers open and
the knife clattered to the floor. Teal’c opened his eyes then, and Janet began
to stir. Jack dropped Daniel’s wrist then, and the archaeologist clapped his
hand to his throat, feeling sticky warm liquid flowing over his neck. Daniel
backed off from Jack, finding himself against the wall.
“Daniel! What have you
done?”
Janet ran over, waking
Cassie as she got up.
“Uncle Daniel!”
She started for the man, but
Teal’c stopped her, scooping her into his arms.
“Not now, Cassandra. Your
mother is busy.”
Daniel slid down the wall,
letting his eyes close. Janet knelt beside him, slapping his face gently.
“Daniel! DANIEL! Wake up
this instant. Sam will never forgive me if you die here. Do you hear me? DANIEL
JACKSON; YOUR WIFE NEEDS YOU. You are not bloody well gonna die!”
“I know, Janet.”
Daniel forced his eyes open,
letting the tears roll freely. Salt water mixed with blood, forming a red river
around Daniel. Jack was still standing off to one side, face still
expressionless. Janet ripped part of her underskirt, pressing the cloth to the
knife slash. Daniel replaced her fingers, pointing in the general direction of
Cassie.
“I think she needs you
more.”
Janet nodded, tears springing
to her own eyes. She got up and moved out of the virtual blood bath. Daniel
bowed his head, unable to face anything. Anything? Or just Jack?
“You mind telling me what’s
going on.”
Daniel looked up then, his
blurry vision picking up details that he already knew belonged to his best
friend. And son-in-law-to-be. Daniel choked on his own thought. They
didn’t even know if Sam and Charlie were alive or…dead.
“It seemed the only…way.”
Jack slid an arm around his
friend’s shoulders, knowing how hard this was for him. Been there, done
that…shame about the T-shirt; that cliché was almost complete…
“For a bright guy, you sure can be stupid.”
Daniel smiled at that,
rubbing the tears out of his eyes. He heard the scrape of metal on stone and
knew what Jack now held in his hand.
“And, where’d you get this
thing? Archaeologists aren’t the types for carrying dangerous weapons.”
Except for Charlie, but
we’ll talk about that later…Jack was
still shocked about that. He didn’t know too many brides who wore pistols in
their wedding dresses. Then again, he didn’t know many brides who had hosted
Goa’uld twice and were now pregnant with a super-kid. Looks like Charlie
truly is unique.
“I found it hanging on the
wall.”
“You really expect me to the
believe that?”
“It’s the truth, Jack. I
swear.”
And Jack believed him.
Daniel Jackson never lied, not unless it was absolutely necessary. And this
didn’t look like one of those occasions.
“Okay, I believe ya.”
Jack put the knife back on
the floor, and concentrated on Daniel.
“Now, all we need is a
‘why’.”
Daniel hung his head again;
truly ashamed of what he had tried to do.
“Sam’s dead, isn’t she?”
Ah, a big ‘why’.
“No, you can’t think that, Daniel. Sam and Charlie are fighters, and
whether we like it or not, they are also the most interesting of our little
group. After having snakes in both their heads and Charlie’s got that
Harse-whatsit brewing in her stomach, they’re ladies-in-demand. Wish they
weren’t, but that’s the sad truth.”
“So, you think they’re alright?”
“Never doubted it, Daniel.”
And now Charlie’s doing that neat glowey-eye thing, they should have no
trouble. Jack was still puzzled by that. Sam had never been able to make her
eyes glow, but there had been a definite light in Charlie’s eyes. Maybe it’s
the kid; all that Gourld knowledge must make it do…something.
“And the words ‘clutching at straws’ are not cliché?” Jack mumbled to
himself.
“What was that, Jack?”
“Oh, nothing. Now, how are you feeling?”
“Tired.”
“Well, blood loss will do that to you.”
Daniel looked at the neat tuxedo, now splattered with blood.
“Fine wedding photo we make.”
Jack smiled and patted the young man’s shoulder.
“And we’ll get it taken real soon.”
Daniel looked up, tears pricking his eyes.
“You really believe that?”
“Sure do. Now, go and comfort Cassie. She thought you were a goner.”
Daniel smiled, and got slowly to his feet.
“So did I,” he mumbled.
~
“I don’t believe that.”
Dionysus was nearing the end of his patience. The humans appeared to be
very resilient. Especially this one.
“I will leave you to think. Come, Jaffa.”
With a sweep of his cloak, Dionysus left, followed by the guards.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. They were stupid enough to leave her alone? Then,
she realised she didn’t look very threatening, which, she decided, was a good
thing. She jumped out of the chair, wincing slightly. Stupid child. Charlie
made for the door, figuring pretty quickly that they weren’t in the SGC. She
found a computer console, one that looked distantly familiar. Andreos. Yes,
that made sense. Using her knowledge from there, Charlie quickly got through
the security passwords. You would’ve thought they’d have changed the
passwords. Oh, they don’t know I have them…Charlie briefly wondered what
they wanted with her. She was quickly answered.
“Quite a find,” she whispered.
The page outlined their entire plans for the SGC. Charlie despaired at
their arrogance. It would be their downfall. She quickly found the objective
line, and gave a low whistle.
“So, they lost their System Lord, did they? That was clever.”
Charlie was tired and the sarcasm came naturally to her brain. She
scrolled through and found another interesting paragraph. She gave a small
cheer and moved to find another room.
“So, this is all a virtual reality. Now, to get the others out of it.
And myself as well, I suppose. First stop: Mum.”
~
“You alright, Uncle Daniel?”
“Fine Cassie. It’s just a scratch.”
Janet shot him a glance but he simply shrugged. Cassie cuddled up to
him, and he stroked her long hair, tied neatly back in a plait. Jack leaned
against the wall, watching them all. Teal’c stood in the background, a hand on
Janet’s shoulder.
“Are you alright, Ful’ma?”
“Fine, Teal’c. Really.”
Janet smiled tiredly, running a million possible medical simulations in
her head. What if, what if, what if…a maze of questions and no solutions. And
no escape.
Daniel felt a sinking feeling in his heart. The shock, the almost-death
and the whole emotion of the last few minutes had hit him, drained him
and left him in a depressed, lack-lustre state. He wanted to curl up in a ball
and sleep forever. Or, at least, until we find Sam. And we WILL find her. Daniel
repeated the mantra over and over in his head, allowing a faint glow of hope to
warm his frozen heart.
It was then that he remembered the poem that Jack and Charlie had found
so interesting; Jack now had a copy on his office wall. Daniel let the
beautiful words flood his mind, forgetting himself in their splendour.
Sunsets and
moonshine,
Shadows and
light;
My fairest and
dearest,
Queen of the
night…
~
Charlie padded towards a large room in this ‘complex’. She hoped she was
on the right track by walking through this place. The database had spoken of a
‘link’, the way to drift between the simulations. Technically, you were already
connected but the ‘physical’ resemblance triggered the change. Charlie wasn’t
all too sure of the explanation, but accepted that she needed to use it.
She found a room pretty soon and read the script over the door.
“Oh, how subtle,” she murmured, “‘The Link’”
Charlie pushed the door open and surveyed the scene before her. There
was a long row of machines, each one entrapping a person in its claws. Dad,
Jack, Janet, Cassie, Teal’c and Mum. Just peachy.
Charlie strode towards the ‘link’ containing Sam, grimacing at her
contorted features. She wished for a simple ‘off button’ but knew there was no
such thing. The brain had to realise the virtual reality was fake; otherwise
the stress of a ‘crossover’ would be too much for it. Which meant the ‘inmates’
needed convincing…
Charlie stepped over to the free ‘link’, and programmed it to put her in
her mother’s simulation, with a few added extras. Then, she put her back to the
machine, and relaxed backwards. She fell into the black mass of plastic, and
the tendrils moulded to her figure. She saw the metal hoop descend over her
eyes and prepared herself for a fight…
~
Sam could take no more. Electricity, knifes and fear of death hounded
the fibre of her existence. Her mind was crumbling away, and tears poured down
her face. Daniel was relentless, a cruel joke to his sane self. This is my
husband, she thought, bitterly.
When Sam was on the verge of collapse, a shrill cry pierced her mind.
She raised her head, to see Charlie slam Daniel’s head into the wall. He swore
before diving for her. But Charlie was already ahead, and pounded him back into
the wall. Sam wondered how she was coping with her bump, when she noticed its
absence. What the hell…?
However, that wasn’t the greatest shock. That came when Charlie slammed
Daniel against the floor…and he flickered out. Charlie stood up, looking
down at her flat stomach and smiling. She ran over to Sam, unstrapping her and
easing her gently off the table.
“Are you okay, Mum?”
“W…what happened?”
Charlie looked her mum right in the eye.
“You have to trust me. We’re in a virtual reality. None of this is real.
That wasn’t Dad. He’s in another reality right now. It’s all a trick by the
Tok’sokar. But you have to believe me.”
The words all came in a rush, but they were the happiest of Sam’s day. Daniel’s
safe.
“So, how do we get out?”
Charlie looked very seriously at Sam.
“You trust me?”
“Of course.”
“Then, take my hand.”
Sam complied, leaning heavily on Charlie for support. Charlie closed her
eyes and whispered the words to take them out.
~
Sam and Charlie shot forward and out of the machines. Sam stumbled
unsteadily to her feet, looking down carefully at her uninjured form.
“There’s…nothing. I’m alright.”
Sam looked up at Charlie, who was back with her obvious bump. She was
leaning heavily on one of the consoles, her hand gently smoothing over where
Sam presumed Danielle to be.
“You okay?”
Charlie frowned, and closed her eyes for a second.
“She wasn’t all that keen on the link thing. It disorientated her.”
Sam wasn’t even going to ask how a child in the womb could be
disorientated.
“Are the others here?”
Charlie slowly shook her head.
“No, they’re in another reality. But, right now, I need to get you
somewhere safe. I think I can put you in a safe reality until I can get you all
out. You can’t go with the others; it’ll be too obvious.”
As Charlie spoke, her fingers drummed steadily on the alien console. Sam
watched in fascination, marvelling at how Charlie was successfully thinking in
several languages at once. Charlie triumphantly stabbed the keyboard, turning
back to Sam.
“Relax and fall backwards into your link. You’ll find yourself in our
house. Do whatever you like there, but I wouldn’t advise leaving it. I don’t
think I programmed it too well.”
Sam smiled at her daughter’s own self-depreciation, knowing that the
bright young woman had probably typed in several fail-safes to make sure Sam
didn’t do just that. Trusting Charlie completely, Sam fell back into the pod.
When she was sure Sam was safe, Charlie headed back to her own pod. The
displays were all in neutral but Charlie quickly activated the ‘cell
simulation’, watching everyone carefully. Because there were so many of them,
they’d take a lot of convincing. Even Cassie had to completely understand the
unrealistic edge to everything. Charlie took a deep breath and lowered herself
into the pod.
~
General Hammond was not best pleased. He had been stuck in the Store
Room for absolute ages now, trapped in his own separate cage. He couldn’t quite
work out what was going on. One minute, there was a wedding, and the next
brought Jaffa guards parading around in Serpent heads. What’s more, his premier
team had disappeared off the face of the Earth, apparently dragging Charlie,
Janet and Cassie with them. Heck, I hope that’s not literal!
George smiled when he thought of them all; it was getting hard to
distinguish them as single people. Three family units, carefully intertwined by
their souls, hearts and minds. And, soon, law.
Which brought to mind a certain NID colonel…George wanted to wring his
neck. As soon as the Jaffa appeared, the Colonel had begged to be released. He
had promised information, cooperation and had been instantly dragged off.
George was disgusted. He had successfully made contact with the highest-ranking
officers in each ‘cell’, and they were all trying to keep everyone calm. He had
found Ry’ac pretty quickly too, and was glad that he was in the same cage as
Katherine.
Katherine and Ernest were taking everything in their stride; they had
seen worse times in their lives.
“I feel so sorry for Jack and Charlie. They try to get married and all
this turns up.”
Ernest smiled at his wife and squeezed her hand.
“The course of true love never did run smooth…”
Katherine shook her head at him.
“Don’t quote the Bard at me, Ernest. There’s enough drama around here
already!”
~
The cell had slipped into a kind of monotonous silence. They had
discovered the door to the facilities but there was no escape from there
either. Food had come through less than half an hour ago and Jack had been
thoroughly disgusted.
“I can cook better than this!”
They had all laughed at that, but there was little laughter now. Then, a
miracle appeared. Or, something close.
The cell lit up with bright light and Charlie appeared in the middle of
the small room. Jack rushed over to her immediately and drew her into a firm
hug.
“Missed you too. However, now really isn’t the time.”
Jack broke away, knowing his fiancée’s commanding tone when he heard it.
Daniel and Teal’c leapt to their feet, and Cassie just collided straight into
Charlie.
“Charlie! How’d you get here? Have you come to save us?”
“In a way, Cass. But you all have to listen…”
“Charlie! Whatever happened to Danielle?”
Charlie looked down at her stomach, still a little disconcerted by what
she saw. What made it worse was the fact that Danielle was still firmly in her
head. The things I do…
Janet quickly probed her flat stomach, and Charlie sighed. She gently
pushed the anxious woman away, and began her speech.
“This is my proof of what I’m about to tell you. For us to get out, you
have to believe everything I say, however unbelievable.
This is a virtual reality. Nothing about this room is real, nothing at
all. Your minds are interacting in this reality, but outside, your bodies are
in stasis.”
“Like The Matrix?”
Charlie beamed at Cassie, glad someone understood her. Janet and Daniel
were nodding as well; she had gotten through. Teal’c would trust her
completely; she already knew that. But Jack…
“So, you’re saying that we’re not really here? This place is all in our
minds?”
Charlie smiled, loving Jack more and more with every passing second.
“My dear Jack, you remember the Gamekeeper?”
Jack nodded; he had told her that story himself.
“You didn’t realise it was virtual until something was obviously wrong,
did you? Well, look at me closely. The bump is gone, the laser scars have
disappeared and one more thing…”
Charlie pulled up her long sleeve, to reveal an ugly black tattoo. Jack
laughed out loud when he saw it and squeezed her shoulder. ‘This isn’t
real’…well, she didn’t get that done by chance!
“Okay, I’m ready to get out of here…”
Suddenly, Charlie gasped and her image flickered out.
“They’re trying to pull me out! Okay, you need the passkey to get out.
All hold hands and just say…”
She stumbled forward slowly and Jack clutched at her, hands sliding
right through her. She flickered out of sight, replaced be empty space.
~
Charlie was shot out of the pod, straight into a waiting Jaffa’s grip.
Slightly overbalanced by the sudden weight change, Charlie stumbled to the
floor. Someone hauled her back to her feet, where Dionysus was waiting.
“Foolish, foolish child. You would kill your friends in your
desperation. You can not retrieve them; they must be specially prepared.”
Charlie quickly realised that they hadn’t discovered her ‘hacking’ and
was thankful. That probably meant that they only knew that she had been
exploring and they knew nothing else.
“You are lucky that we pulled you out. I don’t think you had much fun
staring into darkness.”
Charlie almost sighed with belief. She had rigged the computer to make
it look as if she had just been placed in a blank reality. Arrogant bastard
probably hasn’t even checked the logs.
“We shall take you back to recover. Come.”
Charlie followed obediently, knowing that her family’s lives depended on
her actions now.
~
Sam was a nervous wreck. She had been reading a book called
‘Archaeological Wonders’, obviously the only book Charlie could remember. Sam
smiled when she came to lines written as ‘it was a huge cavern, and I mean
HUGE!’ and ‘filled with wondrous treasures, such as goblets, jewellery,
gold…you get the idea’. Somehow, she didn’t think the original carried the
same…meaning.
She had snacked on countless packages from the fridge, munched her way
through twelve packets of chocolate-walnut cookies and drunk at least twenty
cups of coffee. She had Daniel’s picture in her hand, gently fingering the
delicate frame. He smiled out of the frame at her, and how she wished she could
touch him, feel him, surrender to his kiss…
Sam was snapped out of her reverie by a sudden headache. The pain was
intense, sending powerful shivers down her spine. She quickly recovered,
wondering what on earth was going on.
~
“You lowered the Tok’ra’s pain sensor. We were forced to up it while she
was still in the program, causing extreme discomfort. Are you happy now, Slave?
Now that you’ve caused so much pain?”
Charlie knew she had to buy some time and hopefully get Dionysus to
trust her. She needed to give him some information.
Sighing deeply, as if in resignation, she looked at him with her
sincerest smile.
“What do you want to know?”
Dionysus could feel victory throbbing through his veins. He had
conquered this feeble woman; soon, Dionysus could claim her for his own.
“We know you have knowledge. Lots of knowledge. Yet, your mind refuses
to yield it. We know the SGC likes to scavenge information; we wish to know
where out lord, Apophis, is.”
Charlie started slightly. How much do they know about me? Can’t be a
lot, can it? She quickly formed an answer, one she hoped would work.