FIC: The Stand In (2/3) by Old Ghost
Teri's Note: This story is archived with the permission of the author.
The Stand-In
by Old Ghost
Summary: The SGC needs Jack O'Neill to help free a captured SG team, but he's on leave. Luckily, General Hammond knows a guy who might be able to stand in for the colonel. (Complete - 3 parts)
Part 1
Some time later, they were all back in the briefing room. MacGyver ran a
hand through his now regulation hair and looked down at the military
uniform he was wearing. "Well, at least I'm starting to look the part."
Sam looked up, stunned silent for a moment. Similar looks crossed the
faces of everyone else in the room, except the general.
"Damn, son," he said, "if I didn't know it was you, I'd almost swear that
you really are Jack."
"So you think I have a chance of pulling this off?"
"With the briefing that Col. O'Neill's team has put together, I think you
have a better chance than you did with that horse."
Mac smiled, then stood to attention and saluted. "Yes, sir."
General Hammond returned the salute, but couldn't help smiling. "As you
were ... Colonel. I have to continue coordinating our search for Jack.
Listen to these three. They know Jack better than almost anyone."
"Yes, sir," Mac replied.
Hammond nodded to the others and then left the room. Mac took the empty
seat across from the other three.
Sam started. "Jonas has been reviewing the colonel's file, trying to
narrow it down to things that might come up, based on what little we know
about the Banti'ans. It's still a thick file. We've been busy for the
last few years."
"I don't know how much use that will be. If they've heard about Col.
O'Neill, they're likely to have heard just a few stories. Can you narrow
this down to what he knows about the technology, the major players and
the major stories that were likely to be carried from place to place?"
"Okay ... Stargates, Naquadah, the Goa'uld, the Jaffa, the Tok'Ra, the
Asgard, and the times we saved Earth. That's a good start."
"Uh ... saved Earth?" Mac asked with genuine curiosity.
Sam lowers her head, suddenly embarrassed. "Yeah, a few times."
"Oh ... thanks."
"We'll also have to make sure you're checked out on the colonel's gear,"
Jonas continued.
Teal'c added, "This will not work unless he can also act like O'Neill."
"Act like him?" Mac asked.
Sam explained, "The colonel has a certain ... style ... when dealing with
people on other worlds."
MacGyver noticed the hesitation, a junior officer wanting to avoid
criticizing a senior officer. "Y'know," he said, "if this is gonna work,
you're gonna have to give me the whole, unvarnished truth, no matter
what. I've been undercover before, and it's the things you *don't* know
about the guy you're impersonating that can come back to bite you."
"Sorry," Sam said. "You're right." She turned to the Jaffa. "Teal'c,
you're the most ... direct of us. If you see me or Jonas sugar-coating
something, we need you to tell us."
"Very well, Major Carter."
Mac nodded, then rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How much time do we
have?"
Jonas checked his watch. "Sixteen hours."
Sam turned back to the troubleshooter ... the only hope for SG-8. "Are
you ready?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Okay, first thing ... Jack's the second highest ranking officer in the
SGC. He says 'sir' to one person, the General. If you call me ma'am, it
might confuse things."
"Right ... Carter. Sorry. It's been nearly thirty years since I was in
the military. So ... where do we start?"
* * * * *
<< It was a rough sixteen hours. O'Neill and I had absolutely *nothing*
in common besides our appearance. I learned everything I could about his
missions. I had to admire him for his initiative, disobeying orders to
do what was necessary to save the planet ... >>
"So you all went through and wound up on the Goa'uld mothership instead
of on the planet because the Stargate had been loaded on the ship?"
<< ... and the way he would do anything for his team ... >>
"So you went through to a Jaffa world, Chulak, to try to save Teal'c's
family?"
<< ... but I hate guns and this was a guy who lived every day with guns
... >>
"Y'know what? Fine. I'll carry it. Just don't expect me to shoot at
anyone."
<< ... and his 'we're always right' mentality was gonna be difficult for
me to emulate ... >>
"This is never gonna work. How can I act like we're always right when
half of what he does are things I don't believe in?"
<< ... And then our time ran out. >>
* * * * *
MacGyver, Carter, Teal'c and Jonas entered the Gate Room fully geared up.
The Gate was already spinning and the security forces in place, ready to
charge through or return fire if necessary. "Chevron 6 encoded," came
the technician's voice.
"Remember, Mac" General Hammond said, "your only objective is to get SG-8
and yourselves back home. Don't go looking for trouble."
"I never go *looking* for trouble, General ... it just seems to keep
finding me."
"All the same, Major Carter knows what we're willing to give up in
exchange for their safe release so just follow her lead. Just make it
look like an order and you'll be fine. SG-1, bring them home safe.
We'll give you twenty-four hours. After that, we'll send through an
assault team and try to effect a rescue that way."
"Chevron 7 locked."
MacGyver involuntarily took a step back as the wormhole whooshed out of
the gate and then fell back to form the event horizon.
"No telemetry from the MALP," the technician reported. "The Banti'ans
must have disabled it."
General Hammond said, "SG-1, we don't know what you'll be walking into.
Be careful."
"Yes, sir," Sam replied.
"So, that's it," MacGyver whispered.
"That's it," Sam said. "Just remember that the speed at which you enter
it is the speed at which you'll leave it. And when we get to the other
side, you have to pretend that you've done it a hundred times before. We
should have taken you on a test trip to get you used to it, but there
wasn't enough time."
Mac settled himself into character. "I'll be fine, Major. After you."
Teal'c and Jonas walked through the Gate side by side. With a last look
back, Sam followed. MacGyver approached the event horizon and muttered,
"I *definitely* shouldn't have opened the door." Then he stepped through
the Gate.
* * * * *
He couldn't help himself. When he came out the other side, MacGyver let
out a startled "Whoa." Then he froze. SG-1 was on the ground and
several Banti'ans stood over them. Two of them held Zats and the third
was binding their arms behind their backs. The wormhole shut down and it
took all of Mac's nerve not to jump. The Banti'ans approached and
removed the weapons he was carrying.
One of the Banti'ans approached. "Godslayer O'Neill, I am Ipua Trato.
Our god's scanning device shows that you are not disguised or trying to
trick us, but we must be sure. We will ask you one question to verify
your identity. One only. If you do not answer correctly, you will all
die."
A dozen snide comments raced through Mac's mind as things O'Neill would
say, but he couldn't be sure if they would help or hurt so he just
snapped, "Well? Let's have it."
"When the Asgard made a peace between the Tau'ri and the gods, you
represented the Tau'ri. Three gods attended the meeting. What were
their names?"
Mac's mind raced like an engine with its load removed. He remembered two
of them but the third's name was eluding him. << Stall, MacGyver. >>
"No gods attended that meeting, but three Goa'ulds did."
"You are the Godslayer. How can you not believe in the gods?" challenged
a bystander.
"Silence!" Ipua ordered the Banti'an. "Answer the question!" he said,
turning back to MacGyver.
"Okay, fine," Mac said. "You wanna call them gods? Who am I to argue?
The three who attended that meeting were Kronos, who by the way is dead
now ... Yu, who's still alive, as far as I know ... and ...."
"Do you not remember? Perhaps you are not the Godslayer after all."
Suddenly, Mac got it. "I remember. I was just ... savoring the memory
because she was so attractive. Her name was Nirrti. And just for the
record, the Asgard's name was Thor."
Ipua Trato turned to the Banti'ans. "He *is* O'Neill, called Godslayer!"
The Banti'ans murmured among themselves. Turning back to MacGyver. he
said, "You will come with us."
"What about my team?"
"They will be brought."
"Where are the others?"
"We're here, Colonel," came a voice off to one side. "We're okay."
"Okay, Trato. I'm here. Send the rest of my people home. *Then* I'll
go with you."
Ipua paused, then pointed at Major Lambert. "You. Activate the
Chappa'ai. You four may leave."
"What about the three who came with me?" MacGyver asked.
"They will stay until the trials are complete."
"Trials? *What* trials?"
"Enough talk."
"Colonel?" Lambert said questioningly.
<< Okay, MacGyver, play for time. They believe you're O'Neill. You can
do this. >> MacGyver thought quickly. "Get your men home, Major.
That's an order." He walked down the steps and stood by the DHD. When
the Major approached to dial, Mac whispered, "Tell the General what
happened. I'll do what I can to stall."
"Come here, Godslayer," Trato said.
Mac favored him with a sour look, then looked at his three companions and
joined Trato. He watched as SG-8 dialed home, noting the origin symbol.
SG-8 sent their code and then walked through ... unwilling to go but
following his orders. Just like he was the real Col. O'Neill.
MacGyver watched the wormhole shut down. He wondered if he'd ever see
Earth or his son again.
* * * * *
After perhaps half an hour of walking, they came to a crossroads of
sorts. A ten-foot monolith inscribed with Goa'uld writing stood in a
cleared area to one side. The Banti'ans forced Sam, Jonas and Teal'c to
their knees before they themselves kowtowed to it. As he got closer,
MacGyver saw the symbol atop the monolith. After a moment, he recognized
it.
"Kronos."
"Our god," Trato said. "One of those you and your servants slew. We
will wait here."
The other Banti'ans pulled SG-1 to their feet and continued herding them
down one of the paths.
"Where are they taking my people?"
"To the first of the trials."
"I thought I was the one being tested."
"You are, Godslayer, but we must be sure you do not fail on purpose."
"It's okay, M ... Colonel," Carter called back. Then she and the others
disappeared around a large outcropping of rock.
MacGyver shook his head. "Great," he muttered. He began looking around.
He spotted a rock, about the size of his fist, on the ground and bent to
pick it up.
Instantly, Trato had a Zat trained on him. "What are you doing?"
"I like rocks," MacGyver said. "It's ... sort of a hobby. Mind if I
keep this one?"
"Surely the Godslayer does not bother himself with rocks."
"How do you know? I mean, aside from killing Goa'ulds, what do you know
about me? Why am I here?"
"You killed our god ... left us defenseless against the heavens."
"And now you want to punish me?"
Trato shook his head, a sad smile on his lips. "You do not understand."
"You're right ... I don't understand."
"It is time to go. The first trial awaits."
"Mind if I keep the rock? I'll just put it in my pack."
Trato shook his head in disgust. "If the Godslayer wants to carry rocks
to no purpose, he can."
MacGyver smiled, opening the pack and dropping the rock into it.
"Thanks. Oh, and if you see any more rocks like the one that monolith is
made of, let me know. I'd like one of those, too."
Trato snorted and pointed out the same path the others had taken.
* * * * *
As they walked, MacGyver scouted the terrain. They were in the foothills
of some kind of mountain range, the nearest mountain smoking ominously.
The reports were right ... the terrain was unusual. And the Stargate was
perilously close to an active volcano. Twice, he bent to pick up more
rocks, despite Trato glaring at him.
They were on the outskirts of a large village surrounded by a low stone
wall before Trato spoke again. "The first trial is one of strength. The
Godslayer must be powerful indeed to kill gods. Prepare yourself for the
trial."
Entering the village, MacGyver marveled at the combination of styles:
Greek predominating but with a definite influence from the Pacific
Islands, and all of it overlaid with a technology which had to be
Goa'uld, given the alloys obviously in use. Most of the structures were
of thatched wood, the few stone structures being reserved for those
activities that seemed to require them, such as a smithy and what had to
be the dead Jaffa ruler's "palace." Some pigs in a pen squealed at him
as he passed. Then they rounded a corner and saw the village market
area. Upon seeing Trato and Mac, five Banti'ans lowered a massive log
into a slot between two low long stones.
"There, Godslayer. Your Jaffa lies between the stones. Lift the log to
save his life and prove that you do indeed have the strength to battle
gods and win."
"This is crazy! Let him go!"
"We will not. Save him ... or watch him die."
Mac looked at Trato for one moment more, then raced to the log. Teal'c
was, indeed, under the log, straining with all his might to keep it from
crushing him utterly ... and fading fast. "You will be ... unable ... to
lift it ...." he said before the strain robbed him of his ability to
speak.
Mac looked around the village, frantic. His eyes alit on a coil of rope.
An idea forming, he scanned the area for one more thing. He saw it in a
merchant's stall, holding several heavy pots. He ran and tipped it over,
knocking the pots from it. He checked it and confirmed that the frame
was made of one of the alien alloys. Dragging it with him, he set it up
over the low stones that pinned Teal'c to prevent him from rolling out of
the way of the log. "Hang in there," he said. "I have an idea." Racing
to the rope, he grabbed it and raced back. He worked it under the heavy
log near the Jaffa's head. Once that was done, he threw it over the
metal frame and knotted it tight. A loop now extended under the log and
over the frame. "Almost there," he said to Teal'c.
"Hurry," Teal'c whispered, the log almost crushing his chest.
MacGyver looked for the last piece he needed and saw it at another stall.
He ran and tipped over a handcart, spilling its goods. He kicked off
the wheels and took the axle off the bottom of the cart.
"What are you doing?" Trato asked.
"Saving Teal'c," Mac replied. He then added in a whisper, "I hope."
Straddling the two stones over the log, Mac saw that Teal'c had almost
given in. "Teal'c! I don't know how long I'll be able to hold it, so
when the pressure eases, you'll have to crawl out quickly! Understand?!"
Teal'c, his eyes bulging with the pressure, nodded.
MacGyver inserted the axle, a thick pole of the same alien alloy, into
the circle of rope and began twisting the rope with it. It quickly grew
taut. Mac increased the pressure, careful to hold the pole in place
after each twist. Each twist tightened the rope and raised the log a
fraction of an inch. It was torturous ... slow ... but the log was
rising, centimeter by centimeter. The Banti'ans who were watching
whispered among themselves at the log being raised, but MacGyver barely
noticed.
"Teal'c," he said, sweat pouring off him, near exhaustion. "I don't know
how much more I can do. Can you get free?"
"Almost," Teal'c replied. "A few more twists should do it."
A look of pained disbelief mixed with exasperation flashed across Mac's
face, but he pushed still harder on the pole, managing another twist of
the rope. "One more, Teal'c," he gasped. "You've gotta get out of
there."
Mac pushed once more, putting his whole body behind it. He felt, rather
than saw, Teal'c scramble out from under the log. Mac positioned himself
to avoid being hit, then dove off the side of the rocks. Above him, the
cart axle spun around at high speed and the log quickly settled between
the stones. When the axle had fallen away from the rope and landed with
a clink-clunk on the stones, he raised his head. He saw Teal'c off to
one side. The Jaffa nodded to him and he managed to nod back. Then he
let himself collapse and lay on his back, breathing heavily.
Trato came and stood over him. "Unusual," he said, "but he has passed
the first trial. He indeed has the strength to battle the gods and win!"
A cheer went up from the Banti'ans.
He turned to MacGyver. "O'Neill Godslayer, you will be taken to a
holding area to rest until the next trial."
MacGyver just lay there for a moment, then said, "Don't forget to bring
my rocks."
* * * * *
MacGyver and Teal'c were escorted to what appeared to be a sort of
storage hut, about twenty feet in diameter. Carter and Jonas were
already inside, while two Banti'ans with Zats stood guard.
"I apologize for these quarters, Godslayer, but this is the only one that
can be properly locked and guarded."
One glance at the crates and jars told MacGyver all he needed to know.
"This'll do fine, but I'd like a fire."
Trato looked confused. "It is quite warm today."
Mac was about to let it drop, but Carter caught his eye meaningfully.
"Look, if you want me in shape for the next trial, I want a fire. It
doesn't have to be a big fire, but I need it." The Banti'an didn't move
immediately, so Mac added, "Now!"
Trato took a step back. "It ... it will be done, Godslayer." The
Banti'an practically fled from the hut.
Jonas nodded. "Well done, 'Colonel.' Just like Jack."
"What happened out there?" Carter asked. "From the cheering, I guess
you passed the first trial."
"Yeah," MacGyver said. "Luckily, for Teal'c," he added, looking at the
Jaffa.
Teal'c nodded. "The Banti'ans planned to crush me, unless the Godslayer
could lift the log that had taken five of them to place on top of me. I
thank you for my life."
"How'd you do that?" Jonas asked MacGyver.
"Makeshift winch. I ...." He stopped speaking as the Banti'ans entered
the hut with firewood and a burning torch. All four of them waited
silently until the fire was built and going. The Banti'ans left and the
four relaxed a bit.
"Why did you want a fire?" Teal'c asked.
"Charcoal," MacGyver replied. "I'll explain tonight. Listen, was there
anything about these 'trials' in the file about the Banti'ans? I was
more focused on learning my part and think I missed the bit where they
try to crush my companions to death."
"No, nothing," Jonas replied.
"Yeah, figures," Mac grumbled. "And what's the deal with the clash of
styles? I thought it was one culture, one slave planet."
Carter and Jonas looked to Teal'c. He said, "according to Bra'tac,
Banti'a was for many centuries a strategic planet. The Goa'uld who first
planted the ancestors of these people was called Pele. She was defeated
and this world was conquered successively by many System Lords, each
forcing the Banti'ans to worship them as their god. Eventually, Kronos
began to achieve dominance. After he captured this world, he went on to
capture many more. This world was no longer a strategic one and became
just another source of slaves, hosts and raw material."
"So who rules it now?"
"Given the recent upheavals among the System Lords, I doubt that any
Goa'uld would yet bother diverting resources to secure such an
unimportant world."
"Well, I have to rest up for my next trial." He moved to the back of the
hut and lay against a large box. "Wake me when you see Trato coming?"
"We will," Carter said. A minute later, she said, "Jonas, watch through
the door. Teal'c, you should rest, too."
"I am fine," he replied. "I will stay and watch over him," he added,
indicating MacGyver, who was already asleep.
Carter moved to join Jonas by the door. She looked back across the hut,
where MacGyver was mostly hidden by several jars. Teal'c sat near him,
as he had on the plane, but she could tell he was no longer guarding
against the troubleshooter. He was, in fact, watching over him as he had
said. "Amazing," she whispered.
"What?" Jonas asked.
"I've seen Teal'c react like this to only one other person ... ever."
"Who?"
"Col. O'Neill, back when we first met Teal'c on Chulak."
"They are a lot alike."
Sam looked over, incredulous. "You mean aside from the obvious? You're
kidding, right?"
"I'm not talking about their appearance. I mean, I know they're worlds
apart on a lot of things: guns, for example. But they both have a kind
of inner strength ... the kind that comes from knowing who you are and
what you believe in. That kind of self-confidence is rare. I think
we're lucky that he's here."
"You mean the trial?"
"Yeah," Jonas said. "I don't know if Col. O'Neill would have been able
to save Teal'c."
Sam stared over at the other side of the hut. She hadn't thought of
that. She was silent for a long time afterward.
* * * * *
A couple hours later, Jonas said, "He's coming."
Sam stood and moved to the other side of the hut. Grasping MacGyver's
foot, she shook it until he waked. "Trato's coming," she said.
"How long was I out?"
"Maybe two hours."
"That'll have to be enough," he said, rising.
Jonas moved back from the door as Trato entered, flanked by two Banti'ans
with Zats. "It is time for the second trial," he said, looking around
the hut. "You," he said, pointing at Carter. "You will go with Ameh
Socres to the place of the second trial." One of the armed Banti'ans
stepped forward and waved at her with his Zat.
"The hell I will," Carter said.
"Leave her out of this," MacGyver said. "I'll play your sick little
games, but leave these people alone."
"Enough, Godslayer. We will conduct these trials in *our* way, not
*yours*. If we must use these weapons on you, it will make things more
difficult. Cooperate."
MacGyver would've said more, but Carter forestalled him. "Fine. I'll go
with you." She turned to Mac and said, "You can do this."
Mac nodded. "Everything'll be fine. Piece o' cake."
Sam walked out of the hut proudly, determined not to let the Banti'ans
think she was defeated.
MacGyver followed, hoping for an opening to grab a weapon. His hatred of
guns could be put on hold long enough to use a Zat to just stun the
Banti'ans, he was sure. Unfortunately, they gave him no such opening.
He watched as Ameh Socres escorted Carter out of the village and the
storage hut was relocked and barred. A few minutes later, Trato and the
other armed Banti'an escorted him out of the village as well. Looking
back, he saw two more armed villagers guarding the hut.
"Are you going to look for more rocks," Trato asked him some time later.
"As a matter of fact, yeah. Why?"
"Your ways are strange to me, Godslayer. Why do you collect rocks?"
"Rocks tell you a lot about a place," he said, stooping to pick one up as
they reached the crossroads. "See this one? It's granite. It's unusual
to find one this close to a volcano, so it's probably left over from when
the monolith was brought here and carved." He dropped it and picked up
another one. "This one is yellow because of the sulfur deposits it
contains. This one I *do* expect to find near volcanoes. I picked up
some granite earlier so I'm going to keep this one instead."
"You are very strange, Godslayer; not at all what I expected." He
pointed to the path that led further away from the volcano. "We go that
way."
A few minutes later, they arrived at the mouth of a cave.
"We wait here until all is prepared," Trato said.
"All what? Is this another test of strength?"
"No. We know you are strong. Now we need to know if you have power like
that of the gods."
"Power?"
Ameh Socres emerged from the cave mouth. "It is done."
"Now we enter the cave, Godslayer."
Trato led, followed by MacGyver and the two guards.
After fifty feet the cave tunnel opened onto a large chamber with a pool
in the middle. Floating face down in it was Carter. "Bring her back
from the dead, Godslayer. Show us that you possess the power of the
gods."
MacGyver shot a vicious look at Trato and then jumped into the pool. It
was only a few feet deep. He pulled Carter out of the pool onto the cave
floor and checked her vitals. She wasn't breathing and her heart had
stopped.
"How long?" he asked as he put her on her back and cleared her throat.
"Why does it matter, Godslayer?"
"Damn you! How long?!"
Trato nodded to Ameh Socres. "Moments before I came out of the Cave of
Water, Godslayer," the Banti'an said.
Only a few minutes, Mac thought to himself. He nodded and began CPR.
The three Banti'ans stepped back as MacGyver pounded on Carter's chest
once, then alternated sets of chest compressions with mouth-to-mouth
breathing. "Come on, Carter," he said during one of the chest
compression sets. "Come back."
One of the Banti'ans muttered. "He speaks to the dead and gives the
woman kisses."
After a few moments, Carter coughed up water and sat up. MacGyver turned
her on her side so she could purge the rest of the water from her system.
He took her pulse and nodded at its steady rhythm.
The two guard Banti'ans fell to their knees. "He has the power of the
gods," Socres said. "He gave the kiss of life to the drowned woman and
she rose from the dead!"
"Rose from the dead?" Sam asked hoarsely.
"CPR," Mac replied softly. "You're gonna be okay."
"Socres tripped me and held my head under the water. I couldn't
breathe."
"You're okay," Mac repeated. He looked to Trato. "The water was
freezing. I want to get her back to the fire as quickly as we can."
Trato nodded. "You have passed the second test, Godslayer. We will do
what you ask." He nodded to the two Banti'ans. One of them gave Trato
his weapon, then they gathered up Carter and helped her out of the cave.
MacGyver sat there for a moment. "Ipua Trato, why are you risking the
lives of my friends? Why not just test *me*?"
"Because there is more to these trials than just your abilities, O'Neill.
In the first two, we saw your dedication to your Jaffa and your woman."
"My 'woman'? Carter's not ...." Mac paused when he saw Trato's eyes
narrow. "Never mind what she is. I want this to be over."
"Tomorrow, we will test you with your servant. When that trial is done,
we will know what kind of man the Godslayer really is."
"Tomorrow," MacGyver said, rising to his feet. "What happens tonight?"
"You have passed two of the three trials. Tonight, you will be fed and
given wine. The village will hold a feast in preparation for tomorrow."
MacGyver figured this wasn't the time to tell the guy he didn't drink so
he just muttered to himself, "I *definitely* shouldn't have opened the
door."
* * * * *
Part 3