CHAPTER TWO
Daniel returned to the bridge and walked up to the others.
"I have managed to send advance warning to Orilla," Thor said. "By providing them with the Replicator ship's course and speed, they should have a fair approximation of where it will drop out of hyperspace. What ships we have available will be waiting in ambush."
"Ambush?" Daniel repeated, his stomach clenching.
"When the ship exits hyperspace, they will be defenseless for a few moments. If the Asgard ships are able to fire upon it before it raises its shields, their combined firepower should be able to destroy it."
"But what about Sam?"
Thor gazed at him in sympathy. "I am sorry, Doctor Jackson. There is nothing else we can do."
Daniel turned and walked away. When he believed that he and Sam were both going to die, it was bad enough, but he had known that he would rather die with her than live without her. But, now, she was going to die alone, alone out there in the cold of space. He was never going to see her again, touch her again.
'Oh, God. This can't be happening.'
Sam cried out in pain. Fifth withdrew from her mind, and she collapsed to the floor.
"Stop it, please!" she sobbed, grabbing her head as she wept.
"Why should I?" Fifth asked heartlessly.
"You can't change what happened. Is this making you feel better?" Sam managed to sit up. "I never intended to abandon you."
"But you did. You gained my trust, then you used me and left me behind."
"It wasn't my decision." 'Please, Fifth, please understand,' Sam begged silently.
"You could have come back for me," Fifth whispered.
"There was no time!"
"Time!" Fifth spat. "Thanks to what you did, I had plenty of time . . . to think about what a fool I was."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what we did to you."
"Yes." Fifth squatted before her. "You are now."
"Part of being human is having compassion, learning to forgive," Sam told him, praying that, somehow, she'd get through to the human part of Fifth that still possessed some shred of compassion.
"Yes. I'm not there yet. I need more time."
As Fifth moved his hand toward her face, Sam flinched away, sobbing deeply. Fifth stopped and stared at her. He felt something stir inside him, something that banished the hatred within. He reached out and ran his fingers through Sam's hair, gently cupping her head as she continued to cry brokenly. The desire to hurt her, to make her pay for her betrayal, disappeared, replaced by another desire.
With a small smile, Fifth decided what he was going to do. He would make her love him . . . just as he loved her.
Jack, Teal'c and Thor were standing at the control console. Daniel was against the wall several feet away. Sensing his need for space, his teammates had not approached him.
The image of an Asgard came onto the viewscreen.
"Commander Thor, this is Aegir of the Valhalla. We have assumed defensive positions and are awaiting the target ship."
"Understood," Thor responded.
Moments later, the Replicator ship exited hyperspace over the planet. The Asgard ships immediately opened fire upon it. Within seconds, it was destroyed.
"The enemy ship has been destroyed," Aegir announced.
Thor looked at the rest of SG-1. "I am sorry."
Pain bore down upon Daniel, crushing him with its unbearable weight. He slid down the wall into a heap, chest heaving with sobs that were fighting to get out. But he couldn't let them out. He had to hold it together, stay in control. He had to. . . . 'Oh God.'
Seconds later, Jack was there. He pulled Daniel into his arms, feeling the shaking of his friend's body. "Let it out, Daniel. Just let it out. I've got you."
The words broke Daniel's fragile control, and he crumpled. Sobs welled out of him, pulled from the shattered depths of his soul. Jack gathered him close, his own heart crying over the loss of Sam and the terrible anguish of the man in his arms.
Lost in grief, Daniel did not feel Jack slowly rocking him back and forth. He did not hear an Asgard named Penegal announce that the debris from the destroyed Replicator ship could not be contained and had rained down on Orilla. It did not impact upon his mind that the Replicators had already begun replicating and infesting the Asgards' systems. All he knew was that Sam was gone. He felt like he was dying inside.
"She's gone, Jack," he said brokenly.
Jack's eyes closed tightly at the heartbreaking sound of his best friend's voice.
Daniel's breath caught on a sob. "I loved her so much."
Jack's heart cracked open at those words. Tears filled his eyes. He pulled Daniel's head down onto his shoulder, laying his cheek against the short brown hair. "I know, Danny," he whispered in a voice rough with pain. "I know."
Teal'c looked over at the two figures against the wall. His heart ached, not only for the loss of a friend, but also for the anguish that another friend was now suffering. In all the years he had known Daniel Jackson, he had never seen the archeologist so devastated, not even when his wife died. Daniel had held the pain of Sha're's death deep inside, showing only a small portion of it to his friends. But, this time, there was no holding it back, and it tore Teal'c apart to see the strong man that Daniel Jackson was so terribly broken.
The Jaffa turned back to Thor. "Should you not consider evacuating your people?" he asked.
"That is no longer possible," Penegal replied on the viewscreen.
"There are too many," Thor explained. "We carried numerous stored minds aboard the computers of our ships when we fled our homeworld. When Orilla was finally found, we were able to place those minds into cloned bodies so that we could build our new colony."
"The Replicators have already infected systems needed to save those minds," Penegal said. "If we lose this battle, they will perish, along with their bodies, taking with them the hopes of the Asgard race."
Thor gazed at Teal'c. "Orilla is the last chance of ever rebuilding our empire."
"Then we must fight to save it."
"I must examine the device Doctor Jackson created. But, first, I must recompile the data."
It took several minutes for Thor to collect and compile the scattered bits of data, some of which was damaged by the Replicator attack and had to be repaired.
"I have succeeded in gathering the data. I believe I can synthesis the device now."
A prototype of the thing Daniel had created in the computer appeared on a nearby stand.
"Do you know yet what it is?" Teal'c asked.
"No. I am not familiar with the design, though I am assuming it is a weapon."
"It is," said a low voice behind them.
Teal'c and Thor turned to see Daniel standing a few feet away. His face was marred with the tracks of tears, his eyes reddened and dark with pain, but there was also a hard look of determination on his face.
"I share your sorrow at the death of Major Carter, Doctor Jackson," Thor said. "If there had been any way to save her, I would have done so."
Daniel swallowed tightly. "I know." He walked up to the weapon he had created. When he made it, it had been to help the Asgard. Now, it was the thing that would enable him to avenge the death of the woman he loved. He would not stop until every Replicator in the universe was gone.
They dropped out of hyperspace near Orilla. Several other Asgard ships were there, none of which could dare land because of the Replicators that were quickly decimating the Asgard civilization below.
The image of Penegal came onto the viewscreen. He gave Thor a brief update on the situation. "I do not know how much longer our communications system will be functioning. There are things you should know. The Replicators infesting the colony are behaving in an organized fashion, unlike any we have encountered before."
Thor was disturbed by the news. "Perhaps they are being controlled by a human-form leader who has yet to reveal itself."
A sharp gasp from Daniel drew the attention of the others to him. His eyes were staring off at nothing, distant and unfocused.
"She's alive," he whispered.
"What?" Jack said.
Daniel turned to him, eyes blazing with joy. "She's alive, Jack! Sam's alive!"
Hope blossomed within the colonel's heart. "Are you sure, Daniel?"
"Yes! I can feel her, Jack. She's on the planet somewhere."
"Yes!" Jack clapped Daniel on the back, grinning.
"We have to find her," Daniel said.
"We will, Daniel. I swear it."
Sam's eyes slowly opened. She squinted against the bright sunlight that was shining in her eyes. Turning away from the light, Sam saw that she was in a tent. The air was hot, though not unbearably so. Sitting up, Sam looked over at the tent flap, which was open a slit, sunlight pouring in.
Confused and leery, Sam got up and walked to the opening, peeking out. Seeing no one, she stepped out of the tent, looking around. There were several other tents and piles of crates here and there. Off in the distance, she saw what looked like Ancient Egyptian ruins. A few yards away, Daniel was hunched over a table, examining some artifacts.
Sam walked up to the archeologist. He saw her and smiled.
"Hey, Sam. I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all day." He grinned. "But, considering that we didn't get much sleep last night, I guess I can understand you wanting to sleep in."
Sam stared at him, frowning. "Daniel?"
The archeologist's smile faded. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"
"Yes, everything."
"What do you mean?"
"This, all of it. What are we doing here? Where the hell is here?"
"Uh . . . it's Egypt, Sam, remember? I know we both drank quite a bit of wine last night, but I didn't think you drank that much."
"No, Daniel. It's not a hangover. I don't. . . ."
"Don't what?"
"Think this is real." Sam shook her head. "This isn't happening. The last thing I remember, I was onboard a Replicator ship. This is just another way of screwing with my mind."
Daniel stepped forward and took her hands. "Sam, look. A year ago, you left the Stargate Program because of mental stress. We all had a really bad year, but it was worse for you. I resigned and took a teaching position at UCLA. We're here with a bunch of archeology students, who, at the moment, are off having a weekend of fun in Luxor. Before we came here, you were seeing a psychologist because you can't seem to shake the nightmares. You've just had a bad one. That's all." Daniel gave her a long kiss. When he drew back, he was smiling. "Did that feel real?" he asked.
"Yes," Sam admitted.
"Well, there you go. So, are you hungry? I can fix you a late breakfast."
Sam stared at him for several seconds before saying, "I am kind of hungry."
"Well, come on, then. I'll whip something up for you."
Sam followed him, beginning to wonder if she was losing her mind.
Jack turned to Thor. "If one of the human Replicators survived, that could explain how Carter is alive. One of those guys got off the ship with her before you blew it up."
"Can you scan the planet for life signs?" Daniel asked.
"We already have. There are none," Penegal told them.
"Then she must be shielded from your scanners," Daniel stated firmly, "because I know she's alive."
"We believe you, Daniel," Jack assured him.
"It is possible that the human-form Replicator is hiding her from our sensors," Thor said. He, too, did not doubt Daniel, knowing that the archeologist's highly advanced paranormal abilities enabled him to sense things that Asgard sensors could not.
"Were you able to procure a means of fighting the Replicators?" Penegal asked.
"Yes, but it still requires more research," Thor replied.
"I hope that you will have the answer soon," Penegal said gravely. His image disappeared.
Thor turned his attention back to the weapon Daniel had created. "What can you tell me about how it functions?" he asked Daniel.
"Nothing technical. All I know is that it somehow makes it impossible for each Replicator block – or whatever they're called – to communicate with the others."
"Which would render each one inert," Thor said. "We explored such a technology in the past with no success. If you are correct, this will be an extremely effective means of destroying the Replicators."
The Asgard ran some scans on the device. "The technology is quite impressive and very advanced."
"Will you be able to duplicate it?" Daniel asked.
"I can synthesize more of the weapons, but their effectiveness would be extremely limited since one would have to be in close proximity to a Replicator to destroy it."
"Well, can't you make a bigger one or something? You know, one that would zap all the bugs on a planet at once." Jack asked.
"Such a weapon would require a great deal of modifications, something I could not accomplish without a greater understanding of this device. It is likely that I will be able to do it, but I fear it may take more time than we have."
As the Asgard got busy on the project, Daniel wandered away to the window. He gazed down at the planet below. Somewhere down there was Sam. She was angry, confused and a little frightened. But she was no longer in pain. He wished that he could talk to her, let her know that they were near and were going to find her.
Daniel sensed Jack come up behind him.
"How are you doing?" the colonel asked.
"Okay. A hell of a lot better than I was a while ago. Just knowing that she's alive. . . ."
"Yeah."
Daniel's gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm sorry I fell apart on you like that."
Jack grasped Daniel's arm, turning in around. "Hey," he said in a stern voice. "Don't you ever apologize for grieving, Daniel, for letting your friends see you grieve. Letting it all out is a hell of a lot better than bottling it up inside and pretending that you're not hurting. Take that from someone who knows. I did that way too many times, and all it succeeded in doing is making me feel alone and bitter."
Daniel met Jack's eyes. "Thank you . . . for being there."
Jack laid a hand upon his shoulder. "Any time, Daniel. Any time."
Sam took the last bite of her food and set the fork down. "Thanks. That was good."
"You're welcome," Daniel said. He took the plate from her and got up from the table, turning away.
"Tasted very real," Sam added.
Daniel let out a soft sigh. He turned back around, putting on a smile. "I was thinking that we could go into Luxor tonight, have dinner, go for a nice walk."
Sam shook her head, giving him a mirthless smile. "Come on. You can't really expect me to just play along."
Anger filled Daniel's face, and he threw down the plate. "I've done everything for you! Leaving the program, moving to California, all for you!"
"See? That is definitely not Daniel."
"How patient do you expect me to be?"
Sam shook her head. "Nothing you say is going to convince me. I know who you are. I just don't understand why. What do you want from me? Why are you doing this?"
Daniel stepped toward Sam, transforming into Fifth.
"Because I love you," he said.
Sam gaped in shock at the Replicator as he smiled at her. Loved her? How could he possibly say that after the torment he just put her through?
"I understand that you may find that hard to believe, but it is true," Fifth said as he sat down at the table.
"Did you really think that you could convince me that this illusion was my life, that I would just accept it?" Sam asked.
"If it was something you wanted badly enough in your mind."
"Is that why you tortured me for so long? So I would want this as an alternative?"
"No, I tortured you because I was mad. Why do you think I hated you so much for what you did to me? From the first moment we met, when you let me inside your mind, I saw you like no one else ever could."
'You are so wrong, Fifth,' Sam said in her mind. 'What you saw of me was nothing compared to what I have shared with Daniel. It never could be.'
Knowing that would not be a wise thing to say, Sam said instead, "Human emotions can be very overwhelming. The fact that you feel anything at all is a miracle. It makes you very special."
Fifth smiled at her. "I'm glad you see that."
"No, you don't understand. I could never be happy this way."
The Replicator's expression abruptly changed, growing cold and hard. "Then you will be unhappy for a very long time."
"Thor, this is Commander Aegir, of the Valhalla. We are losing contact with the colony."
"We knew that communications would be lost eventually," Thor responded. "What have you to report?"
"We have located what appears to be the remains of a human-form replicator floating in space. It obviously survived the destruction of its ship. By all appearances, it is currently inactive."
"Transmit coordinates," Thor said.
"Use caution, Thor," Aegir warned. The transmission ended.
"What are you going to do?" Daniel asked.
The Asgard walked past the three humans.
"Where are you going?" Jack questioned.
"I am going to transport it aboard," Thor replied.
"Why?"
Thor walked up to the control console. "We must learn the location of the human-form controlling the Replicators on the planet."
A human-form Replicator was beamed onto the bridge. It was inside some kind of chamber. The three men stepped closer to it
"Anybody recognize him?" Daniel asked.
"No," Teal'c replied.
Jack stepped up to the chamber and laid his hands on the glass cover of the chamber. "Is it dead?"
"Hopefully not completely," Thor replied.
Jack quickly pulled his hands away from the cover and stepped back to join Daniel and Teal'c.
"All Replicators are linked by a sophisticated communication system," Thor explained. "If we can use this one to tap into the network, we will be able to see what any of the Replicators can see."
"And if he wakes up, is this chamber going to hold him?" Jack asked.
"Probably not."
Daniel and Jack exchanged a look as Teal'c got his weapon.
"Then perhaps there is no great wisdom in this," the colonel remarked.
"I will transport it back into space, if necessary, but we must take the risk," Thor responded.
An armed Teal stepped up to the other two men.
Jack looked at the weapon. "Good idea." He went and got a P-90. "Want one, Daniel?"
"Actually, I do better using my abilities," the archeologist replied.
The three men stood near the chamber, ready to attack the Replicator if it awoke and escaped. Thor activated the viewscreen, which showed white lines streaking across it, almost like severe video interference.
"What's that?" Daniel asked.
"Replicator communication data. I am searching for any references to other human-forms."
"And if you find one?" Jack queried.
"We must do all we can to destroy it."
Sam glared at Fifth. She'd been arguing with him for a couple of minutes now, but nothing she said was doing any good. "You can't just keep me here forever."
"Yes, I can."
"No matter what you do, I will never, ever participate in this fantasy."
Fifth suddenly looked away from Sam, staring off at nothing.
"What?"
Anger crossed Fifth's face. "No. This cannot be allowed."
Before Sam could say anything, the Replicator vanished.
