A Sword in Agate - Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: SG-1, Atlantis or Universe, I am just playing in the world
A/N: Sequel to 'Voices from a Lost Time'
A Sword in Agate - Chapter 1
Returning with an ancient prize and words of warning, Sam and Cam reunite with the rest of SG-1 to find that all roads lead to the same destination. They now tread the same path as the builder and the magician.
After meeting Ilemus, the builder of Selenis, Sam and Cameron now find themselves enlisted into an ancient struggle. Left wondering where to begin they turn to the words left behind by Merlin, who shared a part of the fight now laid out before them.
Falcons Stadium, Air Force Academy, October 1989
First class Cadet/Major Cameron Mitchell poked his head out from underneath the armatures he was assembling for Sam's multi-mirror arrays. He was treated to the view of Sam bending over by her computer equipment in the small tent set up against the fence above the stands at one of the corners of the stadium. He sighed with a rueful smile on his face and waited for her to stand up straight before speaking, she made the cadet uniform look good.
"Sam, I'm all set up here." He smiled when she turned and beamed at him. That smile was going to kill him some day he was sure of it. He was also sure it would be worth it. It was the same smile she wore when he answered the door to his dorm two weeks before to see her holding up her laser safety officer's license and asking for his help to set up her lasers for a half-time show at the first Commander-in-Chief's Trophy game against Navy. If asked, he would admit that he hadn't actually known what he'd agreed to until later. He'd just said yes to the smile. He squirmed his way out from underneath the forest of metal he'd had precision tooled by the guys in the metalworking shop and then assembled himself in preparation for the arrival of the lasers the following day. There was also a large black mesh material being set up behind them which would be raised before the next day's game to use as a projection screen. "Are you ready to run a control test?" She nodded eagerly and waited for him to come stand beside her and stare at the computer screen as if he knew what any of it meant. She sniggered and he glowered at her. "What?"
"There's nothing to see there yet, it will all run after I execute the program on the command line." She laughed as he stood up straight, crossed his arms and looked at her with a menacing glare. Her eyes glittered with mirth and he shook his head and knocked the side of hers lightly. She smiled and gave her head a little shake which sent her short blond locks whipping against her cheek. He held his breath for a moment before turning to look at the armatures with their mirrors and lenses connected to a whole slew of galvanometer scanners. "Do you want to see it going?" He nodded and she tapped away at her keyboard and hit enter which caused the reflectors above the armatures he assembled to spin and turn and wave. It was fascinating to watch and it wasn't actually doing anything. "You've done a really great job with the articulators, Cameron, they're very smooth." He smiled as he glanced her way.
"I'll always do my best work for you, Sam, have no doubt." he murmured, not daring to meet her eye. Instead he glanced down at his watch. "I do have to get to practice though, or Coach DeBerry might just bench me for the game." He chuckled at her look of horror as she glanced at her own watch, she'd obviously lost track of time again.
"Holy Hannah, Cam, you have to run!" She grabbed his arm and turned him towards the tunnel and began pushing him from behind as he chuckled. "You have to play in the game or..." He stopped and turned to face her as she trailed off, she tried to keep pushing him onwards with a very serious look on her face, but he lifted an eyebrow and stood his ground.
"Or?" He smiled knowingly and she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.
"Or some of the sequences I've put together can't be used." she admitted and pushed against his chest, he started walking backwards slowly. He nodded then looked at her again with the same lifted eyebrow. There was always more. "Some of them... might... mention you..." He grinned as she dropped her forehead against his chest for a moment before shoving him hard. "It's the Navy game tomorrow, you have to play and win! Go!" He laughed and turned towards the tunnel.
"Yes, ma'am, Cadet/Staff Sergeant Carter." He gave her a little salute and she glared at him in return. There wasn't really any chance the coach wouldn't start him and he'd cleared the work he was doing, and the slight possibility he might be late for practice, earlier that morning. He liked it when Sam got all protective of him that way though.
The next afternoon he was rubbing his hand across the large number ten in blue on the front of his white jersey. He winced slightly having taken a late hit following a hand off to his running back on the previous play. He patted his center on the back to stop him from going into his set position and observed the Navy players forming up in their appropriately navy jerseys and gold helmets across the line of scrimmage. He narrowed his eyes and glanced at the scoreboard, 21-7 in the fourth, three minutes left, the game was fairly safe and the coach's running plays had worked all day long, but it wouldn't this time, he glanced at the coach on the sideline and shook his head slightly. He called an audible and watched a wide receiver move aside while a decoy tight end shifted out a little wider, it opened a slot for a lineman to charge at him, but he saw something and he had to take advantage. He gave his center a push so he set up over the ball. He bent down to get ready for the snap and called several more random phrases which didn't change his chosen play.
He called the snap and drifted back, watching his strong side tackle take out the first linebacker who slipped through the gap left by the tight end. His eyes flicked over to his tight end and he grinned as he scrambled to the right, his gut feeling was right and he'd drawn another shadow which meant that... he found a linebacker in his face and had to spin around to get out of the sack, sidestepping and slipping through his grasp, setting himself to throw while a second linebacker threw himself at his chest, slamming a shoulder into his sternum and ploughing him into the grass. He got his head up, shoving at the man on top of him and watched his pass sailing into the darkening sky of early dusk and right into the path of a wide open receiver on the left who sped away into the end zone after making a catch over his shoulder. The Falcons were a team known for their rushing, but that didn't mean Cam didn't have a cannon for an arm. He was just getting to his feet when he found Bryce Ferguson slamming his helmet against his and whooping in joy. He grabbed Cam's face guard and shook it slightly as the rest of the line clapped him on the shoulder and the backs ran up to the receiver and congratulated him.
"What the Hell, Mitchell! How'd you know to call that?" Bryce was grinning and dragging him back to the bench while the kicking team came on for the point-after attempt. He looked towards the corner where Sam's mesh screen was set up and grinned stupidly when he saw her green laser was writing out 'GO CAM GO' on three lines over the dark material. He'd hated half-time. He was stuck in the locker room while Sam was running her show. He wanted to see it so badly he couldn't sit still while Coach gave his talk. Now he could see her waving to him from where she was keeping an eye on the equipment. Bryce slapped his helmet right on the lightning bolt when he caught him looking at Sam and her laser display. "You gonna do the decent thing and ask her out already, ya big idiot?" Cam glared at him until the receiver, Johnson, finally caught up with them and clapped Cam on the shoulders for the pass. Cam grinned in return and slapped the kid's helmet. "Geez, Cam, anyone who knows you can tell just by looking at you that you like her. Don't be an ass." Bryce didn't get it, Sam was going places, she was the future of the Air Force. Cam's feelings didn't enter into any of that. Ferguson shook his head and gave him a shove with a rueful chuckle. "Moron."
After adding another touchdown the game ended with a healthy 35-7 score and the cadets in the stands were all cheering as Sam's laser was shifting between 'AIR FORCE', 'SOAR FALCONS', 'SINK NAVY' and 'GO CAM GO'. He rushed through his shower and the check up with the physio and got outside the locker room only to have to dodge through a small crowd of cadets who were harder to get around than the Navy linemen. He persevered however, and managed to climb up and out onto the terraces where he found Sam huddling in her jacket. She leapt up with a huge grin on her face and ran over to hug him.
"You were great! The whole team was great!" she cried in delight and he laughed. She pulled back and her eyes glittered as several female cadets approached and crowded around Cam, squealing. After he smiled and managed to send them all off happily waving in his direction he found Sam smirking at him with her arms crossed across her chest. He smiled apologetically and walked back to her side. "Did you like my show?"
"I loved what I saw, it looked great, but I was in the locker room at half-time," he paused at her sidelong glance, "but you knew that... Sam?" She giggled and pulled him along by the elbow over to where they'd arranged the lasers and mirror arrays. He found a pair of chairs set up behind the laser assembly, with a large blanket laying atop one of them. She pushed him towards one of the chairs and handed him the blanket which he began to spread out as she trotted over to the computer and started her half-time show sequence on a delayed timer. She dashed back to the chairs, sat down and giggled when Cam tossed half the blanket over her. The laser started up and ran through a very intricate animation of a falcon flying through the sky and coming in to land on the deck of an aircraft carrier. Cam watched in fascination as the falcon then spread its wings out wide and took off to fly over the ship which sailed away and the words 'Navy at Air Force' grew larger on the mesh. The falcon came back and found the ship again and started dropping footballs onto the flight deck and Cam started laughing. "This is great, Sam." She grinned at him as they continued to watch the show.
"Do you know why I got my laser safety officer's license?" Sam asked a little later and he turned to look at her and shook his head. "It's so I could run LIDAR tests on the Moon." She grinned at his look of confusion. "I'm gonna bounce a laser off a moon buggy!" she cried pointing up at the Moon hanging in the early evening sky directly to the south, while the words 'SOAR FALCONS' flashed on and off in green over the black mesh.
Selenis, Luna, August 2010
Sam noticed Vala couldn't really tear herself away from the sight of Cam and Teal'c down in the hangar deck, tossing a football to each other across the gap between the completed Alteran ship and the incomplete one across from it. The former smuggler was half-turned away, but still looking through the transparent matrix. She would take a step which would lead her away to find Daniel before pausing and turning around again to watch the Jaffa send a spiralling pass through the airless distance. Sam almost didn't hear the small beep from the Command balcony and she was certainly thankful that Selenis wasn't as transfixed as they were.
"~Dr. Carter, you will want to see this.~" A small display appeared in the matrix in front of Sam and she scanned it quickly. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she quickly pressed the comm stud in her ear.
"Cam! Get your ass up here, right now! There's a match, it's time!" She pressed her hand against the wall in front of her and watched as Cam balked in his throwing motion and looked up towards the 'gate room blister. She saw his hand going up to his ear.
"Sam? What are you talking about? Time for what?" he asked then looked in Teal'c's direction.
"The 'Thank You Note'." she declared and watched him immediately race along the tunnel of air from his forcefield to the transporter at the base of the façade under the 'gateroom. Teal'c was also running and both were using the loping bounds especially useful in the lower gravity of the hangar deck.
"Are you sure, Sam?" Cam asked breathlessly while he bounded down below. "'Cause you said it could be years." She spun on her heels and raced up the steps with the display following her up along the matrix, she signalled for Selenis to move it to one of the consoles and the AI obliged. Vala came running up behind her unsure of what was going on. Sam got the telemetry to display everything and she laughed nervously.
"I said weeks or months or years, honey. And this is almost ridiculously good." She scanned the data again and Vala wiggled her fingers through the hologram of the star.
"What's ridiculously good, Samantha?" she asked and Sam paused, looking down for a moment before turning to her with a sad smile on her face.
"You remember when Cam pulled me out of that airlock on the derelict several years ago?" she asked and Vala nodded. "It's time to send a thank you note." Vala still looked slightly confused. Sam pressed her comm stud. "Cam according to these readings we have less than four minutes to do this."
"Captain Wells, I need Package 21 Omega brought to the 'gate room immediately." Cam called over the base-wide comm while on the run. "Dr. Lazlo, bring Package 21 Alpha, please." A few minutes later Sam was helping Dr. Lazlo set up the mobile A-frame to the side of the Stargate as Captain Wells and a pair of Marines entered with a large black metal case which they laid down next to the working scientists. Daniel had arrived a minute or so before with an incredulous look, asking if it was really time for Package 21 Omega, he stood by Vala up in Command and explained to her what was going on. Cam and Teal'c came running in from treblin side and Cam took the long way around them all and up to the Command balcony. Staying well away from the case. When Sam was happy that the device attached to the A-frame was properly calibrated she came up to Command to stand by Cam as he was showing a plainly nonplussed Daniel the football in his hands and she looked over her equations once more. Cam turned to her with a worried frown. "Are you sure, Sam?" She glanced up at him and nodded.
"I checked my calculations on the Asgard Core and again with Selenis' help. They're good. Both pulses will work." she declared.
"~I can find no fault with Dr. Carter's hypothesis, assumptions or calculations, Colonel Mitchell.~" intoned Selenis calmly. Cam looked up a moment and crossed his arms with a slight frown.
"T-man, is the package ready?" he asked the Jaffa who stood down in the 'gate room. Teal'c moved to the black case and checked various things on the display on its lid before looking up and nodding, he signalled Captain Wells who nodded also and gathered up his Marines with him and left the area. Dr. Lazlo came bustling up the stairs to stand at the railing not far from them. The countdown on Selenis' console was finally turning a distinct shade of red, then zeroed out at which point the Stargate dialled and formed a connection. "~Go for it, Selenis.~" Cam ordered and the A-frame manoeuvred itself into position and forcefields erected themselves around it and the 'gate. A dull thrum sounded and a visible distortion was emitted from the Asgard device attached to the A-frame and projected into the open wormhole. The forcefields came down and Cam nodded to the waiting Jaffa who lifted the metal case and strode over to where the A-frame had been only moments before it had moved off to the other side of the Stargate. "Give it a good heave, T-man, get it out of range." Teal'c pulled his arm back and rocked the case through the air and down, shoving it along the ground in front of the Stargate and into the event horizon. They turned to the console which was counting up now, and stopped, flashing a number in Alteran.
"3.4 seconds." Sam breathed with a huge grin. "It worked." She motioned for Selenis to proceed. The A-frame returned to its position in front of the 'gate and the forcefields winked back on once Teal'c was clear. Another visible distortion in the air emanated from the device and the wormhole disengaged moments later. Sam slipped her arms around Cam's waist and he nestled his lips against her neck.
PX7-455, January 2006 (alternate reality)
The wormhole disengaged after a loud whomp sounded from the event horizon and a faint vibration propagated through the air for a few meters past the Stargate. All was quiet for several minutes until the inner ring began spinning once more, the chevrons lighting up in turn until finally the kawoosh emerged from the event horizon, it's lower edge just missing the top of something which was resting along the stairs up to the 'gate platform. Another loud whomp with its concomitant visual distortion emanated from the Stargate several long moments ahead of the resigned faces of four black clad travellers. Daniel and Teal'c stepped out of the wormhole first, their frowns of disappointment and regret changing almost instantly to looks of surprise and confusion at the sight which greeted them on the steps up to the platform. Sam walked through next, turning to find her teammates staring down at something, she walked over and rubbed a hand across her raised brow, the ring on her finger catching a stray ray of morning light.
"What is that?" she asked only to get confused head shakes in return. Moments later Cam stepped through and frowned in consternation at his team standing by the steps as the wormhole disengaged behind him. Sam turned to look his way. "Cam, come look at this." He tilted his head and walked over, laying his hand on Sam's lower back and rubbing it gently. When he saw what they were looking at he turned to her and met her gaze. "I don't know, sweetie, it wasn't here when we left." She bit her lip and he was reminded of just why he loved her so much. Even her confusion was adorable. He stepped forward towards the large metal case and stepped back when it beeped and a green laser field passed up his torso and face.
"What the Hell was that?" he cried, stumbling backwards, he would have fallen on his backside if it weren't for Teal'c stepping forward to put a hand on his shoulder. The box beeped again insistently and he stepped forward once more to see a single line display on its lid flashing a message above a small numeric keypad which used Arabic numerals. The message it was flashing was telling. 'CAM MITCHELL' pulsed on and off over and over until he knelt by the box.
"Cam..." Sam came to stand next to him and squatted beside him, he looked at her with a slight frown, but just shrugged. She closed her eyes and nodded. They turned to the display because it was now flashing another message. 'YOUR BDAY?' They both blinked and Cam typed in 05181970. The case beeped and another message appeared. 'SAMS BDAY?' He glanced at her and typed in 12291968. There were several clunks and clicks and a final whirr as the display zeroed out and went blank. The latches on the lid released and it popped open slightly. Cam closed his eyes and felt Sam's hand reach for his and squeeze his wedding ring until he looked over to her. He nodded and lifted the lid with his other hand. What he saw made him laugh hysterically and stand up, turn around and cover his face with his hands. Sam stood up with him and turned him around to face her and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. Daniel and Teal'c came around them and looked into the open case, seeing three ZPMs resting length-wise in form fitting grey sponge. The one in the middle, which was turned upside down in relation to the other two, had a small yellow post-it note stuck to its base. Written on it was, 'I cut the green one. THANK YOU!' with the last two words on their own line and heavily underlined multiple times. Cam came up for air from his kiss with Sam and looked down into the case once more as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, relief pouring from her in tangible waves. He grinned and held her tight.
"That right there is totally worth losing my pants for."
Urdijina, M3R-921, September 2010
Sam stared at Cam in disbelief. She blinked as memories of that day two years previously washed over her mind and she staggered slightly. She felt Cam's arms around her and she clutched at the robes over his chest, pressing her face into the crook of his neck as he tightened his embrace . The day they had recovered the Serraepta Momenta Eteri from the bowels of the Ancient control pedestal under Herian's pyramid. The day when Cam spent relativistic months trapped inside a time dilation barrier as the prisoner of the Goa'uld, who lived to hunt for sport. A day she'd nearly lost him. They lived such dangerous lives, she realised now that she couldn't stand to be apart from him under such circumstances. Whatever he faced he had to do it with her at his side, she would not accept anything else. She laughed softly against his neck as he stroked her back in lazy circles. Ilemus was right. They were partners in every way now.
"Honey, are you alright?" he asked gently. She nodded without looking up, she just closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of him, mixed in with the scent of the hot springs. She didn't realise until that moment she'd already made that decision months ago, that they would share not only their lives with each other, but their dangers and their fates. She was ready for it. Completely ready for it.
"Cam, you need to meet my brother," she paused for a moment in recollection, "again." He chuckled and she giggled into his neck. "I haven't actually told him I'm engaged yet. I don't know why. Our relationship has improved a lot since we were kids, since he and my father began speaking again over eleven years ago, but we're still distant. My job doesn't help." She smiled ruefully.
"You want him to give you away?" he asked gently into her damp locks and she nodded. "Then we'll go visit him when we get back, I'll ask his permission if you want me to." She could tell by his tone he was smiling and she giggled, shaking her head.
"You don't need to do that, I'm marrying you no matter what, he'll just have to listen to his big sister for once." She giggled then laughed when Cam's own laughter began. She pulled away from his chest gently to look into his eyes. "I love you, Cameron. Your fate and mine are the same now, understand?" She smiled when he flushed in his usual way at her declaration of love, and beamed when he nodded his acknowledgement at the rest of it.
"I love you, Sam. Believe me, I understand." He kissed her deeply, running a hand through her hair and pressing her to him. She melted into his arms, slipping hers over his shoulder and wrapping them around his neck, she let him in and tasted him, the flavours of the waters of the cavern, and his flavour, heady and strong. She lost herself in the kiss, breathlessly pulling away only when she began getting too light-headed to stand. She looked into his eyes, searching for the look she remembered from her memories of the alternate timeline, that look Cameron had always given her when she asked him if he was sure they would be together even after the paradox. Her lips broke into a broad smile and her eyes welled up with tears as soon as she saw his eyes flash in understanding, when she saw the look of certainty in his blue gaze that gave her the strength to face anything, to face death knowing he'd be there with her on the other side. He raised his hands to her cheeks and rubbed her tears away, a small smile playing across his lips, she clutched at his hands and kissed his fingers. "Time means nothing to me now. Space can't keep us apart anymore. Infinity and Eternity belong to us, Sam." At his words her knees nearly buckled, she fell into him and he was forced to pull his hands away and wrap her in his arms again, holding her tightly.
In silent agreement they began making their way back towards the village. She picked up Selenis' part of the Clava Thessara Infinitas from where she'd dropped it after Ilemus ascended right in front of her and slipped it back inside the strip of light she could generate with the metal band. Holding his hand she walked alongside him over the glowing path through the milky water. She stopped when she noticed he was still holding his metallic band in his hand. He halted and looked back at her and she reached over and took the band from him, unclasping it and holding it up. He smiled and let her slip it over his left wrist.
"Partners in every way." he breathed and she smiled broadly, closing it and holding onto his hand as he felt the same jolt as she had. "All I can say is it better not be messing with me when it tells me it can display the time, I like my watch." She laughed as he began leading her away through the cavern once more towards the flickering torchlight they saw as they rounded the final corner into the main cavern. They climbed out of the lake and kissed gently before separating to complete their parts of the rituals as laid down by the Aleri.
After dressing she picked up her bracelet and slipped it next to the metal clasp, surprised to see it pulse softly as it touched the silver of the bracelet, and smiled when she was informed it was because it sensed Cameron's presence on it. She let her fingers run over the bracelet and finished dressing. As she walked out to the entrance she saw Cam holding his watch up to the clasp and grinning like a madman. She raised an eyebrow then walked over and let him show her the blue numerals pulsing against the black backdrop of the clasp, keeping time with that displayed on his watch. She shook her head and smiled, taking his hand in hers and leading him out of the cavern. When they stepped out under the early evening sky lit by the torches by which the Aleri kept their vigil, they were surprised when one of them instantly hitched up his robes and ran off towards the village as fast as his legs could carry him. Cam watched the young man running then turned to Jinaya and Urisca's daughter. "Aleri, what is happening?" The three remaining Aleri bowed deeply, far more deeply than before.
"You have returned with the Sigil." the young woman replied in amazement as she straightened up, accepting Cam and Sam's shallow bow as form dictated. "Both of you have returned with Sigils." Sam looked at her left wrist, lifting it up. The young woman's eyes glittered as she looked on it, Sam motioned her over and allowed her to hold her wrist to examine it. "I believed, we trained for our duties as required by tradition, but to see it happen, to see the Sigil with my own eyes." She looked up into Sam's eyes and they were welling up. "You spoke with Aleminu?"
"With Ilemus? Yes. He has ascended now, turned into a being composed of energy." Sam replied and the young woman nodded, raising a hand to her lips. She straightened and closed her eyes, gathered up her composure once more before turning to her cohorts. "Aleri, we perform our duties." They all bowed to Sam and Cam once more and proceeded into the Caverns. Cam stood next to her and touched her elbow, pulling her along to walk with him back to the village. She slipped her hand into his as they followed the torchlit path in silence. They needed no words, just the contact of each other's fingers. When they got to the outskirts of the village they weren't surprised to find Urisca and the rest of the Council waiting. There was no commotion, no gathering of the entire populace, that wasn't the Urdijine way. Just the Council. They halted in front of them and returned a shallow bow to the deep bow given to them by the Council members.
"You have returned with the Sigil, so we now perform our final task as Caretakers." He stepped aside and Jinaiya walked forward with a broad smile and proud eyes, holding a small box in her hands, made of a smooth material of indeterminate origin. She motioned Sam forward and asked her to raise the Sigil, then touched the box to it, small filaments moved from the clasp on her wrist and every Council member watched in open fascination as the top of the box slid open to reveal six slivers of opalescent crystal lying on a cushioned surface. The filaments reached out and lifted the slivers, laying them on the surface of the clasp, moving them over the metal as if it were a liquid, until each sliver lay across the circumference of the band and slowly sunk into it. The box crumbled to dust in Jinaiya's hands and Sam was surprised to find tears in the woman's eyes as Urisca came and stood by her with a concerned look. She took a leaf out of Cam's book and laid her hand on the woman's shoulder, only mildly surprised when she found the woman embracing her.
"I knew it would be you, Dr. Carter. I knew somehow it would be you." Jinaiya pulled away and rejoined her husband by the Council members who were all gazing on her fondly. They bowed deeply once more. Cam touched her elbow and Sam bowed along with him.
"Our duties as Caretakers of the Archive of Aleminu are complete. We will forever be Guardians of the Caverns." Urisca beamed, seemingly very pleased. Sam realised at last why that was so, it dawned on her that all of the Councillors had at one time been Aleri. Still, what was in Ilemus' Archive? She glanced at the band around her wrist, surprised to find it was now displaying the time just like Cam's was. "Come, Dr. Carter, Colonel Mitchell. We complete our accord, then we feast." Sam laughed as she saw Cam grin unashamedly.
"Will there be dancing?" he asked eagerly with a sly look at Jinaiya and a sidelong glance at Sam. The People's Herta laughed.
"Of course, Colonel Mitchell." Jinaiya declared. "There will be dancing throughout the night!" Sam grinned as Cam rubbed his hands together and reached for hers eagerly. He didn't even have to say the words, the look in his eye was enough for her to know what they were.
On to Chapter 2