Our Legacy - Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters nor profit from their use - I merely toy with them for my own amusement.
Summary: A gate accident strands Jack and Sam in the year 2034, when the SGC is under the command of General Samantha Carter. But all is not as it seems, and to get home, they first need to save the world.

Author's note: This is the final chapter - but the story continues! At the moment I am writing a series of episode tags to follow on from this, in a Fic entitled 'Our Legacy 2 - Episode Tags'. I know, imaginative title isn't it.

To say their appearance came as something of a surprise to the IOA would be an understatement. Jack and the two Carters materialised in what appeared to be a boardroom, in the middle of a meeting. There were screams, people in suits scrambled away from them, and armed guards were in the room and aiming at them before more than a handful of seconds had passed.

"Please remain calm." General Carter said, in a reassuringly authoritative tone. "I am General Samantha Carter, the Commander of the SGC."

A flushed and harried looking man in an expensive grey suit stepped forward. "General Carter? What are you doing here? And how on Earth did you manage to transport in here? We have transport interdiction fields up that should make it impossible for anyone to transport into this building!"

"I know you do, I designed them." The General said with a wry smile. "I apologise for startling you all, however, unfortunately this is an emergency situation."

The assembled directors of the IOA calmed down, and regained their seats looking ruffled. The guards lowered their weapons and resumed their posts outside the room.

"General, would you mind explaining who your companions are?" The same man asked. "Because if I didn't know better I'd say that one was you, twenty years ago." He pointed at Sam.

"They're the time travellers." A woman at the table spoke up. "General Carter reported that a version of herself and General Jack O'Neill had arrived through the stargate from the year 2000 in a time travel accident."

"This is Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter. They have indeed accidentally travelled forward in time by thirty-four years. However, that is actually not the situation I'm here to brief you about." She nodded to Sam, who set the laptop bag down on the table and opened it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it may or may not surprise you to learn that the organisation known as the Tau'ri Unification Movement have been taking illegal actions to seize control of the IOA from within. They have been kidnapping key personnel, and have been using the Mimic devices developed at Area 51 to replace those people. I have here a list of the people who have been kidnapped and replaced … and that list includes myself."

There was an outburst of voices as people reacted to this, and the General held up her hand for silence.

"Let me assure you that I am the 'real' General Carter. I was kidnapped some months ago, and was rescued a few hours ago by the Colonel and Major here. As far as I am aware my imposter is even now still in place at the SGC, but our time is short. She will learn of my escape soon. We need to act now to capture her, and to capture the other people on this list – and rescue the people they are impersonating."

"General Carter, you can't possibly expect us to believe – "

"Let me save us some time by highlighting the second, seventh and twelth names on the list, Emilia Broderick, Rajan Chakrabarti, and Nigel Powell, who are all sitting at this table." She said, cutting off Mr Powell's objection. "I suggest that you take them into custody immediately."

The three people in question all objected loudly, but their colleagues sided with the General. Jack was pleased to see the level of trust they had in her.

"We will need to verify this information, General." One man pointed out.

"That's simple enough." General Carter said, holding out a hand to Sam. From the laptop bag, Sam withdrew a small device that looked like some sort of radio, and passed it to the General.

"This device emits a sound wave at a frequency which disrupts the illusion generated by the Mimic device. Watch." She turned it on, and Ms Broderick, Mr Chakrabarti, and Mr Powell all flicked and changed before their eyes, into completely different people.

They were seized by guards at a quick order from the man chairing the meeting, and taken away.

"What do you propose we do?" The same man asked.

"Brief an IOA assault team, and transport them and us directly into the SGC, where we can apprehend the false General Carter. Have a team deployed for each person on this list. Once we have the imposters, we can find out where the originals are being held, and rescue them."

"General, there is a transport interdiction field up around the SGC. Can I assume that you can punch through the SGC's field just as you did ours?"

"I can do it, that's not a problem." The assembled group didn't look particularly comfortable with that pronouncement.

"And what about your friends here?"

"Once we've secured the SGC, we can send them home."

"You can do that?" A woman asked. "You can actually send them back in time?"

"Of course I can." The General replied with a self-satisfied smile that made her younger self dip her head in embarrassment. Jack smirked at the pair of them.

"Carter and I can help brief your assault teams, to save time." He offered.

"Alright. General, I trust you can make the necessary arrangements?"

"With your permission, gentlemen, ladies?"

The assembled group all nodded their assent, and General Carter nodded back and strode from the room quickly, beckoning Jack and Sam to follow.

They had work to do.

Jack, Major Carter, General Carter, and the IOA assault team were transported into the gate room with a flash, in full combat gear. General Carter immediately announced herself to the airmen and technicians on duty in the gateroom and control room, and started issuing orders. It didn't take long to ascertain that the other General Carter – the imposter – had headed up to her office to take an urgent phone call moments before.

The group ran for the stairs, and Jack reached the General's office just in time to see a flash of blue uniform as she fled out the opposite door. He tore after her with the two genuine Carters hot on his heels.

Given that the woman he was pursuing was currently in heels, a dress uniform, and was clearly not in top physical condition, he caught up to her easily, restraining her with her arms behind her back.

"What is the meaning of this? Colonel O'Neill, I am ordering you to release me."

"I don't think so." He said.

He looked up and abruptly realised he was holding one Carter, and facing two others. "My life is weird." He commented, bemused.

Major Carter looked at him like he'd lost his mind, and General Carter rolled her eyes at him and gestured to a couple of the assault team guys behind her. "Take her to the briefing room." She ordered.

The two men in black uniforms took the false General's arms from Jack's grip, and she was manhandled back into the briefing room, struggling weakly all the way.

In the briefing room, Major Carter opened the duffel bag she'd been carrying, and took out the device which emitted the correct frequency to disrupt the mimic device. She turned it on, and the false General's image flickered, vanishing to reveal a woman in her early fifties.

"Who are you?" General Carter demanded.

The woman didn't answer the question, but raised her chin haughtily. "You should know General, that no one ever questioned my identity. No one cares for you or knows you well enough to notice when you've been kidnapped and replaced with an imposter. You are nothing."

General Carter chuckled. "I'm afraid that was a subterfuge for your benefit. You were my pawn. Gentlemen, take her away."

General Carter, Jack, and Sam were left alone in the briefing room.

"She wasn't entirely wrong." The General said in a small, strained voice. "I warned Beth, and she went to great lengths to ensure that Jake was never given the chance to suspect … but there is no one else who noticed in the months that I was gone."

Jack frowned, and he saw Sam look down at her hands uncomfortably.

The General shook herself and turned to face them both, visibly pulling her professionalism back into place. "On the other hand, I'm a widowed old woman in a command position, and that imposter was trained for years to evade detection. It's only to be expected, and I have a great deal for which to be grateful. My children, most of all. They're our legacy."

"They seem to think a great deal of you." Jack said.

"They're good kids." The General gave him a smile. She sighed. "And now, I suppose it's time for you to go."

"We should probably get out of here before we risk compromising the timeline even more than we have already." Sam said. The General smiled at her warmly.

"Well, I for one have very much enjoyed seeing you both. It makes me miss the good old days on SG-1." She shooed them away. "Go and get back into your own gear, and I'll send you home."

Uniforms duly changed, Jack and Sam met in the armoury to reclaim their packs, tac vests, holsters and weapons. They clipped each other's packs on, and Jack handed Sam her P90, lingering for a moment before releasing it to her so that she'd look at him.

"So … we should probably have a conversation before we go home." He started uncertainly.

She averted her eyes nervously, clipping on her weapon. "Yes sir, I guess we probably should."

"She – General Carter – said something to me when we were in the cell, waiting. She said we have to keep doing what we're doing, on SG-1. She said we have to win the war first."

He watched as her eyes widened in realisation. "We're going to win?"

"So I gather. And then …"

"And then – Beth and Jake."

"Right." He grinned. She grinned back at him. Something stirred in his belly. "Aw, hell."

He let his P90 hang on its clips, and cradled her face in his hands, capturing her lips for a fierce, passionate kiss. She kissed him back with just as much fire, and he deepened it, sliding his tongue against hers and pushing her back against the wall. After a long, blissful moment he groaned and pulled back, leaning his forehead against hers with his eyes closed, breathing hard.

"I don't suppose she mentioned exactly how long it will be …?" Sam asked in a whisper.

"Nope." He answered.

"We're thirty-four years in the future, and Beth is … what, twenty-six? Twenty-seven?"

"Don't try and figure it out, Sam. She was very specific on that point, we just have to be good soldiers and wait until the war is won."

He released her and stepped back. He felt bereft without the contact, and held his P90 again so that he'd have something to do with his hands.

"We can do that." Sam said, sounding disappointed, but confident.

He held her gaze with a smile and nodded, and then took a deep breath. "Ready to go home?"

She looked at him, open and unguarded, and smiled sadly. "Yes sir."

He felt the 'sir' like a knife in the gut, but returned the gentle look, and canted his head towards the door. "Then let's go."

General Carter was waiting for them in the gate room.

"When I activate the device, a wormhole will form which will send you straight back to the SGC, on March 31st, in the year 2000, at the time when you should have arrived on your journey from Tollana. You should send your IDC in the usual way before entering the wormhole. Remember, you cannot tell anyone about your time here. It has to be a secret between the two of you until you are ready to tell Beth, in preparation for these events."

"We understand." Sam said. "We won't let you down."

The General smiled warmly. "That would be literally impossible, Sam." She embraced Sam, leaving the younger woman with a distinctly weird feeling, and then pulled back, still smiling. "Try to have a little fun now and then. I'll see you in the mirror in thirty-four years."

The General turned to Jack, her smile muting to a sadder tone. "I hope this isn't the last time I'll see your face, Jack, but in case it is …" She gave him a fierce hug, and he turned his face into her neck. She smelled like his Sam. She was his Sam, he supposed … just with more history.

She pulled back, and sniffed, forcing her smile back into place, and turned her attention back to the time travel device. After a moment, the wormhole established. Sam frowned, looking at the device askance. "Is that Knox technology by any chance?"

The General put her fingers to her lips in a shushing gesture, eyes twinkling.

"Go on." She said. "Go make sure my children get born."

Sam looked at Jack, who had just sent the IDC, as he saluted the General. "Yes ma'am."

He turned back to Sam, and they approached the wormhole, stopping at the threshold.

"Together?" He asked.

"Together." She agreed.

And together they stepped through the gate, leaving General Carter standing alone on the ramp.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! It always makes me smile to see your lovely comments, and to know that people are enjoying my story. Thank you!