“I recalibrated the force field to repel ice, in the same way that Dr. Radek Zelenka generated a force field around the Atlantis jumper to repel water,” Sam explained.
“Hang on a minute,” Cam said. “You said fifty years? Isn't this 1908?”
“I think that's where the 'next leg' comment comes in, but being one of those cultural references, I really couldn't say for certain,” Vala said, raising her eyebrows at Sam.
“Which means someone tunneled through the ice sometime around 1947-48,” she replied, smiling. “And since we know the Antarctic 'gate DHD doesn't have sufficient power to dial out--”
“We're using that to make a stop in 1947 to collect An and Loki,” Daniel finished..
“Actually, we dug down through it once in 1947, but that was a different timeline, so it doesn't count,” O'Neill added. He frowned and glanced at Sam. “It doesn't, does it?”
She smiled and nodded, which Cam appeared to find infuriating.
The jumper slowed before plunging into a tunnel, to emerge a short time later in a pitch-black cavern illuminated only by the craft's headlights. Vala had been watching their progress and had not noticed that Sam had retrieved something until she slid it over her hand. “Ah...isn't that—?
“Yeah,” O'Neill said. “Carter?”
“Ready, sir.”
“Dial away.”
“Just out of curiosity, why are we collecting both An and Loki?”
“Because Loki has to survive so he can go on to feature in all those alien abduction stories that Teal'c likes so much,” Daniel said. “Once you heal the worst of his injuries, we'll beam him aboard his ship.”
“And by using the Antarctic 'gate,” Sam explained when they emerged from the other end of the wormhole to a considerably smaller cavern, “we haven't risked bumping into ourselves or anyone else.”
During the time it took to tunnel through the ice in what was presumably 1947, Vala detailed her perilous escape from the burning building and her rescue of Cam. She left out the bits about telling Howard all about the true state of affairs in the galaxy, until Daniel said, “Cthulhu?
“Who?”
“C'mon, Vala, we know you must have told Lovccraft about the Goa'uld and the Ori.”
“Me? Don't be silly. You know I'd never do anything like that.”
“It's okay, Vala.” Sam offered her a reassuring smile. “Lovecraft became a famous horror writer.”
“Really? Oh, well, in that case, K'thloo was this rather yukky creature with lots of tentacles around his mouth, that I stumbled across about a year or so after I'd managed to divest myself from Qetesh. Well, stumbled probably wasn't quite accurate so much as I borrowed something from him...”
CHAPTER FIFTY
“What...what is happening?” An asked.
Jack glanced over his shoulder at the Asgard lying prone on the jumper's cargo bay. “We finished here?” he asked Carter.
“Yes, sir.”
“What about the Stargate, Sam?” Daniel asked.
“I scanned for naquadah,” she replied. “The Stargate is in the same military storage facility in DC that we found in 1968, and the DHD is in Moscow.”
The Asgard began to stir, and struggled to sit up. “Where... am I?”
“Now, now, be a good little Asgard and stay still,” Vala admonished. “I've got some nice green food for you, but you have to lay back and have a couple of red ones, first.”
The ice tunnel appeared and Jack angled the jumper into if for what he hoped was the last time that day. When they emerged in the cavern, Carter looked around and, taking a deep breath, said, “Makes you wonder, doesn't it?”
Right now, Jack was only wondering how long it would take to get from the 'gate room to Landry's bathroom. There was a hot shower waiting for him, along with one of Walter's coffees. Saying, 'no' wasn't likely to stop Carter from answering what he wished was only a rhetorical question, so he said, “Five words, Carter, that's it, then dial the 'gate.”
Smiling she ran her hand across the portable DHD. The absence of a kawoosh took some getting used to, but thankfully, this was the last time he'd have to think about that. “Time travel. Could be interesting.” She entered the code on her GDO.
“Maybe you can get a few tips from General Carter,” he said, staring up at the control room as the jumper settled onto the newly installed ramp. He was pleased to see the Perspex had been replaced, along with the new .50 caliber guns.
Caroline Lam was waiting for Daniel at the bottom of the hatch. For once, Jack didn't feel like putting up much of an objection when she waited for him to emerge and frowning, crossed her arms and said, “You might have told me about the ribs before you left.”
General Carter, who was standing nearby, had the grace to offer him an apologetic smile when he stepped off the ramp. “Thank you. All of you,” she said, turning her smile to the rest of them. “I know you've been through a great deal, and I'm sorry I couldn't warn you in advance but, well, I'm sure you understand why.”
Carter—their Carter—was staring intently at her older self. “How do we know you're actually from our timeline?”
The General turned to her. “Time travel—” She dialed the 'gate using the remote DHD on her hand. “Could be interesting.”
“Oh, you really were quite lovely when you were young, weren't you?” Herbert waddled into the 'gate room and beamed at all of them. Shaking Jack's hand, he said, “Don't worry, I promised you I'd take care of her, and I have. Come, my dear, time to go home.”
Carter opened her mouth to speak to General Carter, but then she shook her head. “Guess there's no point asking.”
“No, and you know why. But I will say that Cassie was also right. Your journey is just beginning.”
She turned and helped An, who was still dazed and less than pleased about all of this, out of the jumper and up the ramp.
“You see?” Vala called to Herbert, “I never stole it.”
“Oh, but you will, my dear. You will.”
Vala opened her mouth to reply, but Daniel got in first. “Nice to meet you Mr. George.”
General Carter stepped into the wormhole with An, while Herbert paused and frowned at Daniel. “George is my middle name. My last name is Wells.” The frown cleared. “And we will meet again, you can be certain of that.” He turned and strolled into the wormhole.
When the wormhole fuzzed out behind them, Jack rubbed his hands together. Nothing, absolutely nothing was going to get between him and that shower.
Daniel was standing there with his mouth half open. “Oh my God, do you have any idea who that was?”
“Herbert George Wells...” Carter's voice trailed off and she met Daniel's slightly gobsmacked look.
“What?” Jack demanded, already knowing he was going to regret it.
“Better known as H.G. Wells.”
Vala looked confused. “You mentioned him before. Isn't that the fellow who started some war between worlds?”
Daniel's brows knitted together suspiciously. “No, he only wrote about it.”
“Oh, so he's another writer?” she said with a beaming smile. “Like Howard?”
“Yes, just like Howard,” Daniel agreed, coming up beside Jack with a look on his face Jack guessed reflected his own. “What did you tell him, Vala?”
She took a step backward, her smile fading. “I didn't tell him anything! I never even met him before General Carter arrived here with him.”
“He seems to know you pretty well,” Jack said.
Vala shrugged, assuming an air of wounded innocence. “Well, that's hardly my fault...”
“In all fairness, sir,” Carter said, coming down the ramp with Teal'c and Mitchell. “He did say they were going to meet in the future.”
“Vala might tell him something one day, sir,” Cam agreed. “But she hasn't done anything wrong.”
“Yet,” Teal'c added.
“Thanks for the overwhelming vote of confidence,” she said, frowning at them. “And why
are you all looking at me like that anyway? Apparently, while I was busy adding to the depth of your literary history by inspiring some of your most creative writers, you four somehow turned into Jaffa and Mitchell managed a stint as First Prime to a Goa'uld System Lord.”
Jack thought on that for a moment, glanced at Daniel who didn't seem to have answer, either. “Right.”
Vala's beaming smile returned with a vengeance. “Besides, you're missing the most important thing here.”
“What's that?” Daniel asked warily.
“Well, regardless of what I might or might not tell him someday, if I'm going to meet this Herbert Wells fellow in the future, that means we get to do this whole time traveling thing all over again. Won't that be fun?”
[end]
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Sonny Whitelaw
With a degree in geomorphology and anthropology, Sonny Whitelaw decided that a career in academia wouldn't be as much fun as running a dive charter yacht and adventure tourism business in the South Pacific. Photojournalism came as a natural extension to her travels, and Sonny's work has been featured in numerous international publications, including National Geographic. Sonny is the author seven novels includ-ing Stargate SG-l: City of the Gods, Stargate Atlantis: The Chosen, and Stargate Atlantis: Exogenesis, and is currently working on her next title, Stargate Atlantis: Blood Ties. She lives in Brisbane with her two children, and along with Jennifer Fallon is completing a Master's degree in Creative Writing. For more information, visit www.sonnywhitelaw.com
Jennifer Fallon
Jennifer Fallon lives in Central Australia, where she writes full time. At various times in the past, she has worked as a youth worker, a store detective, managed an ISP, a video shop, an international cosmetics company, and once had a job issuing security clearances for contractors working on classified government projects. A former competitive pistol shooter, she currently consults for various government departments in her spare time while finishing her Masters degree in creative writing. Jennifer is also the author of the international bestselling Hythrun Chronicles — Medalon, Treason Keep, Harshini, Wolfblade, Warrior and Warlord, the Second Sons series {Lion of Senet, Eye of the Labyrinth, Lord of the Shadows) and file upcoming Tide Lords series. For more information, visit www.jenniferfallon.com
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