But by then it was too late. The expedition had lost nearly fifty people, and among them was Weir herself. They had found her body, shriveled and unrecognizable, among a group of Athosians that had been trapped against a cliff. They had only known her by her hair and her uniform jacket.
Sumner shrugged. “At that point, sir, I took command, as ranking officer. We were clearly in a combat situation and expedition safety was the first priority. I ordered the expedition to relocate to the city, and — here we are.”
Here we are indeed, Jack thought. He didn’t like the way this had gone down — didn’t like anything about it, but the way Sumner had gotten on the wrong side of the locals after Weir was killed was pretty much the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much he could say about it now.
“All that is really beside the point,” McKay said. “The point is that we need to figure out some way to get back to Atlantis. And that was why I was really hoping Colonel Carter here had brought a solution to the Gerbrandt equations.”
The name wasn’t familiar to Jack, but Carter looked up sharply. “We rejected those before you left.”
“We did not.” McKay glared back at her. “Gordon and Schenk had a partial solution that looked promising, but there wasn’t time to finish the work. And, quite frankly, while I imagine I will eventually solve the problem, I’ve been otherwise occupied ever since we left Atlantis.”
“You solved the equations before you left Earth,” Carter repeated. “Gerbrandt’s theorum turned out to be irrelevant to the ZPM problem.”
“I did not!” McKay’s voice scaled up, and Sumner scowled.
“Colonel, I don’t see what’s to be gained by calling Dr. McKay a liar.”
Carter shook her head. “I don’t mean to be. But —”
“Wait a minute,” Daniel said. “Before we get any further — why have people been saying they’re glad I’m here? I was never supposed to be on this mission.”
No thanks to me, Jack thought. That was still a sore point, though he knew he was right.
Sumner’s frown deepened. “You didn’t come because you had emergency surgery for appendicitis. What’s the point of saying otherwise? Or is this some kind of test?”
He fixed Jack with an accusing stare, and Jack shook his head. “Sorry, Colonel, Daniel’s right. He was never attached to the Atlantis project. I made sure of that.”
“Wait a minute.” Carter had that look again, half satisfied and half embarrassed, the one that meant she’d figured out the situation and it wasn’t bad, it was worse. “General, I think — there’s a possibility that Janus’s device didn’t just displace us in space, but possibly also in quantum continuity.”
“Oh, boy,” Daniel said. “You know, that might explain what Janus was talking about with the side effects —”
“Hold it,” Jack said. He fixed Carter with a look. “Words of one syllable, Carter.”
“Sorry, sir.” The abashed look didn’t change. “It’s just — I’m beginning to think that Janus’s device didn’t just transport us to Atlantis. I think it may have taken us to a different Atlantis, one that belongs to an alternate reality.”
“An alternate reality,” Jack repeated, as if denying it might make the problem go away.
“Yes, sir,” Carter said. “According to the latest theories, our reality is only one of an infinite number of possibilities, each branching off from decisions made within each universe.”
“I know what an alternate reality is,” Jack said, “and I really wish I couldn’t say that. But — this is like that damned quantum mirror thing, right?”
“I would say so.” Carter gave an apologetic smile.
“Wait, wait, wait,” McKay said. He looked at Carter. “He’s not our O’Neill? Because he sounds exactly like him. And he sounds just like Dr. Jackson. Though I suppose if the universes hadn’t branched much, there wouldn’t be a good way to tell them apart, except by largely trivial differences —”
“Like Daniel having been supposed to come on the mission.” Carter nodded. “And our having solved the Gerbrandt equations when you didn’t.”
“Not that we couldn’t,” McKay said.
Sumner scowled. “Dr. McKay…”
“Well, we could have. Only apparently it’s not as important as we thought —”
“McKay!”
The scientist subsided, pursing his lips, and Sumner looked at Jack.
“Under the circumstances, General, I can’t see my way clear to cede command. You’re not actually part of my chain of command — you’re not my general. Sir.”
“It certainly looks as though we’ve come through something like the quantum mirror,” Jack said carefully. “You do have one of those, right?”
“We had one,” Sumner answered. “General Hammond had it destroyed.”
Carter shifted uneasily. “It’s more that Janus’s device functioned like the quantum mirror, sir.”
“Which makes me wonder if the quantum mirror was one of his toys,” Daniel said.
“Be that as it may,” Jack said loudly. They both looked at him, startled, and he took a breath, focusing again on Sumner. “Under the circumstances, Colonel, I take your point. There may be subtle differences between our universes that turn out to be significant. But by the same token, I expect to be able to offer suggestions and advice.”
“I’d welcome that, sir,” Sumner answered.
“Excellent,” Jack answered. And why, he wondered, do I think Sumner’s relieved? He glanced at Teal’c, but the Jaffa’s expression was as impassive as ever.
“And I would really appreciate Colonel Carter’s help,” McKay said. There was an odd note of challenge in his voice. “And Dr. Jackson’s, for that matter. There’s so much here that we haven’t been able to explore properly, any extra staff will make a difference.”
“I’m sure Colonel Carter and Dr. Jackson will be more than willing to help,” Jack said.
For just an instant, Sumner looked murderous, but the expression vanished almost quickly enough that Jack could pretend he hadn’t seen it. “We can discuss whether it’s safe to explore any further tomorrow,” he said. “First, General O’Neill and his party need a place to sleep. Lieutenant Ford, you’ll see to that.”
“Yes, sir.” The young Marine snapped a salute.
“And then you can bring them along to the mess tent.” Sumner pushed himself to his feet, and held out his hand. “General, I’m sorry you’re here under these circumstances, but you’re more than welcome.”
“Thanks, Colonel,” Jack answered. “We’ll try not to get in your hair too much. But we’re going to figure out a way to get back to our own timeline.”
“Absolutely, sir,” Sumner said.
Ford led them down what had once been a major street, offering them the choice of three different buildings that could be made perfectly sound with the addition of a tarp. “We can put up a real roof as soon as you’re settled,” he said, “but for tonight, it’ll have to be tents.”
“Not a problem, Lieutenant,” Jack said. He looked over his options, chose the one that seemed to have a back door out of sight of the expedition’s perimeter guards. He saw Teal’c’s eyebrow tick up at that, but ignored him. Ford sent over a couple of airmen with the tarp, and another group arrived with cots and sleeping bags and a portable stove. They had lanterns, too, and promised to run power to the building in the morning.
“All the comforts of home,” Jack said, and let them go. It was fully dark now and Carter lit the lanterns in silence, holding one high to examine the space. They had a shallow front room and two bedrooms with a connecting door, and the back door that opened onto an alley that ran between two relatively intact buildings.
Teal’c’s eyebrow rose even higher. “That is not an entirely defensible position, O’Neill.”
“We can rig a bar across the back door,” Jack answered. He shook his head. “Let’s just say I’d like to have another way out.”
“You don’t like this
either,” Daniel said.
“No, I don’t,” Jack said. “Ok, maybe it’s just this is a different time line, and, yeah, they’ve been having bad problems, but — something’s off. And while we’re on that note — Teal’c, you’ll share with Carter. Daniel, you’re with me.”
That had always been the arrangement when they had to split up in hostile territory, and Carter nodded.
“Yes, sir. Sir, these hostiles, the Wraith — they sound a little too bad to be true, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Jack said. “Life-sucking unkillable vampires who can make you see things that aren’t there — it’s kind of par for the course, Carter.”
She grinned, but the smile faded. “You know what I mean, sir.”
“Sam’s right,” Daniel said. “It’s like something out of somebody’s horror novel.”
“Yet Dr. Weir is dead,” Teal’c said. “Along with other expedition members. The Wraith are clearly real.”
“And the locals think Sumner is pissing them off by camping here,” Daniel said. “I’d like to know more about that.”
“So would I,” Jack said. “I’m guessing Major Sheppard must have been killed along with her, since he wasn’t at the meeting, but — somehow I’ve got a feeling there’s a lot we haven’t heard.”
“I agree,” Teal’c said. “And the men are agitated. Either there is more danger than they have told us, or —” He shook his head. “I do not know what the alternative would be.”
“Well, kids, that’s what we have to find out,” Jack said. “We’re invited to dinner —” He checked his watch. “Any minute now, so let’s see if we can’t have a few quiet conversations, draw some people out. I’d like to know what’s really going on here.”
The young lieutenant — Ford — returned shortly to escort them to the mess area. It was in the central building where Sumner had his quarters, and where it seemed as though most of the Marines slept as well. That was reasonable, Teal’c thought, given that the expedition had been subject to irregular and violent attacks, just as it was reasonable for conversations to be subdued and for the food served from the steam tables to be carefully measured. And closely watched: there was a Marine at the only door whose job seemed to be to ensure that no one took food with them. It made some sense to be certain that no one was hoarding what must be limited supplies — particularly if their relations with the locals were strained — but he could not remember ever seeing a similar precaution on any other Tau’ri base.
Nor had he seen such a strong division between military and civilian personnel. Of course there was always a certain rivalry between the two groups, an inevitable outcome of different function and goal, but usually Teal’c had seen it sublimated into jokes and harmless posturing. The bonds of the team were generally more important than caste loyalties. But here… Perhaps it was just that the situation meant that the formation of exploration teams had been suspended, but all across the room scientists sat with scientists and soldiers with soldiers.
He realized his tray had been filled without his asking and he turned to follow Carter toward an empty table, frowning at his plate. Stew, two slices of bread, half of something that looked like a nepti fruit: as a whole it was nutritious enough, he was sure, but neither ample nor particularly appealing.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” O’Neill said quietly, from just behind him.
“Indeed.” Teal’c did not look back. “It seems things are — less orderly — than Colonel Sumner wishes to acknowledge.”
“Yeah.” O’Neill broke off as Ford came to join them, and they settled themselves at the table Daniel had chosen.
The archeologist gave Ford a sharp look. “What’s with the rationing?”
“We’ve had some trouble with the locals,” Ford answered. “Colonel Sumner had the cooks work out a sustainable menu until we can be sure we can get supplies locally.”
Teal’c took a careful bite of the fruit. It was indeed a nepti, which did not surprise him. They grew wild on many worlds the Ancients had seeded, and were surprisingly nutritious for something that tasted good.
“Yeah, you keep saying ‘trouble with the locals,’” Daniel said. “What kind of trouble are you talking about? Arguments, harsh words, shooting people?”
Teal’c slanted a glance at O’Neill, but he was busy spooning up more of his stew. Once again he was letting Daniel ask the awkward questions, all of them falling back into their roles just as if O’Neill had never left the team.
Ford scowled. “You heard what Colonel Sumner said. They’re a nomadic people, call themselves Athosians. We were getting along ok with them at first, after we came through from Atlantis, I mean. We made a deal with their chief trader to trade medical services and medicines for food, and that seemed to be working out. Even after Colonel Sumner took control of the Stargate, it looked as though we could keep things friendly. But once we started exploring the city, that’s when they got all hinky about it.”
“What’s wrong with the city?” Daniel asked. “I mean, it’s obvious it was built by the Ancients, and it’s equally obvious no one’s lived here in a very long time. Presumably there wasn’t anything left to salvage?”
“The Athosians believe that the Wraith destroy any people who show too much command of technology,” Ford answered. “They stay out of the city so that the Wraith won’t notice them, and they believe we’ve drawn too much attention by being here.”
“Seems like they’re not entirely wrong,” O’Neill observed.
Ford looked at his plate. “Maybe so, sir, but Dr. McKay thinks there may be a ZPM here, or at least information that’ll tell us where to find one. We can’t just leave it alone because the Athosians are scared of the Wraith.”
“Tell me about these Wraith,” Teal’c said. “I have never heard of their like, not even from the oldest Jaffa.”
“They must be native to the Pegasus Galaxy,” Ford said. He paused, as though he were trying to come up with the words. “They’re seriously scary-looking — tall, gray-green skin, long white hair, fangs and claws. They look a lot like that guy in the vampire movies, Nosferatu. And they’re mean and they’re fast, and you can’t be sure they’re dead unless you put a lot of bullets into them or cut their heads off.”
“And they eat people,” O’Neill said.
“Sort of, sir. I mean, you end up dead, but — the Athosians said they consume the life-force. It’s not like they’re, you know, cannibals.” Ford looked faintly spooked at the memory. “They’ve got this feeding organ in the palm of the hand, and if they get their claws in you, it’ll suck the life right out of you. The first of our guys they killed, they looked like they’d been mummified. There wasn’t much left of them but skin and hair.”
“Sounds pretty alarming,” Daniel said, through a mouthful of nepti fruit.
“Oh, they’re alarming, all right.” That was Sumner, sliding up behind them. “May I join you, General?”
O’Neill nodded. “Absolutely, Colonel.”
Ford shot to his feet, picking up his tray. “If you’ll excuse me, sirs, I’m on duty in twenty.”
Sumner nodded, and the younger man hurried away. Teal’c watched him go, careful to keep his face expressionless. He didn’t like the sound of the Wraith, but he also didn’t like the sense that there was so much going on beneath the surface. He let his gaze slide across the mess area, searching for faces he remembered from the expedition’s preparations. A few he recognized — McKay, certainly, Sergeant Bates, a young Asian scientist — but there were more that he expected who were not present, Major Sheppard being most notable. He glanced at O’Neill again, saw him give the colonel a measuring stare.
“From what Lieutenant Ford was telling us, you’ve had your hands full,” O’Neill said. His voice was deceptively mild. “If the Wraith are that hard to kill, how are you handling them?”
“They are damn hard to kill,” Sumner said. “But we’ve got three things going for us. First, we’re well
supplied. We managed to get all the arms and ammo out of Atlantis, so we’re ready for the long haul. Second, the Wraith come in two flavors, masked warriors who frankly aren’t very bright, and regular Wraith who are in charge of them. We figured out pretty quick that you kill the unmasked ones first, and the drones can’t handle it. But mostly —” He bared teeth in a smile. “Dr. Beckett figured out a drug that gives my men a limited immunity to the enzyme that triggers the Wraith feeding process. It’s not foolproof, but it gives a man a chance to break free before he’s really hurt.”
“That’s quite an advantage,” Daniel said. “I would think that would help improve things with the Athosians. It must be worth a lot to them, if they’re that afraid of the Wraith.”
An expression that was almost a sneer flickered across Sumner’s face. “We’re not really prepared to do that. You see, the enzyme drug also improves reflexes, strength, and endurance, and in some men it enhances both sight and hearing. The last thing we want is to give that to the locals.”
“Pity,” Daniel said, not quite under his breath.
“I never yet met a wonder drug that didn’t have its down side,” O’Neill said. “What’s the bad news?”
“It burns energy faster than usual,” Sumner said. “Which is one of the reasons we monitor our food supplies so carefully. And Dr. Beckett says it will create dependency if used continuously, so we rotate the men on and off it on a carefully planned schedule. But other than that — not bad at all, General.”
“That’s a pleasant surprise,” O’Neill said. Teal’c didn’t think he believed it, either. O’Neill looked around the mess hall, which was starting to empty out as the food line closed down. “Tell me, Colonel, where’s Major Sheppard?”
Sumner froze for an instant. “I’m afraid I have bad news.”
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