General Hammond stood at the bottom of the ramp as the wormhole expanded, and then settled back. The iris slammed shut, then opened again as SG-1's code was received and accepted. Hammond frowned slightly. Was it his imagination or was the event horizon fluctuating slightly? His frown cleared as SG-1 stepped through the gate. Unharmed.
'Welcome back, SG-1,' Hammond said. 'Debriefing will be in half an hour.'
'Yes sir,' O'Neill said, heading towards the door. He stopped and turned as he realised that no-one was following him. Then stared in amazement.
The wormhole hadn't disengaged, but it wasn't that which was holding everyone's attention. It was the fact that another SG-1 had stepped through the gate.
'Whoa!' The second O'Neill almost took a step backwards but he remembered the wormhole was right behind him and restrained himself.
Hammond swung round and looked at the first O'Neill and his team. Even Teal'c looked shocked. Looking up he could see identical expressions of amazement on the second team's faces.
'Er...Jack?' Daniel said, uncertainly.
Both Jacks looked at him. So did the second Daniel.
'Sir.' The technician got Hammond's attention 'Sir, the wormhole isn't disengaging.'
The second team turned to look at the still active wormhole...just in time to see themselves step through it.
The third team was also surprised.
Hammond broke the spell. 'What the hell is going on?'
Sam, the first Sam, looked at the second Sam and announced. 'I'm a Major.'
Sam (2) looked down at herself, almost as though she was checking. 'I'm a Captain.'
Sam (3) looked at her counterparts. 'I'm a Major.'
'Close the iris!' Hammond ordered.
'No sir!' The three Sams protested in unison.
The General looked from one Sam to another. They looked the same. They sounded the same.
'Sir, it could be - ' Sam (1) started.
'Alternate realities!' Sam (2) completed.
'Exactly!' Sam (3) agreed.
'There could be more on the way, sir,' Sam (1) told him.
'More?' Jacks (1), (2) and (3) said. Then looked at each other.
'Yes, sir,' the three Sams responded.
They were interrupted by team number four stepping through the gate and colliding with team three.
'Hey!' Jack (4) said. 'You wanna....' his voice tailed off as he looked round confused. 'Sir?' he asked Hammond.
By the time the wormhole finally disengaged, the SGC had collected forty seven SG-1 teams. Hammond was sitting in his office, trying to breathe normally. Not all the teams were identical. There were six teams who didn't have Teal'c as a member; four teams with Kowalski instead of O'Neill; nine teams without Daniel and ten who didn't have Sam. Hammond thought his head wouldn't stop spinning.
O'Neill (1) found it interesting that the O'Neills without Daniel had a lot less grey hair than he did., but Daniel (1) was sure it was just a coincidence.
One by one the SG-1s were taken to the infirmary where Dr. Fraiser examined enough Jacks, Sams, Daniels and Teal'cs to last her a lifetime. They were in perfect health, their DNA matched, they were human and they didn't have gou'alds - well, except for most of the Teal'cs. Forty Teal'cs raised an eyebrow upon learning that one Teal'c didn't carry Junior.
In the end, the General ordered all of the SG-1s into the debriefing room one at a time. He and Dr. Fraiser questioned each team to discover which team belonged to this reality. Obviously the teams without the correct members didn't belong, neither did the team where Teal'c was lacking his symbiote. A few could be discounted because Sam was a Captain, not a Major and few because Sam's hair wasn't the right colour. All of the Jacks found that interesting. Quite a few of the Sams did too.
Finally Hammond and Fraiser were left with two teams. They would have been left with nine, but all of the Sams had suggested seeing which planet they'd gated back from. Seven teams hadn't gated back from P3X-990, so that left two teams. With the right members, Teal'c with a symbiote, from the right address and with the right colour hair. And Teal'c was bald (seeing three Teal'cs with hair had given everyone a shock).
Hammond ordered everyone to stick to their own team - the idea of trying to match up missing team members left him with a nasty taste in his mouth and the thought that he might have a heart attack if he was faced with it. Bad enough that he had to face two SG-1s (one his, one not) and try to decide which one was which.
Hammond sat at the table gazing at the two teams, number one and number eighteen.
'Colonels.'
'General.' Both Jacks answered.
'Majors.'
'General,' the two Sams said.
'Doctors Jackson.'
'General.'
'And Teal'cs.'
'General Hammond.'
'Be seated,' Hammond ordered thinking this could take awhile.
There didn't seem to be an answer. The General asked various questions about different missions, but both teams gave exactly the same answers. Finally Sam (1) suggested trying to find out why so many SG-1s from different realities had ended up in this one.
'Any suggestions on how to do that?' Hammond asked, knowing that they would reply.
'Yes, sir.' They both said.
Sam (1) and Sam (18) looked at each other.
'Are you thinking what I'm thinking?' Sam (18) asked.
'Well, that's gotta be a possibility!' The two Jacks retorted, then looked at each other.
'Yes, sir,' the two Sams responded, smiling exactly the same smile.
'Could it have something to do with where we gated back from?' Daniel (18) enquired.
'Not all the teams returned from P3X-990, DanielJackson,' Teal'c (1) responded.
'Sir,' the two Sams looked at Hammond and then at each other. Sam (1) sat back letting Sam (18) explain.
'I think we need to find out exactly where everyone...every team gated back from, sir. We know that we...both...all eight of us came from P3X-990. How many teams came from there?'
'Well, we know that seven teams didn't,' Daniel (1) said.
'But where did they come from? I don't think it's as simple as all 47 of us gating back at the same time - there's got to be something more. Or this would happen more often,' Sam (1) pointed out.
'God forbid!' Hammond responded quickly. 'Colonels, I want you to see if you can find any differences in your pasts at all. Doctors, Teal'cs, the same goes for you. Majors, do what you can. If you need any help....well, there's thirty five Samantha Carters outside. Just make sure that no-one forgets which team they came with. Dismissed!'
He watched the two teams leave the room, then looked at Janet. 'No difference in their DNA at all?'
'No, sir. Most of them even have scars in the same places.' Janet sighed. 'Do you need anything, sir?'
'An answer, Doctor, but I hope the Majors will find that.'
'Yes, sir.'
The two Jacks headed down the corridor towards the commissary. 'I don't know about you,' Jack (1) started.
'Coffee,' Jack (18) interrupted.
'I was thinkin' donuts.'
'Donuts sounds good.'
Inside they found chaos. Each table had an SG-1 gathered round it. There were a couple of other teams, but they were too busy looking slightly freaked out to try to get a table.
Jack (1) approached the counter and asked for coffee, followed closely by Jack (18) and Daniels (1) and (18).
'Daniels,' Jack (18) said.
'Jack,' both Daniels replied.
'Don't you have coffee in your office?' Jack (1) asked.
'I ran out,' Daniel (18) replied.
'So did I,' Daniel (1) added, 'otherwise we would have headed over to my...our...office and checked.'
'Oh.' Jack (1) grabbed his coffee. 'No donuts?' he asked.
'You've....had them all, sir...sirs.'
'Oh, crap,' both Jacks responded.
'I've got cookies,' Daniel (1) offered.
'Chocolate chip?' Jack (18) demanded.
'Yeah,' Daniel (18) smiled.
Jack (1) looked at Jack (18). 'We'll stop at Daniel's office on the way to mine.'
'Sounds good to me,' Jack (18) agreed, grabbing his coffee and following him.
'Don't take them all!' Daniel (1) called after them, knowing it was useless.
'It's okay,' Daniel (18) said. 'I've got more stashed in my cupboard.'
'Hey, me too,' Daniel (1) smiled. His smile faded as a thought struck him. 'But my Jack knows about them!'
Both Daniels grabbed their coffees and ran for the door, shouting, 'Jaaack!' as they did so.
Teal'c and Teal'c sat face to face. 'This is indeed an awkward situation,' Teal'c (1) said.
'I concur,' Teal'c (18) agreed. 'However, I do believe that Major Carter will find a solution.'
'As do I.' Teal'c (1) gazed into his own face. 'My son is -'
'Rya'c. My father served -'
'Chronos. Shan'auc was killed by -'
'Tanith,' Teal'c (18) growled.
Teal'c (1) saw his own hatred for the goa'uld reflected in the eyes of the man facing him. 'She will be avenged.'
'Indeed.'
Sam (1) sat at the computer console. Sam (18) had a list of where each team had gated from and was reading it out, while Sam (1) marked each planet on the starmap in front of her.
'I think I've got something!' Sam (1) announced.
Sam (18) leaned over her shoulder and stared at the map. Each planet marked had a line connecting it and Earth. And each line intersected with P3R 233.
'There's only one team which didn't go to one of the outer planets. And they went to P3R 233 itself,' Sam (1) said excitedly.
'And the quantum mirror is - or was - on P3R 233.' Sam (18) grinned. 'It's got to be something to do with that - it's got to be! Which team was it?'
'The last team through the Stargate - number forty seven,' Sam (1) said slowly.
'So we'll have to use the mirror to go back. All we got to do is figure out who stays and who goes. We did it!'
'Not quite. We'd better hope that this is your reality.' Sam (1) stood up and turned to face her counterpart.
'Why...what's up?'
'In my reality, the mirror was destroyed.'
Jack (1) sat on the edge of his desk. He wasn't really an office type of guy - but he figured the other Jack would know that, so he didn't bother mentioning it. Jack (18) sat in his chair, his feet up on the said desk. He wasn't really an office type of guy - hell, he never came in here unless he had to write a report. But he figured the other Jack would know that, so he didn't bother mentioning it.
Jack (18) took a swig of his coffee. 'Okay. Machello,' he said.
'Check.'
'Well?'
Jack (1) turned his head and gazed at the other man. 'Well, what?'
'Details.'
'Oh for crying out loud. Machello - old guy - went for a joy ride in Danny's body.'
'Check.' Jack (18) opened his mouth to continue.
'Ah - my turn.'
Jack (18) shrugged.
'Sokhar.'
Jack (18) grinned. 'Check.'
'Details.'
'Ran a little place called Netu. Nem?'
'Danny's fish friend,' Jack (1) replied. He still had nightmares over that one. 'Shyla?'
'Oh, the lady with the sarcophagus. She got rather keen on Danny.' Jack (18) paused. 'BP6 3Q1?'
'Huh? Oh, the bugs. Yeah, thanks for reminding me. Geez, they were huge!'
'Honking big things.'
'Maybourne?' Jack (1) said.
'Maybourne?' Jack (18) looked at him puzzled.
'Maybourne. Harry Maybourne. Major pain in the ass.' Jack (1) stared at him incredulously. 'You don't have Maybourne? That's it. I vote we go to your reality.'
'Could already be here, Jack.'
'Now that's somethin' to look forward to!'
Daniel (18) peered inside his (?) cupboard. 'He got the cookies.'
'Well, that's the Jack I know.'
'Er...me too.' Daniel (18) settled himself on the floor. 'This is...'
'Fascinating?' Daniel (1) asked, smiling slightly.
'Well, that would be Sam's reaction,' Daniel (18) grinned. His grin faded. 'Er...Sha're?'
Daniel (1) sighed and sat down opposite his counterpart. 'No.' He looked across at the other man. 'Did you?'
'No. She died on P8X -'
'Yeah,' Daniel (1) interrupted. 'Me too.' He sighed. It would have been nice if one of them had succeeded. Suddenly he remembered Catherine...the alternate reality Catherine...who'd been pleased that somewhere, somehow, one of her was reunited with Ernest. He knew how she felt.
General Hammond looked up from his desk as the two Sams entered. 'Majors. I hope you have good news.'
'That depends, sir,' Sam (18) said.
'Depends? On what?'
'On whether or not the alternate reality mirror was destroyed,' Sam (1) replied.
'Of course it was destroyed, Major,' Hammond frowned. He'd given the order himself.
'Then I'm in the right reality, sir, and we're all stuck here,' Sam (1) said.
General Hammond sat back in his chair and sighed. He'd given the order for the mirror to be destroyed. He'd stranded 46 SG-1s in the wrong realities, universes, call it what you will. Not that the mirror would have been much good anyway - their Daniel had left the control device in a different reality... but they could have gone through the mirror and fetched a control device from a diff....This was giving him a headache. All he knew was, they were stranded and he was the one responsible.
They'd found out that the mirror in SG-1 (47)'s reality had been destroyed from the other side. Several Jaffa had seen SG-1 (47) through the mirror and had blasted it into kingdom come with their staff weapons. The Carters had protested that that shouldn't be enough to affect 47 realities - in fact all the Carters were now in 'their' office working on a way out of this. But they didn't have much to go on. George could have kicked himself. He'd destroyed the mirror and their way home.
His thoughts were interrupted by Jack O'Neill, two of him, coming through his door.
'I've just heard, sir. Is it true?' One of them said.
'Yes, Colonel. It's true. There's no quantum mirror left in this reality.'
Jack (18) looked at Jack (1). 'Then that means - '
'That this is the reality with Maybourne,' Jack (1) replied. He looked at his General, and jerked his thumb at his counterpart. 'He doesn't have a Maybourne, sir.'
'Well, Jack, he's got one now,' Hammond retorted.
'Have you told the others, sir?' Jack (18) asked.
'Not yet, son. Major Carter has told....the Carters. They're in her office now trying to come up with some ideas.'
'And in the meantime we....?' Jack (18) looked at Jack (1).
'We could always hold a Mastermind competition,' Jack (1) shrugged. 'Gotta do somethin' with all those Carters.'
'Nah. I say we go through the Stargate and give Apophis a heart attack.' Jack (18) grinned at the thought.
'Ya think?'
'Yeah. I think.'
General Hammond had never had to make such a difficult announcement in his life. He entered the commissary with dread and gazed at the SG-1s (minus the Carters) who were now all standing to attention.
As he opened his mouth to speak, he became wracked with pain. He clutched at his chest, and saw the ground rushing up to meet him as several versions of his team headed towards him. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move.
He sat up in bed, his heart pounding wildly, gasping for breath. Beside him, his wife stirred in her sleep.
'George?'
'Nothing, dear. Er, just a dream. Go back to sleep.' George lay down and tried to catch his breath. Just a dream. That's all it was. Just a dream.
And in another reality...
He sat up in bed, his heart pounding wildly, gasping for breath. Beside him, his wife stirred in her sleep.
'George?'
'Nothing, dear. Just a dream. Go back to sleep.' George lay down and tried to catch his breath. Just a dream. That's all it was. Just a dream.
And in another reality...
He sat up in bed.....
'Well?'
'What do you mean, well?' the Dreamcaster responded.
'Did it work?'
'Of course it worked. SG-1 will not be coming to this planet. General Hammond will not authorise a mission. He will accept the probe's findings,' he replied calmly. His apprentice smiled.
'I'm glad. I liked them though.'
'One day they will be ready. But not yet. The Tau'ri have much to learn.'
'Is she still doubting?' His counterpart's voice echoed as it reached them from another reality.
'She will learn.'
'Did you see the SGC too?' the young girl asked excitedly.
'No.' They could hear the distaste in his voice. 'Be thankful you were given George - I had Apophis to deal with. The man has the mind of a sewer!'
© January 21, 2001 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.