Chapter 20
Mission Report: PX8-904, a.k.a. "Carcel"
O'Neill, Jonathan. Colonel, U.S.A.F
Page 24 of 24
Upon our return to Earth through the Stargate, it was discovered that one of the indigenous personnel that had been aiding SG1 and Dr. Fraiser in our escape had been hit by one of the bullets that were fired at us in the gateroom on Carcel. The wound proved fatal, and the young man, Markhen, was declared deceased upon his arrival to the infirmary.
Leske has been granted asylum by the United States government and has been offered a position within the SGC, which, to my knowledge, she has accepted on a trial basis.
During my post-mission examination, the neurofilter device embedded in my brain was deactivated, and I am assured by both Leske and Dr. Fraiser, that the device is, in fact, inactive, and being absorbed into my brain tissue. It has been confirmed that the devices implanted in Major Carter, Dr. Jackson, and Teal'c, are also inactive and being absorbed. All four members of SG1 have been cleared for active duty and, as no team was designated SG1 in our absence, General Hammond has requested that we resume our former positions as soon as we
Jack stared at the blinking cursor on his screen as he took a sip of the bitter, cold coffee. As soon as we what? Get settled back into our old lives? Feel up to it? Have managed to convince ourselves that we're really home? That all the security cameras all over the place aren't broadcasting our every move to a drooling public?
Jack sighed and took his frustration out on the keyboard, pressing down and holding the delete key, clearing the entire page he'd just typed. Nothing he could put into a report would even come close to what he felt had happened.
* * * *
Daniel stood surveying the mess in his office. Pieces of the smashed security cameras still littered the floor. The desk was overflowing with books he had extricated from the shelves.
"I thought Janet told you to rest."
"Hi Sam," Daniel replied, without turning around. He walked around the desk and started to restore the books to their appropriate placement on the shelves.
"Daniel," Sam called with a little more force than she'd intended. Daniel faced Sam still clutching a wayward volume in his arms. He looked exhausted, but he rewarded Sam with a smile that she hadn't seen for some time. "We're home."
She stepped forward to grab his elbow as he began to sway. Daniel didn't protest when Sam pulled the book from his grasp and lead him to the couch. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes immediately. Sam gently placed herself next to Daniel, leaning into him.
"Thank you, Daniel," she whispered. When no response was forthcoming, she believed that sleep had finally claimed the good doctor. Yawning, she realized that she, too, should be sleeping, but she couldn't bring herself to leave Daniel's side. The heartache she experienced when those monitors confirmed his death was still fresh in her mind.
She jumped when Daniel asked, "Why are you thanking me, Sam?"
"A lot of things Daniel." Sam linked her hands around Daniel's upper arm and hugged. "For coming back for me…for *us*."
He turned to her with sleepy eyes, a serious expressions on his face. "No one ever gets left behind…no one." He seemed annoyed that she would even infer that he wouldn't go back for them. His facial expression shifted to one of resignation. "Sorry. Actually, if Leske hadn't come to earth…I don't know how I would have…"
"Daniel, you would have. You would have found a way. I know you."
He squeezed her hand in response. "You saved my life, Daniel. If you hadn't come when you did, I would…" The hitch in her voice caused Daniel to turn and gather Sam in his arms.
"You wouldn't have." He murmured into her hair. Pulling her away from him he forced eye contact with her. "That wasn't you…it was Talin. And you saved yourself Sam. You fought through it and *believed* in what I was trying to tell you." He wiped a stray tear from her eye and leaned back against the couch with a finality. "It's over, we're home…as soon as we are… " Daniel fished for the correct word.
"I don't think it is going to be that easy, Daniel."
Daniel and Sam jumped at the Colonel's words. "Come on in Jack." The colonel pushed himself off the doorframe of Daniel's office, pulled over a chair, positioned it in front of half of his team and sat down.
"Daniel, I just came from Dr. Fraiser. Kinda surprised to find you here and not *there*. The doc agreed to release you as long as you stayed here and slept… *sleep* being the operative word Daniel. I will say, she was a little testy. I'm hoping it was just from the staff weapon and not some residual effect of gate travel with her, but I believe she was rather insistent in the 'Daniel better be laying down, Daniel better be sleeping' department."
"I'm fine Jack."
"'I'm fine' is not a slight swelling from that… neurofilter thingy in your head. 'I'm fine' is not puking your guts up on Janet not once, but *twice*, in the infirmary during your exam. And 'I'm fine' does not include ordering your CO to shoot you, Daniel."
"Sir?" Carter turned incredulous eyes on the Colonel.
"Talin made us all do things we didn't want to do, Sam." Daniel said gently. "And say things we didn't want to say. I'm sorry, Jack." Daniel hung his head in embarrassment.
Jack leaned forward and placed a hand on Daniel's leg patting it gently. Daniel tentatively raised his eyes. "Daniel, I'm not looking for an apology. God knows we're going to be doing enough of that. We're home…the rest will fall into place, eventually."
Daniel couldn't echo Jack smile. "People we met…never existed. Cultures, lives, planets, experiences…" Daniel's eyes took on a look of panic. "I know I said it before….but what if we aren't home? What if this is another of Talin's…" Daniel attempted to get off the couch but Jack promptly pushed him gently down.
"We're home, Daniel. Feel it. It feels different. Thinking back…in the Environment some things were a little off…"
"The cameras," Sam answered.
"I got one, the Fruit Loops were a little off. They stayed crunchy too long. Here they're soggy in a matter of seconds."
"Coffee." Daniel mumbled.
"O'Malley's, Sir. We went back and ate at O'Malley's. I still don't think they would let us in there."
"You went to O'Malley's without me?" Daniel asked. A look of hurt moved over his face. "When? Why?"
"After the last mission. After you ascended." Jack refused to meet the younger man's glare.
"Ohh," Daniel replied with a grim nod. " And *we* were off."
"Huh? Daniel, care to clarify that?" Jack asked with a smirk.
"We were off. We didn't like each other. I didn't like you, Jack. Could barely tolerate…"
"I chose sides against my team mates. My friends. I'm sorry, Daniel."
"I, too, wronged my fellow teammates."
"Come in, Teal'c." Daniel motioned for the Jaffa to enter his office.
"Teal'c join the party. Pull over a chair."
"O'Neill, there is no party here."
With a wave of dismissal Jack questioned, "How did you wrong anyone, Teal'c?"
"By way of apathy, O'Neill. I saw what was going on and did nothing. As well, my personal interests with the Jaffa threatened to …"
Jack tuned out the rest of Teal'c's guilt trip. Actually they all had an express ticket for the guilt train. Thinking back, believing that just stepping through the Stargate and returning to earth would be the solution, was very short sighted. SG1's confidence in themselves and their ability to function as a team were going to have to be rebuilt over time.
Daniel faded as they continued to talk. Sam released Daniel's hold on her hand and helped the Colonel stretch him out on the couch. Covering him with the blanket, Sam and Teal'c followed the Colonel to the door.
"Commissary….bad food…blue Jell-o? Carter, Teal'c, ya with me?" Teal'c bowed in acknowledgment.
"Lead the way, sir."
The commissary was the wrong place to be. Jack realized that as soon as they sat down. People meant well, coming over and extending their welcome, but their well-wishes only succeeded in tightening his already fraught nerves. He caught himself sending furtive glances towards the ceiling mounted security cameras, wondering with regard to his own sanity until he saw Carter and Teal'c doing the same thing.
"They were always there, right sir?"
"They were always there. I promise you, Carter…"
Sam's spoon hit the table with a loud clatter. His words evoked recent memories from before the Colonel's mission with her father…not her father …and Teal'c. Not a mission. Before they were captured by the Jaffa…not the Jaffa. Before she put the gun to her…
"Carter."
"MajorCarter," Teal'c and the Colonel said simultaneously.
"Sorry, sir. Kinda drifted for a moment." She pushed the tray away, the sight of the Jell-o suddenly nauseating her. "I think I'm done here." Sam stood.
"Me too. Teal'c?"
"As am I."
* * * *
Hours later found them in various stages of sleep in Daniel's office. Teal'c was in Kel-no-reem on the floor by the foot of the couch, Sam had curled herself into a tight ball at the opposite end of Daniel's couch, sharing the blanket. The Colonel was asleep in the chair, feet on the couch under the blanket, snoring loudly. Daniel's sudden moaning and thrashing brought Jack and Sam to attention.
Jack stiffly leaned over, his body protesting the hours spent in an uncomfortable chair. Shaking Daniel's shoulder, he tried to get through to his sleeping friend. "Daniel wake up. Danny…it's just a nightmare."
"Hands hurt…burn," Daniel answered, attempting to tuck his hands under his sleeping form, still in the throes of the nightmare.
Sam shot the Colonel a concerned look. She cautiously took one of Daniel hands only to have Daniel yell…"No. Don't touch me…radiation on the planet…on me…in me, not safe for you."
"Daniel!" the Colonel shook Daniel vigorously, frightened as to where this nightmare was heading. He grabbed Daniel's hands forcefully holding on as Daniel fought him mumbling the words, "Radiation, bomb. Don't touch."
Jack gave Daniel's hands a tug, and the younger man opened his eyes with a sharp intake of breath. Daniel shot up attempting to disengage his hands from Jack's grasp. "Don't Jack….I'm…"
"You're having a nightmare, Daniel." Sam smiled at the confused expression adorning Daniel's face.
Daniel yawned, Janet's medication not yet releasing him from its grasp. He slid back down into the couch and Sam covered him with the blanket. Daniel whispered one word before sleep claimed him again. "Over?"
Jack smiled and adjusted the blanket over his feet and Daniel's shoulder. Before Sam claimed her designated position on the couch, she asked her CO one question. She knew the answer, she just wanted to hear it from him. "It's not really over yet, is it, Sir? Everything that happened... Even though we are home, it's not over."
Jack closed his eyes as he again tried to make himself comfortable on the unforgiving chair. "Get some rest Carter. And no, it's not over… yet. But we, all of us… we'll get there."
* * * *
Leske stood just outside the slightly ajar door of Daniel's office, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest. She'd been standing there long enough to have heard Daniel's nightmare, to have heard the uncertainty and hurt in Sam and Jack's voices. And she was sorry, so deeply sorry for what had happened to them. She felt such deep regret when Daniel started reliving his 'death' in his sleep. That had been her. She'd put those images in his mind… she had known that Daniel would attempt to save the planet with no regard to his life…she had designed the whole situation. It was all her fault.
She sniffed back a lump in her throat and laughed ruefully as she turned to make her way back to the VIP quarters. As she turned, however, she came face to neck with General Hammond, startling her enough to make her jump. Hammond smiled a bit and nodded toward the door as Leske brought herself back under control.
"How are they?" he asked quietly, motioning her to follow him down the corridor. She glanced over her shoulder and shrugged.
"Um… *tired*," she replied, smiling a bit. "They're all in there sleeping. Or trying to anyway. Daniel had a nightmare and woke them all up…" She trailed off. They both knew where any nightmares would be stemming from without further discussion. They both knew what kind of impact recent events would have on the team. General Hammond nodded and they walked slowly through the dim halls in silence for a few paces.
"General? It's, um… Well, it's really late. What are you still doing here, sir? If I may ask?" Leske began in a tentative voice. Hammond chuckled.
"Well, I guess I just couldn't bring myself to leave. It's not like there's anything waiting for me at home, anyway."
"They know you really well," Leske sighed, her eyes dropping to the floor in front of her. Hammond shot her an inquisitive glance.
"What do you mean?"
"Well… I guess I just can't get over how… I don't know… *accurate* our 'you' was. The more time I spent here, the more I noticed just how perfect… They just… must know you really well, is all," she stuttered, not really knowing how to explain.
"Everything you built there was taken from their memories," Hammond finished, accommodating the woman's unease. She smiled thankfully and nodded.
Hammond led them to the elevators and pressed the 'up' button. Surprisingly enough, the door immediately slid open and the General directed Leske in and she complied.
"Sam and Jack had a big argument in this elevator," Leske said quietly as the doors closed behind them. She'd found herself looking at everything in the SGC that way ever since their return, trying to see things the way she was sure SG1 must be seeing things… trying to make herself suffer like they must be.
"Hmm?" Hammond prodded, not quite hearing what she'd said. Leske shook her head dismissively.
"Oh, it's nothing, Sir," she replied, and went for the subject change. "Where are we going?"
"Midnight snack," the General replied as the elevator doors opened. They both stepped out.
"Midnight… oh. But the commissary's closed…"
Hammond smiled broadly. "Not for Generals." Hammond pushed the swinging door of the commissary open and found a light switch on the wall. He flicked it, and the string of emergency lights flickered on. "Want a sandwich?" he asked over his shoulder as Leske just stood in the doorway and stared at him. She shook her head.
"Um… no, thanks. I'm not really hungry," she replied. He nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.
"Have a seat somewhere, I'll just be a minute," he shouted from the kitchen. Leske smiled and sat down at one of the empty tables, a little confused as to what was going on. Tired, she folded her arms atop the table and rested her head. Closing her eyes, she suddenly remembered why she had given up on trying to sleep. All she could see was Markhen as he keeled over, his shirt soaked in blood. She had given him that shirt…
"Tired?" came a voice from outside her subconscious mind. She jerked her head up and was surprised to see the General setting his plate down on the table.
"I, uh… must have dozed off for a second. Sorry," she replied, yawning and rubbing her eyes. He nodded and sat down, taking a deep breath.
"Leske, I didn't come here just for the sandwich," Hammond began, followed by a large bite of turkey on wheat. Leske smiled.
"I'd never have guessed," she said dryly. Hammond nodded as he chewed and swallowed.
"Truth is," he continued, "I'd rather not have to put SG1 through a debriefing that will no doubt be very hard on them. Of course, I will have to get the basics, but I was hoping that maybe *you* could fill me in on some of the finer points of the situation."
"So," she asked warily, "this is a debriefing. Or maybe an interrogation?"
Stunned, Hammond shook his head emphatically. "No, no. Not at all. I just wanted to know what happened. Leske, I want you to understand something. What you did… it was a very brave and selfless act. You put yourself and your brother on the line for a group of strangers. We're all very grateful for what you did, and you are most welcome to stay here. In fact, I was also wanted to make sure you were still going to take that job I offered you."
"Well, Sir, I…" Leske's eyes widened. "H-how did you know?" she asked.
"Know what?" the General replied in an innocent, sandwich-muffled voice. Leske rolled her eyes.
"That Markhen was my brother." Hammond nodded and wiped his mouth off with his napkin.
"You look just like each other. It wasn't really hard to tell. That, and your reaction when he… Leske, I really am sorry for what happened. You must miss him very much," he replied, sincerely. Leske hugged herself and dropped her gaze to the table.
"I do. And thank you, General. You know," she continued, her eyes lighting up, "this was all his idea."
"How so?"
"Well… As important and wonderful as they are, this didn't start out being about SG1 at all." Leske folded her hands on the table and leaned in.
"What *was* it about?" Hammond responded, mirroring her stance.
"Talin… and our father. Talin may have been the front man, so to speak, but our dad was the brains behind the whole thing. It was his project. He *designed* it. The Environment, the control center, the concept. It was his. But Talin was the one who turned it into a phenomenon. Understand that it was never meant to be a venue for entertainment. Dad was in the Planetary Defense Corps. After our people discovered the Stargate and what it did, Dad was asked to design a way to defend ourselves against any potentially dangerous incoming travelers. What he came up with turned out to be, not only an extremely effective defense mechanism, but a way to be able to study visitors to determine what threat they could be or what we could learn from them.
After a while, though, our government lost interest in it as a military operation and transferred control of the project over to Talin, allowing only a small military contingent to remain active in operating the Stargate. Dad's accomplishments were ignored and he was relegated to a programming job under the guise of having the distinguished position of 'liaison officer.'" Leske spoke the words with sarcasm and contempt. Hammond nodded silently, sandwich forgotten on his plate, and Leske continued.
"Dad had already earned the respect of almost everyone involved by then, though, and when Talin took over, Dad spoke out against him and his methods… and people listened. Talin may have been insane, but he was by no means stupid. He recognized our father for the threat he was, and turned it into an opportunity to win the respect… or should I say *fear* of those who worked for him. There's no proof, of course, but everyone knew… It was just after I had worked my way into a technical advisory position. I'd just started there, and he didn't know who I was yet… a few months before SG1 came through the Gate. There was a malfunction in the Environment… one that my father was the most qualified to fix. The safety protocols should have been on, but they weren't. There was an accident, and he was killed."
"I'm sorry."
Leske smiled. "It's not your fault." She paused. "Markhen was beside himself. And so was I, I suppose, but I was more into denial than taking action. But Markhen convinced me that something had to be done, and the longer I watched SG1, the more I started to agree with him. When I was promoted, I gave Markhen a job and we started planning Talin's downfall. Truth be told, General, SG1 were just going to be pawns. We were going to use them… their consciousness of their situation and their escape would ruin Talin.
"Ronar was a close friend of our family for as long as I can remember, so we asked for his help, along with some others. Not everyone was eager to help, but they kept their mouths shut. Everyone knew what Talin was capable of, and people were afraid. But by six months through SG1's stay on Carcel, we had managed to pull a few good people together and had a plan in the works.
"Markhen didn't want to wait. He wanted to act as soon as possible. Talin was getting trigger-happy with the neurofilters and Markhen hated it. It got personal for him. It did for a lot of us. General, the things he put them through… no one deserved that. Especially not them. And then when Talin had Daniel killed off…ascended… It was the last straw. We had to go." Leske shrugged and sighed. "The rest you kind of know."
"Why didn't you bring any of this up sooner? It would have probably gone a long way in getting us to trust you if you'd just laid everything out right off the bat, you know," Hammond said.
Leske took a deep breath. "Honestly, General, I didn't think it was important. I had my goal and that was all. I'm not military… hmph… Jack would call me a geek, I'm sure. I never in a million years thought I'd do something like this. Never. I know I screwed up, Sir, but I did try. I really did try my best," she pleaded.
"I know. Now. Under the circumstances, I think you did very well. You saved their lives… And of course, now you'll know better for next time."
"Next time?"
"You do intend to stay, don't you?" Hammond asked her.
"Uh… of course. Yes, Sir."
"Then you'll have to start learning how we do things around here. The *real* here." Hammond said, rising to clear his plate. Leske stood up as well, following him into the kitchen. "And you'll need a last name, of course. And a birth certificate, high school diploma, social security number…" He turned to look at her. "Do you have any idea how much paperwork it takes to fabricate an identity?" He smiled as he rinsed his plate and set it back on one of the stacks on the shelf.
"No, sir. No idea at all." She smiled back.
They turned the lights off and left the large, empty room. The pair stopped just outside the double doors.
"Sir? Could I ask you a favor?" Leske said as the General turned to leave.
"What's that?"
"Don't tell anyone about Markhen. If they knew he was my brother… I don't want them to feel any worse than they already do."
Hammond nodded. "Understood." They both turned around again, poised to go their separate ways, when the General looked back.
"Welcome to the SGC, Leske Markhen," he said. She turned around, her jaw dropping to the ground. Hammond smiled at her reaction and moved to continue walking, when another idea struck him.
"Have you ever been to Toronto?" he asked.
Leske smiled.