Major Samantha Carter knocked on the door to the bases' gym room
Title: Procreation
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I just use these characters for cheap therapy.
I'm re-posting this after several years because I was completely mortified after seeing all my atrocious spelling mistakes and really looong run on sentences. (I swear I didn't even know the full stop existed. I was 13 years old, give me a break)
Spoilers: Season 4. After "Divide and Conquer"
Major Samantha Carter knocked on the door to the base's gym room. She heard the weights clang as a muffled voice ordered her to enter. As Sam opened the door she spotted her Commanding Officer, Colonel Jack O'Neill, wearing grey track pants and an oversized Air Force t-shirt, stepping away from the dumbbell shelf on the far wall of the room. As he reached for a towel Jack noticed his visitor,
"What's up Carter?" he asked.
"General Hammond wants to see us in his office ASAP sir." Sam explained, standing slightly stiff in the presence of the Colonel in less formal attire. Jack threw his towel around his neck and pulled on a jacket, the temperature was always ten degrees too cold in the General's office.
"Ok let's go, lead the way Major," he indicated towards the door, following her from the room.
The two officers knocked and entered the office of General Hammond, the man in charge of all SGC personnel. They noticed Teal'c already standing in front of the large oak desk in the middle of the room, the General sitting behind it.
"Come in Colonel, Major." Hammond invited. Sam and Jack then took their positions beside Teal'c waiting for the General to explain why they were there.
"Dr Jackson is on another mission with SG5 so he will be gone for a week or so." He began, before moving onto the real reason why they were there.
"At 0450 this morning we received a strange communication from another planet." The General reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a tape recorder, hitting the play button.
"We seek your guidance oh great Tauri. We seek your knowledge and great wisdom, please come."
A young woman's voice spoke, urgency clear in her tone. Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise, Sam's expression mimicking the Colonel's.
"General, do we know where the signal came from sir?" Sam enquired curiously.
"Yes. They left the connection open long enough to send through the co- ordinates. They are being programmed into the dialling computer as we speak." He replied. Jack seemed impatient, and noting his eagerness, General Hammond added,
"You leave in one hour Colonel, get your team geared up and ready to go." Jack smiled.
"Yes sir." He answered enthusiastically, turning to leave the room, Teal'c and Sam following close behind.
AN HOUR LATER…
As the probe disappeared through the blue wall of the Stargate, the member's of SG1 vision focused on the monitor mounted on the wall above them. The probe landed on the planet and soon the camera was shooting the area surrounding the Gate. Large, snow capped peaks came into view, and as the camera panned, a number of widespread areas of forest appeared at the base of the mountains. There were no visible signs of any human population, buildings or advanced technologies. Colonel O'Neill and his team stood in the Gate Room waiting to for the go ahead from General Hammond. After five minutes or so, time enough to take readings of atmospheric conditions, gases and the air temperature, a voice came through the speakers.
"Ok Colonel, you have a go." Hammond relayed. Jack saluted half-heartedly above him to where the General was standing and proceeded to climb the steel ramp towards the Stargate. Teal'c and Sam picked up the crate of supplies, following the Colonel up the ramp.
"Oh great Tauri!" Jack exclaimed, mimicking the voice on the tape, "Here's hoping we don't disappoint." He commented, before plunging through the shimmering barrier to another world.
As the team leapt from the Stargate onto the planet's surface they noticed a large crowd of thousands of people, kneeling before them. Teal'c and Sam immediately dropped the crate, stepped towards to crowd in amazement. A young woman, around 17 or so, with long, brown hair and deep green eyes stepped forward from the group. She walked, almost dancing towards Jack, handing him a basket of yellow roses. Jack looked down at the roses awkwardly.
"There…beautiful!" he replied, forcing a smile. She smiled cheekily and stepped back from the Colonel and knelt down before SG1. Nobody moved for a moment and Sam stepped up beside Jack.
"What do we do now sir?" she asked, taken aback by the spectacle. Instantly, a murmur ran through the crowd. They quickly began to stand, parting from each other to make a path. Jack and Sam peered down the gap looking for what was approaching, not knowing quite what to expect. Sam spotted an elderly man, at least 70 years of age, striding down the man-made path that had been created moments before. The man wore red robes with a gold sash and long gold belt, trailing behind him in the grass. They were significantly different from what the other residents wear wearing. Grey with orange, green, blue or purple sashes or belts. As the elderly man passed each of them, again the people fell to their knees, heads bowed as a sign of respect. Jack leaned slightly towards Sam and whispered.
"They're big on kneeling here."
"Sir, I think he may be the head of their society, he is wearing different clothes to the rest of the people." She theorised.
"Oh!" he exclaimed in reply, he stood slightly straighter as if to present himself better to the leader of the society. When the man reached where Jack, Sam and Teal'c were standing, he stopped suddenly, and bowed his head.
"Welcome to Ariana, we are elated that you have granted our request to come to our planet, I am Hymothesias, the leader of these people." He introduced the group behind him. Jack stepped forward in response.
"I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill, this is Major Carter and Teal'c," he indicated to each of his team member's standing beside him. At the mention of Teal'c's name, Hymothesias stumbled back in fear, cowering to the ground, shaking.
"No! He must not be here! He must go! He must go!" he began to shriek, repeating the phrase unrelentingly. The Aranians immediately mimicked Hymothesias. Throwing themselves to the ground, their yells echoed around the mountains and forest surroundings. Teal'c raised his eyebrow in silent curiousity. Many times people had feared him as he did serve Apophis in the past, but he had never seen such a bad reaction to his presence. Jack turned to Teal'c regretfully but did not need to say a word. Teal'c bowed slightly.
"I will return through the Stargate, O'Neill." He accepted. Jack smiled gratefully, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, we won't be far behind you." As Teal'c turned towards the DHD, Sam gave him a look of sympathy. She could not imagine how hard it would be for him, to still be condemned because of the way he lived his life in the past. Despite saving many lives from the Goa'uld since joining SG1. As soon as Teal'c disappeared back through the Gate, Hymothesias stopped his protest. Getting to his feet once more, his people once again following his example, he clapped his hands together in satisfaction.
"Come, we will show you our city." He exclaimed, gesturing beyond the White Mountains. Hymothesias turned and led the team through the path of people, towards the city of Arania.
"Unscheduled off world activation." The alarm echoing through the hallways of the SGC. Hammond looked up from writing his report, before leaving his office and heading through the briefing room and down the stairs into the Control Room. Walter was already sitting at the Dialling Computer, scanning for a familiar GDO.
"It's SG1 sir." He reported.
"Open the iris," Hammond ordered, taking the microphone in his hand.
"Stand down." he ordered the officers that had surrounded the Stargate, ready to attack on command. He headed for the staircase to the lower level, opening the door to the Gate Room. As the doors slid open he noticed Teal'c stepping down from the ramp.
"What happened Teal'c?" Hammond asked surprised to see him back so soon. Teal'c dropped the crate he had carried back through the Stargate.
"General Hammond, we were greeted by the inhabitants of the planet. I returned as the people there were not so welcoming to me as they were to Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter." He replied, distain clear in his voice. Hammond nodded, also feeling sympathy for Teal'c's situation.
"Thank you Teal'c." Hammond responded. Teal'c bowed his head respectfully and walked from the Gate room, heading towards the infirmary for a brief visit before retiring to the solitude of his quarters.
The large group, including Jack and Sam stepped over the top of a large hill and suddenly a large city unfolded before their eyes. The two visitors stared enthralled at tall, sky blue coloured, buildings towering over their slightly smaller counterparts. Presumably they were houses surrounding the centre of trade for the city. At the outskirts of the city, dense forest stood, the lumber camps constructed beside the pine trees were unoccupied. As the group moved down the hill towards the entrance to the city, Jack spotted a large dome structure at the top of the highest skyscraper.
"What's that dome up there?" He asked Hymothesias, pointing to the very top of the building. Hymothesias smiled eagerly as he gazed up at the structure.
"That is our Procreation Complex, we are keen to show you around the facility in due time." He answered cryptically. Jack raised his eyebrows in a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Sam, she mirrored his concerned expression.
"It may be the facility where a form of IVF takes place, they may not socially accept the normal method of reproduction." She guessed hopefully. As they reached the entrance to the main part of the city, the other villagers broke away from the group and went in separate directions. Except for two, the young woman that had handed Jack the flowers on their arrival, and another young man. He was slightly older than his counterpart with curly blond hair and pale skin. As Hymothesias led Jack and Sam past many of the different buildings, the two followed close behind. Sam could feel the man's eyes studying her every move, making her feel slightly uneasy. She turned her head slightly to look back at him, but he gave her an innocent smile in reply. Sam turned back slowly, trying to keep her distance as she continued keep a cautious eye on him. Hymothesias halted in front of one of the many buildings; Jack glanced at the door of the building reading the sign BPFABF. He pointed at the door,
"What does BPFABF mean?" He queried off handedly. The young woman stepped up beside him to show her presence,
"Better People For A Better Future, this is where we create better prospects for our society through medical research." She clarified.
"Oh!" Jack replied, as if it the purpose of the building was blinding obvious. It was the first time the young woman had spoke, and Jack recognised her voice from the message they had received. Hymothesias interjected into Jack's thoughts.
"Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, you must be tired after your journey. Please follow me inside and I will show you to your rooms for the evening." He gestured through the open glass doors. Sam and Jack shared a cautious glance, before stepping inside.
Teal'c sat on the floor of his room meditating; the smell of lilies and violets filling the room wear the aromatherapy candles had made a circle around him. The klaxons bleared unexpectedly, interrupting Teal'c's calming trance. His eyes snapped open and he stood up quickly, the movement of his body making the light from the candles flicker as he left the room. He reached for the doorknob to General Hammond's office but all he grabbed was air, when the door opened itself. General Hammond jumped back slightly in alarm; almost bowling Teal'c over is his haste.
"Sorry Teal'c." He apologised.
"General Hammond, what is happening?" Teal'c asked. The General sighed tiredly.
"We have an unauthorised off world activation." He explained quickly, taking off down the hallway towards the Stargate Controls. Again Walter was at the computer. He looked up hearing footsteps enter behind him.
"No recognisable IDC or GDO sir, but it is from P0T 154." Hammond looked back at Teal'c.
"I believe it may be the Aranians General," Teal'c responded to the General's non-verbal request for an explanation. The General stood for a moment deep in thought, deciding whether or not to open the iris. If it were Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter they would have used SG1 IDC to identify themselves. The group of armed officers again filled the Gate Room and raise their firearms in anticipation of an alien incursion.
"Open the iris," He ordered. They watched as the iris retracted from the centre of the gate, suddenly the lights flickered and the SGC was plunged into darkness. The Stargate also immediately shut down. Teal'c and all the other officers on the base waited a moment for the back up generators to restore the power, but after a few moments the General became impatient.
"Sargeant," General barked, "Why do we not have any power?" he asked irritably.
"I don't know sir, something must have interfered with the back up generators sir." Walter guessed. In the pitch black, he felt his way over to the emergency kit on the wall next to the desk and pulled three torches from inside. He clicked on one for himself and searched for General Hammond and Teal'c through the darkness. He each handed them a torch, and two more beams of light filled the room, illuminating the control panel. Down below, the soldiers also retrieved their torchlights. Something caught Teal'c's eye, he looked down at the floor in front of the ramp and spied a spherical, silver object.
"General Hammond." He called, pointing his torch to where it sat.
"What is that?" Hammond enquired, puzzled. Teal'c sighed,
"It looks to be a version of a Goa'uld Saboteur Device. It radiates a considerable amount of power. It is used to disable the enemy's ability to defend themselves from incursion. I have not seen one in many years." He described. Hammond frowned
"So that's what would have caused the black out?" He re-iterated. Teal'c nodded.
"I believe so." The General peered down at the small object, his mind racing with thoughts of how and why someone had sent this.
"This came from the Aranians, this could mean that O'Neill and Major Carter may be in trouble." Teal'c began.
"They didn't want us to send a team through if they didn't return." General finished the thoughts. As much as he was worried about his people, his first priority was to restore power to the SGC.
"Sargeant, find the chief engineer and see if he can get to work fixing the generators. Teal'c you go and assist them with the repairs," Hammond handing his people their orders. Teal'c bowed his head and followed Walter from the room, leaving Hammond alone in the Control Room with only a solitary beam of light for company.
Jack and Sam were led down a long corridor, the walls painted a deep red colour. Jack's eyes shifted unsteadily as they walked past hundreds of doors, his apprehensive expression finally meeting Sam's. She whispered to him, her voice not heard over the sound of five people's feet hitting the ground as they walked. Jack had to lip read to understand what she had said.
"We'll talk later." He interpreted. Jack nodded in agreement as Hymothesias stopped in front of two doors at the end of the hallway, each displaying a number, 228 and 229.
"These are your rooms for the duration of your stay. Ania and Mavian will assist you with any problems or concerns you may have. You should rest tonight and tomorrow we will give you a guided tour of the Procreation Complex." He explained. Ania and Mavian each pulled out a set of keys from under their robes, Ania opening the door to Room 228 and Mavian to Room 229. Jack and Sam thanked them respectfully and both entered their respective rooms, Jack to 228 where Ania was standing, and Sam to 229 where Mavian was still watching her intently. They immediately shut the doors behind them, Both Mavian and Ania having to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the fast closing doors. The two Aranians turned and looked towards Hymothesias for an explanation of the Tauri's strange behaviour but he waved off their concern.
"Do not worry, they will co operate when they are taken the complex. They will co operate or be imprisoned until they do." He assured them, an evil smile dominating his usual friendly facade.
Sam looked around her room, her earlier suspicions resurfacing instantly. It looked like the bedroom of Austin Powers himself. In the right hand corner of the room; a large spa was built into the floor, scented candles and rose petals surrounding it, bubbles already forming on the top of the water. On the back wall, was a king size bed that was shaped like a love heart, complete with red silk sheets, heart shaped cushions, and more rose petals. In the very centre of the room stood two sofas and a massage table, with robes and towels already placed on the table in wait for the next customer. As Sam looked around the room the definite and apparent theme began to take shape. The wallpaper was covered in red love hearts, and dozens of painting hung on the walls portraying men and women in various provocative poses. She dropped the bag she was carrying to the floor and simple stood in disbelief at the obvious way in which the Aranians were trying to interest them in their Procreation project. It gave her the sick feeling there was more to them being here than to just share knowledge with the Aranians.
A soft knock came from the left hand side of the room. Sam hearing the noise, spotted a door that connected her room with the Colonel's. Sam immediately walked over to it and opened it, grateful to see something that reminded her of home. Jack had his hand up, in the position to knock on the door again. When he saw Sam he dropped it to his side quickly.
"Ah sir…" she began, not knowing exactly how to describe what she was trying to say. Jack nodded.
"Yeah something really wrong is going on, come on…the Procreation Complex? And if this isn't a push in that direction I don't know what is. I feel like I'm Austin Powers in this…thing." He described awkwardly. He leant forward to see into Sam's room.
"Yep, yours is exactly the same as mine, down to the number of rose petals around the Jacuzzi." He commented, sarcastically. Sam opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again, finding it hard to find the correct words. Jack noticed her discomfort.
"What's up Carter?" he asked, knowing that the environment they were standing in not exactly the most comfortable. Sam sighed.
"That young man that was walking behind me while Hymothesias was showing us the city, I got the feeling he was watching me a little too closely sir." Sam explained reluctantly, worried that she had imagined Mavian's interest in her. Jack frowned,
"Yeah I got that feeling too." He admitted much to Sam's surprise.
"Something really strange is definitely going on here and frankly, I don't think I even want to know." Sam nodded in agreement,
"I mean he did seem eager to give us the guided tour of the Procreation Complex sir." She reminded him. "Not to mention that fact that Ania described it as a place to "create" a better society." Sam emphasising the word "create" in her sentence. A realisation suddenly hit her as she put the little clues together.
"Sir, you don't think they…" she trailed off, believing the Colonel could fill in the blanks for himself. Jack raised his eyebrows slightly at her suggestion, instantly breaking eye contact with her guiltily. It wasn't a secret to either of them that they each had feelings for the other that extended far beyond their military ranks. But they agreed at the very beginning that they would not let them interfere with their position in the Air Force. Jack re-focused his thoughts and lifted his eyes to meet her.
"Well we'd better get some sleep, we will need to ask for our weapons back just in case you are right Carter, than we can run as far away from this place as we can." Jack joked, trying to hide his obvious worry. Sam smiled shyly.
"Goodnight sir." She closed the door between the rooms and stood in front of the door, deep in thought. Jack turned his back on the door and leaned against it, memories of the past invading his thoughts.
"It's no use sir. The electric current from the Goa'uld device has disintegrated all of the wiring throughout the whole base. It will take at least a week to properly replaced all of the damaged wire and to reconnect the circuits." Major Ryan, the chief engineer reported the situation back to the General. The group, including Teal'c and Walter, was standing in the General's office; the room was illuminated by portable industrial lamps. Hammond sighed, thinking about Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. They had no way of knowing what was happening to them, if they were captured, or even if they were still alive.
"Teal'c we need to contact Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter and find what is happening on P0T 154." Hammond began, conveying their mutual concern.
"We cannot go through the Stargate as we have no power to activate it correctly." Teal'c stated.
"So what do we do?" Walter asked. The room feel silent as the four men tried to come with a solution to their current problem.
"We are still in possession of the ship from Anubis." Teal'c declared, a plan began to take shape in his mind.
"I didn't think it was operational?" Walter enquired.
"I believe it could sustain the journey to Abydos. From there whomever is flying the ship can proceed to P0T 154 using their Stargate." Teal'c explained his plan.
"Will that work?" Hammond asked, from his last reports the ship was severely damaged when it returned from it's last mission. The Chief Engineer interrupted,
"Excuse me sir, but I believe that the structural integrity may not be able to sustain the jump into hyperspace." Major Ryan clarified. The general sighed disappointed; he couldn't in all good conscience risk one's of his people's lives knowing the potential hazards. Teal'c protested,
"I am prepared to General Hammond." He stood tall showing he was not afraid of the prospective danger he could encounter.
"No Teal'c I cannot let you go knowing the risks involved." Hammon countered.
"Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter may be in considerable danger." Teal'c argued. Hammond stood from his chair,
"I can't allow you to endanger your own life Teal'c, I'm sorry." Teal'c sighed, he turned to leave the general's office but he was stopped by the General.
"Teal'c?" He almost blurted out. Teal'c turned back towards the general at the mention of his name. Hammond held his breath breifly, knowing what he was about to do could get him court martialled, or even thrown in prison. But he knew it might be the only way to save his people.
"If you were forced to use the ship without authorisation, I wouldn't stop you." He replied slowly, emphasising the real meaning behind his message. Teal'c raised his eyebrow slightly. Recognising the underlying message, hr nodded, showing he understood before quickly leaving the room. Major Ryan immediately began to protest but Hammond cut him off.
"You never heard this conversation Major… that is an order." He said sternly, his tone indicating there was to be no discussion on the topic. Ryan sighed, knowing he had to follow orders.
"Yes sir." Was all he could say in reply.
TBC.