That which we try to forget Part 3
by Annejackdanny and Cancer

“It's Heliopolis, Jack,” Daniel said, pushing up his glasses. “Do you have any idea what that means... no, don't answer that, I'll tell you... It means there's another place of their legacy out there. Which gives us the opportunity to maybe find the Furlings. Or at least figure out what happened to them. It's... huge.”

“Meaning of life stuff,” Jack said mildly.

“Yes! We HAVE to go there.” Daniel licked his lips and absently tapped the new briefing room table with his fingertips. They were seated in the smaller but more private briefing room adjoining to O'Neill's new office. The table offered space for eight people, but instead of the long one in the SGC briefing room, it was hexagonal and more compact, made of light birch wood. The SGC, AF and US flags decorated the walls just like in the big room, but there was a cream-colored carpet on the floor here and the chairs were expensive light-colored leather. A meeting place for diplomats, Daniel thought, not for soldiers with heavy boots. Or maybe Jack just wanted to bring some of the Pentagon atmosphere to the SGC. There were pictures of fighter jets on one wall, and Hubble space prints on the others.

Jack caught Carter's soft smile at Daniel's enthusiasm. Ten years earlier he might have bounced up and down on his seat. Of course years of disappointments among the victories and fascinating findings had left their marks even on Daniel. Jack found a precious moment in realizing that underneath it all, Daniel had preserved some of the wide eyed explorer, even though it didn't come out to play much anymore.   

Or maybe his current enthusiasm was a side effect of the cage speeding up his heart and pumping adrenalin through his body. Though Lam had declared Daniel fit and healthy after his check up and EKG in the infirmary.

“First we have to find the correct address,” Jack reminded him.

“We'll find it,” Daniel said.

“Chenzira was right,” Carter confirmed. “None of the addresses he gave us are in the Abydos cartouche or elsewhere in our data bases. These are new planets. And,” she paused, “some of them have eight chevrons. Since the Goa'uld never figured out how to make the eighth Chevron work, Ba'al hadn't been able to conquer those worlds.”

“Wow,” Daniel muttered.

“Indeed,” Teal'c agreed.

“So work faster on your Eighth Chevron project then,” Jack bottom lined it.

“Yes, sir,” she grinned.

“What about Chen-zero. Has he settled in okay? We don't want him to be unhappy. Did he get the fruit basket?”  Ba'al's former host had arrived two hours ago. After a short debrief with Jack and Landry he'd been assigned to his quarters to rest and refresh – or whatever it was he wanted to do. 

“Vala offered to take him under her wing. Talk to him, guide him around and make all this a little easier for him,” Daniel said. What he didn't say was that he was worried. Vala seemed very upbeat about dealing with Chenzira, but he could sense uneasiness in her, too. Maybe her own experience of being a Goa'uld played into this. Maybe she wanted to make sure Chenzira wasn't left alone the way she’d been after her own extraction. And maybe... maybe there really was an unconscious attraction to this man. Like a perverted echo of Qetesh's feelings for Ba'al? Daniel didn't want to explore that possibility. As far as he knew, Qetesh had despised Ba'al as well. But was that really true? Or had there been feelings between the two snakes which Vala didn't want to deal with? He remembered  Apophis once telling him that he loved Amonet. The concept of a Goa'uld in love had been so outrageous that Daniel had dismissed it immediately. Yet, on his death bed Apophis had cried for her...

No, he decided. He really didn't want to explore attraction between Goa'ulds.

“He has brought very few personal belongings,” Teal'c informed O'Neill. “That is unusual for a Goa'uld. Unless he does not intend to stay for long.”

“He isn't a Goa'uld anymore,” Daniel reminded Teal'c.

“Could've fooled me,” Jack muttered.

“He might have changed,” Daniel pressed. “Nobody really believes it, but imagine this... You've been possessed by a Goa'uld for thousands of years and now you’re free again and everyone despises you because of what you've been for so many years. That must be devastating. We should give him a fair chance.” Daniel cast Jack an apologetic look. “I know that's not easy...”

“He's giving me the creeps,” Sam mumbled.

“I know. I don't like him very much either. But we need to be civilized at least,” Daniel tried again.

“We weren't civilized?” Jack pursed his lips. “Nope. Can't see your point. I think we were very civilized under the circumstances. He trapped you in a cage...”

“I trapped myself in there. He got me out,” Daniel corrected calmly.

“Yeah, well, the jury is still out on whether or not he left you trapped there for his amusement before he freed you.”

“He accidentally tapped the code...”

“So he says,” Jack interrupted loudly.

Daniel snapped his mouth shut. Jack was right. He’d wondered about that himself. But why would Ba'al's former host play with him? Leave him trapped in that cage just... just because? Because it's Ba'al's former host, a niggling voice answered. He doesn't need a reason at all.     

“Alright. Carter, I can see you're dying to join Doctor Lee and his geeks in playing with the doohickeys you brought home from Anhur. Go, have fun, and keep me posted.  Teal'c, you and Daniel go see our de-snaked friend and find out more about this Helium planet.”

“I won't even bother to correct that,” snorted Daniel.

“Ah, you're no fun anymore, Doctor Jackson.” Jack sighed.

“Actually,” Daniel said, wincing a little as he caught Jack's questioning eyes. “There's something we should talk about first. I think we've put it off long enough now.”

Jack stared at him in shock. “What? You breaking up with me?”

“Har har, Jack. Very funny. Not.” Daniel crossed his arms and gave the general his most deadly glare, which was ruined by the pout following soon after when Sam coughed to hide her giggle. But it was a nervous giggle and she paled when he continued.

“We need to talk about our... memory issues.”

“Nooo, we really don't,” Jack whined.

“Yesss, we really do.”

“Daniel...”

“Jack...”

“Da...”

“What issue are you referring to, DanielJackson?” Teal'c put an end to the childish banter.

“Thank you, Teal'c,” Daniel said, clearing his throat. “Don't think this is easy for me. Actually I hate to talk about it, because I could easily end up in a padded cell again.”

“Not gonna happen,” Jack assured him with a grimace. “And if you do, I might as well join you. And with this I therefore declare this conversation off the record.”

Silence settled over the four of them, all eyes on Daniel. “Are any of you... I know you are, Jack, so don't shake your head... experiencing some, ah, odd memories, out of place feelings, flashes of images, anything lately? Specifically since Ba'al was extracted from Chenzira?”

Silence met him. Oh, great. Blank stares from both Sam and Teal'c. Jack blew out a breath and played with his expensive ball point pen.

~*~*~*~*~

Vala peered around the corner of the corridor. Realizing the sight was clear, she straightened and marched down the hallway like nothing was bothering her. She refused to look back over her shoulder either.

It was ridiculous.

Beyond ridiculous, really. Downright silly. And Vala Mal Doran was anything but silly, or ridiculous, or jumpy.

So he was here. On base. Able to roam freely on all levels but the control room and the gate room. So, what? It didn't concern her. And even if it did, he was followed by two guards everywhere he went. He was unarmed and he was nothing more than a shadow of the man, monster, mutation, whatever, she used to know... Qetesh used to know... Qetesh was in the past, and so was Ba'al. Their history had gone dusty a long time ago. Why was his presence on base so confusing...

“Vala Mal Doran, I am pleased to meet you again.” 

And why did he have to sneak up on her from behind like that. Plastering a huge grin on her face she turned to face him, and felt her throat go dry. “Chenzira,” she managed, hopefully without sounding like she was choking on the word. “They told me you had come to visit.” 

“It wasn't all voluntary,” he said with a pleasant smile, flashing a row of white teeth at her.

“They’re treating you okay, though, right?” She clasped her hands behind her back for lack of something else to do with them.

“You have to excuse people here. They have a hard time grasping you’re a different person now.”  

He eyed her, deep dark pools of blackness in an attractive angular face. “Are you the exception to the rule, Vala?”

“Well, at least I have been through the same experience as you well know. I'm trying not to be taken aback by the fact that you look like the man who slaughtered millions, enslaved thousands and took advantage of my body while I was carrying Qetesh around in my head,” she said, the grin still painted on her face. Her mouth started hurting.

“Why, thank you. I appreciate your efforts,” he replied with a smirk.

So much like him.

He stepped closer, allowing her a look into those eyes and beyond. Qetesh had always been on the verge of hate, yet could never refuse him for real. Could never turn away from Ba'al's devilish energetic charm. It didn't help that he had a fit, well honed body to match with the rest. Qetesh had welcomed his touch while Vala had despised it. Qetesh had forced Vala's body to be with Ba'al again and again. And Vala's body, as it belonged to Qetesh, had reacted in all the right ways, whimpering with pleasure, arching into his touch, opening for his lips and hands...   and more.

Other times Qetesh had wanted to kill him. Because he was demanding and cruel if he wanted to be. Unpredictable. She had worn the bruises to show it. 

Vala, free of Qetesh, hated Ba'al more than any other person in this universe.   

She’d wanted to kill him. All of a sudden she seemed to be outside her body, watching herself as Qetesh. She stuck a knife into his back, precisely so that it emerged through his chest. She heard Qetesh whisper into his ear as she walked around to face him.

“The edges of the Shikra blade have been honed to the thickness of a single atom. I must keep my hand very still, for fear that one slip will cut you in half.”

There was blood trickling out of his mouth as he swallowed hard and stared at her. 

A wild surge of triumph slammed through her like electricity. Free. Finally. After fifteen years of having to be at his side. Never a private moment, never left alone, always in his control, his possession...

“This world offers many pleasures, Qetesh. Pleasures I intend to share with you...” His voice rasped with pain, yet still in control...   

“Vala? Is everything all right?” He stepped closer and raised a hand to touch her, his long fingers ghosting over her face, his eyes bearing concern. Yet, underneath, she could still feel Ba'al's presence. Like a cold flame, hidden within Chenzira.   

Oh, god, I can't stand him touching me. She stepped away. “I'm fine, thank you.” She blew a stand of hair out of her face and forced herself to move down the corridor. What was wrong with her?  She could almost feel the cold metal of the ribbon device twined around her wrist and it took all her willpower not to look down to check if she was wearing one. Because she knew she wasn't.  

“I was wondering if you would join me at the … what is it called...   commissary?”

“No, I'm sorry, I have errands to run. Maybe another time,” she muttered with a glance at Chenzira's guards who were following closely.

“I enjoy Tau'ri food,” he shared with her.

“Do you, or did Ba'al? Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.”

“We both do,” Chenzira said conversationally. “Our tastes were alike in food and clothing. We differed when it came to women though. At least in outer appearance.” He stepped closer again. “Still... My memories of Ba'al's and Qetesh's time together are… strong. And quite... vivid.”

“How... interesting.” She decided she needed to see Daniel. Right now. She waved at the open elevator door. “Have fun, Chenzira. I'll see you later.”

He stepped past her, guards in his wake, and gave her another flashing smile. “My pleasure, Vala.”

Ignoring the shiver running down her spine, she waited until the elevator doors had closed before exhaling her breath.

She felt like taking a shower.

~*~*~*~*~

“I don't understand,” Sam said amazed. “I thought they were fragments of Jolinar's memories.    

“Maybe, maybe not. Fact is it's happening to all three of us,” Daniel said urgently. He and Jack had just shared tidbits of their encounters with the others.

Granted, Jack seemed to be exaggerating a bit as he insisted he had these kinds of visions for years, not just since the extraction ceremony. “In some other reality my boat's called Homer. And you and Sam are an item,” he claimed.

“A what?” Sam glared at her CO, suddenly remembering how Daniel had returned from his trip through the quantum mirror, insisting she’d been engaged to the general. She couldn't decide which would be the worst scenario. Daniel was like a brother to her and General O'Neill was … well, her CO. And friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

“'s what pops up. But it might just be a fantasy product of Joe the barber,” Jack shrugged sheepishly.  “I also remember red life vests. Oh, and pyramids.”

“Oh-kay, hold it. That's... Jack, are you sure?” Daniel tried to figure out if Jack was yanking their chains.

Propping his elbows on the table and placing his face in his hands, Jack gave Daniel a long look and then sighed. “No, not really. Well, at least this came up years before the extraction ceremony so it's probably not connected to what … whatever it is we're talking about.”

“Your mind is an even scarier place than mine,” Daniel pointed out with a frown. “Why did they put me into that padded cell, and not you?”

“Because I hide it better.”

“Right, excellent point.”

“Guys,” Sam groaned. “Can we focus on Ba'al here? Or... on these newest flashbacks? I can't make any sense of mine. They're all just numbers, star constellations, patterns. There's a tower and some machinery of some kind...”

“A high tower with several platforms, a machine in the middle, spiraling high up into the darkness,” Teal'c's low voice rumbled and everyone turned to look at him. “I have seen these things as well. In my dreams.”

“You did. You... did?” Daniel bent forward. “What else did you see?”

Teal'c seemed to stare right through him for a moment, his eyes unfocused. “Death,” he said darkly. “Jaffa fighting Jaffa. Qetesh. She comes walking down the aisle...” 

He was lying on the floor, lethally wounded, as she moved towards him. As she bent over him and said his name, he noticed her bosom practically spilling over the top of the lacy bustier. The fabric of her dress rustled when she crouched next to him. He had a glimpse of her dominatrix boots as the gold on black colored skirt fell over his shoulder, brushing one of his wounds.

“Teal'c...”

With a start he returned to the present. Leaving his chair, Teal'c walked around the table until he stood in front of Daniel. “Something is happening to us. I was wrong. It is not only in my dreams.”

“Okay, you're definitely getting the action parts. All I get is lots of ice, freezing cold. And a submarine. And then I'm...” Jack scowled at them as if it was their fault. “I'm kinda yelling at you all and...”

“You walked away from us,” Daniel said. “You called us paperwork waiting to happen.”

They didn't have to talk about the best friend line, Daniel realized. That was something between him and Jack. He saw a pained expression in Jack's brown eyes. “You said Sam was an astronaut,” Daniel recalled slowly as another memory clicked into place.

Sam's head jerked up. “I remember that!”

“What?” both Jack and Daniel asked. 

“The gen... colonel... calling me an astronaut. And there's more. General Landry yelled at us while we were eating sandwiches. He said we were arrogant or something... Cam was there, too.” She frowned. “And then the numbers again, and stars... and the tower.”

“We need to reconstruct what everyone remembers,” Daniel said, relief audible in his voice. Finally he could be sure he wasn't suffering some weird mental illness. If this was something that happened to all of them, there had to be an explanation. Unless they had  gone collectively nuts. “And try to make a picture out of the puzzle.”

“Qetesh killed Ba'al,” Teal'c said. “I saw her stabbing him with a shirka. An extremely long bladed knife.”

“Whoa,” Jack said.

“Teal'c, are you sure?” Sam's eyes widened. “Because he's very much alive... well, his host is...”

“It's true.” They all turned as one to find Vala standing in the open doorway, her eyes wide with confusion, but also with grim determination. “I don't know how or when. But he's right. Qetesh killed Ba'al. And I shared the pleasure it gave her.”

“Close the door,” Jack snapped, clearly irritated that he hadn't seen or heard  her entering the room.

Vala pulled the door shut behind her and slipped into a chair next to Daniel. “I met Chenzira in the corridor. He was on his way to the commissary. And I saw how it happened. It was like I was on some mind expanding trip... you know, when you know you're standing on one spot but you can see yourself being somewhere else and doing something? I saw me – or rather Qetesh – stab Ba'al with that knife. It was quite satisfying in many, many ways.”

“Okay, this isn’t possible. Unless we’re all suffering from some group hallucination. But then we would all experience the same events, not different ones.” Sam shook her head. “Unless...” She bit her lip and stared at the table top as if it would give her the answer.

“Unless we all went on a trip into another reality or timeline and after it was restored there are fragments of memories left in our poor brains that keep popping up,” Jack said, and when Carter and Daniel stared at him in disbelief, added. “Or it could also have something to do with magnets. Or... black holes?” 

“Sir...”

“And maybe I did have a boat called Homer,” he muttered.

“Jack... you might be on to something,” Daniel said thoughtfully.

Sam nodded slowly. “What were the last words Ba'al said before he was extracted?”

“Teal'c… I will always regret that you never became my First Prime,” Teal'c recited gloomily. “Then he asked for Qetesh.”

“And Vala was gone,” Daniel remembered.

“No, I wasn't.”

“Yes, you were. You were gone, just like that. Jack thought you were looking for the bathroom.”

“The bathroom? Excuse me?” She snorted. “The Tok'ra facilities really are not that fascinating.”

“He claimed to be one of the clones. He said the last Ba'al was still out there and we couldn't track him because he was the only one wearing a locator beacon that could be removed,” Teal'c said. “He also said we were making a terrible mistake.”

“Yeah, I remember that,” Daniel mumbled. “But what did he mean?” 

“Failsafe,” Sam whispered. “I remember him saying something about a failsafe device and... that we gave him the idea.”

“What else?” Jack asked, edgy. “There has to be more. Daniel? T?”

“If you gave him the idea it must have been something SG-1 has done before,” Vala chimed in. “And I don't remember any of that, by the way. I remember him coming over to us with that smirk on his face... and then I remember seeing the symbiote die and I went over to talk to him... to Chenzira. That's all. Well, aside from that odd little encounter about killing Ba'al as Qetesh.”

Jack placed both hands flat on the table and froze as a stabbing pain hit his chest. That's it, he thought, that's what a heart attack feels like... and then it was over as fast as it happened. He took a gasping breath and blinked. “Crap.”

“Jack?”

“Sir?”

“O'Neill...”

“What's wrong with him?”

“I remember...” Jack said flatly, “...dying.”

“What?” Daniel's eyes widened behind his glasses.

“The bastard stabbed me in the chest with some... thing,” Jack growled.

“You looked very much alive to me there,” Vala muttered, giving the general a wary look.

“It's possible,” Sam said in the brooding silence. “If Ba'al – the original one – was still out there when we extracted this Ba'al from Chenzira...”

“No,” Teal'c shook his head. “This one did not have a locator beacon anymore when we captured him. It has to be the real one.”

“So it was a clone out there... whatever... My point is, it could be possible that Ba'al tried to manipulate the timeline. To keep his empire safe....” 

“Or,” Jack interrupted, “to prevent the Stargate program from happening in the first place. He could have tried to destroy the gate before it was found in Giza. Who knows? Longevity gives you a lot of options.”

“Well,” Vala shrugged. “If he tried, he failed. We're all here and alive, so I think that's good, right?”

Daniel looked around the room, taking in the new carpet, furniture and the flags. “Provided this is the real reality, yes. And if it's not... I still prefer it to the other one, going by the glimpses I am getting from it.” He absently rubbed his left leg.

“Yeah,” Jack said. “Being dead isn't high on my agenda.” Nor was walking out on his team and thinking of them as freaks. Or losing Daniel as his best friend. Correction... not even knowing or believing he had a best friend like Daniel.     

“Killing Ba'al though would be nice,” Vala said quietly. “This is the only memory or flashback I have. And it felt... great.” She pushed her hair back and stood. “I can't deal with  Chenzira being on base. I know I said I'd talk to him some more, take him under my wing, but... I'm sorry. I thought I could. I thought I could feel sorry for him, or … help him to get over his trauma. But I can't. There's too much... Just too much.” She bit her lip and threw up her hands. “Sorry.”

She looked around the room, meeting worried glances from Daniel and Sam, a calm nod from Teal'c. But when she met O'Neill's eyes she saw real understanding there. Shared pain. She held his gaze and he returned it calmly, sending her a clear message. You don't have to do this. “It's okay,” he said aloud.

“I'll talk to General Landry,” she said.

“He'll understand,” O'Neill said and their eyes locked again. I understand.   

“Thank you.” She swallowed and turned to leave when a hand on her shoulder held her back and Daniel who had followed her to the door squeezed gently. 

“It's just.. I'm afraid I might really kill him if I’m too close to him,” she joked and slipped out of the room, angrily wiping away an errant tear. She hated being vulnerable. Hated the thought of appearing weak – unless it was part of some strategic move.

Taking a deep breath, Vala regained control and went on her way to Landry's office. It would be okay. She just had to keep her distance from this Chenzira guy.

Jack eyed his kids. “I want to talk to that guy. Now. Teal'c – get him in here.”

Inclining his head, Teal'c rose and left.

“Sir, he might not remember anything. If another Ba'al was the initiator of the plan, Chenzira might not know much about it.”

“Well, can't hurt to ask. And while he's here, Daniel can ask his Heliopolis questions.”

Chenzira walked behind Teal'c, conscious of the two men with guns who followed him.  Really the amount of security was most amusing.  As if he could do anything in his current position.

A soft chuckle made Teal'c look back over his shoulder at the man he was escorting. A raised eyebrow met his in return. Teal'c turned back and continued on his way to the briefing room. 

The remainder of SG-1 looked up when the door opened and Teal'c stood to one side, waiting for Chenzira to enter. The two guards took position on either side of the door and Teal'c closed it before he resumed his seat at the table.

As Jack waved their guest to a seat, Chenzira crossed the room slowly. “I assume I've been brought here for a reason?”

“Indeed,” Teal'c replied darkly.

Jack cleared his throat, looked down at the table and drummed his fingers, then shot a  prompting look at Daniel who pushed up his glasses and jumped right in. “Recently, in fact ever since the extraction, we've...” he waved his hand to include the others, “...been experiencing, um, flashbacks, or in Teal'c's case dreams.”

“And these flashbacks, dreams, involve Ba'al?”

“Yes, yes they do.”  Daniel nodded.

“If these are flashbacks to previous experiences with Ba'al, then surely they are a medical problem....”

“Ah, if only it was that simple, but then when it involves your former snaky companion things never are.”  Jack ignored the kick to his shin coming from his left.

“You see these flashbacks would appear to be from an alternative time line. One that involved me getting killed by you, or Ba'al, or whatever.  Not an experience I’ve enjoyed reliving.”  He barely kept himself from rubbing the region between his left shoulder and chest.   “Now, if you can shed any light on this I'd… we'd, be grateful.”

“I'm not sure what it is you want me to say?” Chenzira leaned back in his chair, eying each one of them curiously.

And again there seemed to be amusement in his brown eyes for a moment. Jack wanted to leap across the table and strangle the smug bastard. He let out an exasperated breath, but a hand on his left arm stopped him from exploding.

“We have memories from before the extraction, of Ba'al... taunting us and...”  Daniel flinched, “...killing Jack.”  Since Jack had mentioned being stabbed, Daniel had been getting flashes like pieces of a broken mirror, scattered all through his brain, little fragments of images. Cam shooting Ba'al.  He and Sam kneeling next to a dying Jack.    He took a calming breath.  “We think Ba'al might have done something to affect the time line.”

“Intriguing. I do not remember anything unusual before the extraction.”  Chenzira sent an apologetic look around the table.

“However, it is a fascinating concept.”

There was a knock on the door and at Jack's curt nod, one of the guards opened it to reveal Mitchell.  ”Sorry to interrupt, sir, but I think I may have some information that could be helpful with what you're discussing.”

Jack raised an eyebrow.  “Come in. Airmen, see our guest back to his quarters.”  He smirked inwardly at the frustration flashing across Chen-zero's face as the two guys pointedly stood on either side of his chair.

Chenzira rose gracefully and, with a small nod, stalked out.

All eyes turned to Mitchell who shrugged and grinned somewhat sheepishly.  “Vala told me about the flashbacks y'all been experiencing.”

“Have you been having them too?”  Sam asked.

“No,” he shook his head slightly, “no, I haven't.”  .

Cocking his head, Jack made a prompting gesture with his hands. “But?”

“It's kinda complicated,” Mitchell replied with a sigh.

“We are used to complicated,” Jack said, holding two fingers up only inches apart from each other. “Complicated and us are like this.” He gestured at a free chair. “Sit and talk.”

Mitchell complied and nodded at Sam. “You,” he began, “found the correct time and location from where the line could be fixed and using the gate I went through to fix it.” 

Sam's eyebrows rose. “How...?”

“I'm not sure how. You just did. At least I assume it was you.”

“No, I mean how do you know...”

“Aht!”  Jack's famous warning finger came up. “Let the man tell his story, before you bombard him with questions.”

Both Daniel and Sam sat back in their seats.  Addressing Mitchell again, Jack wondered what was behind door number one.

“Colonel?”

“Yes, sir. I can't give you the whole story, but maybe I can shed some light into it. My grandpa used to work on a cargo ship called the Achilles...”

Poking the air with his pen Daniel stopped Mitchell from continuing. “The Achilles?”

“Yes. And yes, it was the ship that brought the Stargate from Egypt to the USA in 1939. I know this because my grandpa used to tell the tale of how they transported a giant stone ring that suddenly sprang to life. When it opened, the wormhole blasted a huge honking hole in the ship. Some maniac came through and some other guy shot him.”

“That other guy was...”

“A long lost relative who somehow ended up on my granddad's ship. I was named after the guy. Family story has it he came from the future to save Earth by shooting the guy who came through the ring. They never told anyone what happened on that ship. I don't know how they explained away the hole or what they did with the dead guy...”

“Ba'al,” Sam assumed. “Ba'al came through the gate to destroy the ship. To prevent history from happening.” She turned to Jack, pale and shaken. “He tried to change history. It really happened, sir.”

“Ba'al traveled back in time and then came through the gate to destroy the ship?” Jack looked pained. “That's going to make my brain explode. Bottom line it?” 

“Details are sketchy, sir. I remember that other Cameron from when I was a kid. He kept to himself mostly, but lived close to us. Grandpa hired him, but I didn't see the man often. Not sure what happened to him later,” Mitchell said.

“Of course. If he was you he had to be careful not to give away too much. That he told you in the first place was dangerous,” Carter murmured.

“He used to say we need to be prepared. And that there'd be a brilliant scientist who'd know what to do. He didn't name names, but I assume it was you, Sam.”

“So you've been waiting for this to happen?” She gazed at her former team leader in amazement.

“Not really. Well, yeah, kinda. But I grew up with this, so it wasn't something I thought about every day. When I joined the program, I knew we were getting there.”

And maybe that's why he needed SG-1 to be back together, Sam thought. He knew we'd have to be together to fix the time line disaster.  She reached out across the table, touching his hand. “Thank you, Cam.”

“Aw, c'mon on, it's nothing,” he grinned. “Maybe everything would have happened the way it did regardless of me knowing part of it. And I basically just pieced things together along the way. That other Cam wasn't all that forthcoming with information. Said you'd have his hide for messing with the time line by telling too much.”

“Sounds like Carter to me,” Jack said dryly.

“Ah,” Daniel frowned, “I still don’t get how this works. Ba'al invents a time machine, sends a clone back through time to destroy the ship carrying the gate. And then what? He stays there in the past ... or had the time machine already been there 70 years ago so he could go back to the present? If he stayed in the past there would have been two of them back then already...” 

“Whatever the case was. Me... my future self, whatever, killed Ba'al when he came through the gate on the Achilles. So the time line was back to normal except for me staying there and watching myself being born and grow up – from a distance.”

“Right. Excellent,” Jack stated emphatically. “That's great. You did an outstanding job there Mitchell. Both of you.” With a glare at Daniel and Sam, he added. “We can work out the details of time travel, solar flares and whatnot later.” 

“I'm all for that, sir,” Mitchell smirked.

“But...,” Carter.

“Jack...” Daniel.

“I believe some mysteries are better left unsolved,” Teal'c interrupted. He bowed his head. “Thank you, ColonelMitchell. You gave us back our lives. And freedom for the Jaffa.”

“You think our friend Cheesy remembers any of this?” Jack asked Mitchell, a sudden suspicion creeping up on him.

“He should remember the planning stage. His alter ego was killed coming through the gate, but that only meant he couldn't go through with the plan. The plan itself might still have been made. So he should remember at least that. Then again, with this time travel stuff you never know, sir.”

Jack grimaced. Apparently he couldn't let it go just like that. “Carter?”

“I agree. Chenzira should remember the plotting of this.”

“So, he's lying.”

“Seems likely, yes, sir.”

“Surprise,” Jack muttered.

“Indeed,” Teal'c said cynically.

Daniel absently rubbed his left leg. “I wonder if the flashbacks will stop, now that we know where they come from.”

“At least we won't have to wonder about them any longer,” Sam replied. In a way she was relieved that it wasn't new memories surfacing from Jolinar. She had learned to live with the echo of the Tok'ra's consciousness, but she hadn't been sad when the foreign memories and feelings seemed to fade. These time line flashbacks would probably fade as well.

Jack got up and began to pace.  “So, we can safely assume the Ba'al who went through the gate and kicked this whole thing off was a clone, Mitchell?” 

“Yes, sir. I think he was.”

“Okay, going with that... would that time machine still be there? If he planned it and built it and then realized his plan didn't work out, could he try again?”

“You mean Chenzira?” Carter looked puzzled.

“Yes. If he's lying to us, he might have thoughts about trying again.”

“That would mean he's operating on Ba'al's behalf,” Daniel said. “And before you roll your eyes, Jack, we don't really know where Chenzira's values are. If he's lying, he must have a reason, but it might be a different one than we think.”

“Like...?”

“I don't know!”

Pursing her lips in puzzlement, Carter said, “If the Ba'al who went through the gate and got shot was the only one working on the time machine, then shooting him would prevent him from building it in the first place. So it can't be there. If Chenzira was involved with the planning process in any way, ... “ she threw up her hands in defeat. “There's no way to tell for sure. Sorry, sir. And without the gate address there's no way for us to find out.”

Teal'c stood, grim faced. “I will ask him to give the information freely. Once.” 

“Teal'c, you can't!” Shaking his head vehemently Daniel continued, “He isn't our prisoner. You can ask him, but you can't ... coerce him. Not if we want him to work with us on finding the Heliopolis planet.” Swinging his chair to face Jack, he added, “There's only this one left, right? Chenzira is the only... ex-Ba'al. If we don't let him out of our sight he can't do anything about changing the time line again even if he could. Right?”

Mitchell replied on Jack’s behalf. “Looks like it, yeah.”

Jack let out a huff of air. Between a rock and a hard place was probably the cliché to use here. “Are we positive the address we're looking for isn't on the five hundred list he gave us on Anhur?” 

“We only have his word,” Daniel admitted grudgingly.

“Fine. Here's what we do. We'll take a break for a couple of hours. Mitchell, you and I can brief Landry on the situation. We'll reconvene at fourteen hundred.  That's two p. m., Daniel,” Jack said. 

Daniel rolled his eyes and headed out.  As he walked down the corridor he tried not to limp.  

~*~*~*~*~

At the appointed hour they all gathered in the briefing room.  Well almost all of them.  Jack tapped his watch as he looked at it.  “I did say fourteen hundred, didn't I, Carter?”

“Yes, sir, you did.”

“What time is it now, Carter?”

“Fourteen fifteen, sir.”

“I'm sorry!”  Daniel rushed into the room juggling several bits of paper, files and a mug of coffee.  Both Teal'c and Jack stood and relieved Daniel of the swaying pile before it could crash to the floor. The last thing Jack needed were coffee spots on his new carpet. 

“Thanks guys.”  Daniel said as he sat and took a large slurp of his coffee.

Jack placed his share of files on the table.  “Is it safe to assume these are the reason you're a little late?”

“What? Oh, yes.”  Daniel leaned forward as he spread his notes and files out in front of him.  “Yes, I was going back through the files I had on the planet where we found Ernest.  Fascinating. Shame it was lost. The information it held. What we could have learned.”

“Well maybe you'll be more lucky this time around, buddy.”

“I hope so, Jack. We have to find it first.”

“You got lucky. Landry agrees the Heliopolis planet has top priority. Mitchell is still trying to explain the whole time travel thing to him.”

“I've got several systems running the data Chenzira gave us. Hopefully they will produce something, just in case the address is on the five hundred list after all,” Sam said with a smile.

“We really need to talk to Chenzira again though. Any small detail he has about the planet could help us to figure it out,” Daniel said.

“I called his guards to get him here. He should already be on his way.”

Daniel nodded his thanks when a knock on the door announced their guest's arrival.

“Well, that was fast,” Jack remarked after his call to enter.

“Thank you for coming,” Daniel greeted Chenzira. 

“I was not given much choice in the matter,”  Chenzira replied sourly, glancing at the two airmen positioned by the door. 

“They're as much for your safety as ours!” Jack snapped. “Your former companion didn't make all that many friends around here.”

“I apologize, General. That was uncalled for by me.” Chenzira bowed his head.

Bastard. “Yes, it was.”

Daniel decided things needed to be moved on rather than allowed to escalate. “Chenzira, the planet you mentioned back on Anhur, with the plinth. You agreed to try answering a few questions about it.”

“Yes, I did. But I am not sure I will be of much help. It was a place that puzzled both Ba'al and I. Neither of us could see a reason for the tablets of writing, nor what the function of the plinth was.”  He looked closely at the man across the table. Doctor Jackson knew the reason and function, they all did.

“The writing on the walls. You said you recognized three of the languages, but not the fourth.”

“Yes, the three were Asgard, Nox and Ancients. The fourth neither of us recognized.  But, you mentioned a race called the Furlings, did you not?”

“I did.” Daniel agreed, then asked, “Did you make any notes of what the writings said?” 

“Something about knowledge and building an alliance. Unfortunately Ba'al was more interested in the plinth and trying to make it work. He suspected hidden knowledge about weapons and places to collect technology. When it was clear he could not make the plinth work, he lost all interest. He copied the addresses of other worlds in the cartouche room. The planet's address was noted for a possible return, and we left.”

Jack tried to make eye contact with Daniel who was totally focusing on Chenzira. Was it possible the guy really had no idea where Ba'al put the address? Jack knew he would forget it, especially after ... how many years? If he was fair, he could see how coming up with all the details might be difficult.

But there was something else nagging at the back of Jack's mind. He couldn't put a finger on it, but something in the way Chenzira talked set off alarm bells in O'Neill's head. 

On the other side of the table Daniel frowned in barely controlled frustration. “Do you remember anything of the address? Anything at all? The point of origin?” 

“I am sorry. It has to be among Ba'al's possessions, but I do not recall where.”

“Could it be on Anhur?” Daniel was grasping at straws.

Chenzira cocked his head apparently deep in thought. “It could be. Or it could not be. However, Anhur was one of the planets Ba'al returned to regularly in those first decades. I never had enough time to go through all the tablets and records he kept there.”

Jack exchanged a quick look with Daniel who shrugged slightly, apparently unsure  whether or not Chen-zero was telling the truth. “You sure there's nothing you can offer?” 

“I'm sorry, General.” The ex-Goa'uld settled back in his chair, returning Jack's stare with a blank innocent look. “If I could be of more assistance I would gladly provide you with any information I have.”

Of course you would, Jack thought with an inner snort. But keeping Daniel's warning about not judging the host by the acts of the snake in mind, he let it go. For now. On his curt nod the two airmen stepped away from the door and escorted their 'guest' from the room.

“Let's assume that – against all odds - the address is on the five hundred list - how soon do you think you can come up with a result, Carter?”

“I'm not sure, sir. Going on the assumption that the address to Ba'al's Heliopolis might be similar to the one we found we're trying to find a match close to the address of Ernest's  planet. Of course the point of origin would be different.”

“Keep at it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“In the meantime I'm gonna go have a chat with Ferretti. Maybe he can dig a little and find something. Like a gate address. There were other rooms in that temple full of Ba'al's stuff, right, Carter?” 

“Yes. SG-2 brought through most of the technology Chenzira showed us, but they returned because there was more to explore.” 

“There you go,” Jack said.

Daniel grimaced. “I'm beginning to think SG-2 has the more exciting job. Where will all that stuff go  they find and bring through? Is there any chance I can take a look at any tablets or artifacts they bring in?”

“Area 51 mostly. And no, you can't go and work there, Danny-boy. I need you right here,” Jack grinned.

“Where have I heard that before?” Daniel muttered.

Jack felt only the slightest stab of guilt, knowing how badly Daniel had wanted to go to Atlantis four years ago. He raised an eyebrow in his friend's direction. “I'll make sure you get to look at any chicken scra... writings and artifacts before it goes anywhere. Rank has its privilege,” he said as he strode out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~

“Walter, when is Colonel Ferretti due to call in?”  Jack asked as he entered the control room.

“About now, sir.”  As if on cue the gate began to dial. It never ceased to amaze Jack,  watching the gate operate. It never got old.  With the usual kawoosh the event horizon settled.  There was the small delay before the IDC was identified. “SG-2, sir.” 

“SG-2, this is General O'Neill.”

“Receiving, General. Colonel Ferretti reporting in. The place is still a sandbox, sir.”

“Well since it's still a sandbox you can play in it for me.”

“Sir?”

“Need you to do some digging. I want you to share with us anything that strikes you as interesting.  Look for records, tablets, any written references, gate addresses.”

After a short pause from Ferretti's end of the wormhole, Lou replied, “Yes, sir.  Anything  that strikes us as interesting especially gate addresses. Understood, sir. We'll be in touch in around an hour with an update on our play session.”

Walter's fingers flew over the keyboard terminating the link with Anhur.  As the blue, swirling event horizon cut out, he wished the General wouldn't breathe down his neck like that.

Part 4

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