fic (Alice in Fragments) SG-1/Supernatural #7 #64 Fall
Title: Alice in Fragments
Fandoms: Stargate SG-1/Supernatural
Author: karrenia_rune
Rating: PG-13
Characters: all from SG, with cameos of others
and Sam and Dean Winchester, mentions of John from Supernatural
Words: 2890
Prompt: #64 fall
46/100
Links to the previous parts:
Links to the previous parts:
Part 1. The Night Watch < <"nightwatch">
Part 2: Those Who Hunt by Night < <"hunt">
Part 3: The One that Got Away <"gotaway">
Part 4: The Woman with One Red Shoe <"womanred">
Part 5: Revenant <"rev">
Part 6: If a Tree Falls <"treefalls">
Part 7: Alice in Fragments
Part 8: What the Living Do <"livingdo">
Part 9: Burning Daylight <"daylight">
Part 10: Wild Boys
Link to Big Darn Table (the screen drops down a bit, so scroll down)
Link to Big Darn Table (the screen drops down a bit, so scroll down)
<"thetable">
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters belong to MGM Productions, Renaissance Pictures and Gekko Film Corp etc; they are not mine. Supernatural is the creation of Erick Kripke and the CW Television network. Note: The story picks up shortly after where the previous one: "If a Tree Falls (Does Anyone Hear It) left off.
"Alice in Fragments" by Karen
Dean had always hated flying and in his case, and after the experience they had been endured aboard a commercial aircraft that had nearly cost both of them of their lives along with hundreds of others; Dean hated flying even more.
The fact that this aircraft happened to be a Blackhawk souped military chopper only compounded matters even further.
As queasy as he felt he still refused to let it show, not that anyone packed as tight into the aircraft, and it was definitely a tight fit much akin to of proverbial can of sardines, were paying any attention to him. He still was not entirely certain that his father's decision to break up with Janet had been the correct one but he trusted his father and
found that he could accept it.
The fact of the matter was he had never really considered that his father could have had anything resembling a normal well, love life, especially after the death of his wife, what with the 'family' business' and all.
Things that went bump in the night usually had a disturbing tendency to target your loved ones.
'Just take Sam, for example and his girlfriend, Jess. But that was over and done with. It was time to move on.
Of the two brothers; Dean had always been the more practical and forward-looking. I had to be. As the older brother it was my job, my responsibility and even so I might have done it anyway because Sam needed me," he thought and then had to suddenly bend over at the waist and place his head between his knees to keep himself from having deja vu
with his breakfast. It helped, just a little bit.
When the bout of nausea paused and he could sit straight in his bucket seat Dean glared around at the other passengers and growled. "Can't this fricking hunk of junk go any faster!"
Janet glanced over at him and said. "If it went any faster, you really would have something to complain about."
Dean shrugged and replied. "So, are we there yet?"
"Ignore him," Sam added. "He doesn't like flying."
"That's hardly any excuse to curse like a sailor," Sam Carter added from a ways down the aisle.
"Okay, okay, you've made your point," Dean replied subsiding back into his seat. "I'll shut up now."
***
"Hammond is no longer our CO, Janet," Daniel remarked to Janet once the Black Hawk had touched down on the ground in front of long and winding dirt road that led into entrance into what appeared to be an underground complex. "I understand, did he retire?"
"No, but while a lot of things have changed around here...."added Daniel and then shrugged helplessly, "a lot of things have remained the same."
"Sounds about right either way. It's going to be nice to get back to work after everything that's happened," Janet replied.
"We have a new Chief Medical Officer," Jack remarked over his shoulder from his seat in the front of the jeep.
"Oh, I guess it would make sense to fill the position, since I was 'ah' deceased," replied Janet.
Daniel, unable to restrain himself and rather ambivalent if he even should, burst out with a loud guffaw and said: "Hey, you can only die once, me, what's my track record now. At least five, six times?
"For cryin' out loud, Daniel!" exclaimed Jack,” It’s not a damn competition, and you really need to stop making a habit out of it. IXNAY on the DOA, huh, what don't you? We got company, remember."
"Inquiry," Teal'C added. "Why did we bring them?"
"Because I said so," Jack replied and glared, "and that's all I say on the matter until we meet with General Landry."
****
Once the initial introductions were out of the was and everyone had taken a seat at the long rectangular conference table there was the unavoidable moment of awkward silence before General Landry deliberately cleared his throat and said simply: “Welcome back, Dr. Fraiser. It would appear that the rumors of your death were greatly exaggerated. I will have to think on just how to go about reinstating your position here, but until such time I think it would be best for you to get to you Dr. Lam and then get back to work. The paperwork alone will be a nightmare, but that’s my lookout.”
“Thank, General Landry,” replied Janet.
“Sir,” Jack O’Neill said. “This is gonna sound strange, well strange enough for us, but Janet was dead, we all saw it, saw what happened to her on PCX 15, and how she managed to wind up somewhere in the East Coast, very much alive, I don’t care to know. I’m just glad that she is alive and well.”
“May I ask why you brought these two young men here? I trust they’ve been given the proper security checks and clearance,” Landry asked turning to Dean and Sam Winchester. “Were you the ones who found her? If so, you have our thanks.”
‘No, actually, it was our father who did,” replied Sam, “but,” he shrugged. “Truth to tell, I’m not really certain myself how it happened. Dad’s always been a bit, well, aloof when it comes to things like that.”
“I had a little chat with your dad, Sam, Dean, and in the course of that, I managed to get a few pertinent details of your ah, ‘family business.”. Jack shrugged. “It’s not exactly your average mom-and pop grocery store, is it?”
“No,” Dean blurted and thrust himself forward in his chair. “Will you tell us why we’re here!
“Because, I’m still not entirely certain that your dealings are not in some way impinging on our effort to keep this ah, country safe from those both foreign and domestic, and well, honestly I’d rather deal with you to than your father.” Jack sighed and reached up to brush a hand through his cropped hair. “Honestly, why do you do what you do, anyways?”
“Wait, just a minute, Jack, before you go flying of the deep end. If your accusing them of committing a crime they are still American citizens and still innocent before being proved guilty.” Landry sighed. “What did they do?” and why you could not have let local authorities deal with the problem?”
“Because local authorities don’t have a paranormal unit to handle this,” Carter added.
“Paranormal,” Sam muttered under his breath with a shaky little laugh. “Come on, you gotta being kidding me right?” he added darting a sideways significant glance at Dean thinking back to a previous encounter with FBI agents in Las Vegas, Nevada and wondering if they had not gotten off from that encounter as easily and cleanly as they had previously believed.
Sam Winchester found himself worrying over the possibility that those very same G-Men had turned over both their dossier, file and descriptions over to this particular branch of the United States Air Force.
If that was the case, they just be in serious trouble here.
Dean noted the glance without giving away that he had and demanded. “
“Well, I’m waiting here!”
“I think it’s time they knew, Jack,” Daniel Jackson remarked.
“What I’m trying to say, and this is hard for me, is that you and your little ghost and ghoulie hunt might just be more dangerous than you. Have you ever heard about a man who dealt in preying on people’s fears and then bilking them out of every penny?”
“Sounds like a cultist,” Dean replied, So what, they’re everywhere these days.”
“Yes, but I’m referring to one in specific,” Jack said. “Tell me something, exactly what do you do?”
“We’re ghost hunters, it’s a relatively harmless pastime, it’s certainly no reason to bring us for questioning as a threat to national security,” Sam replied.
“It is when your ‘harmless’ pastime nearly cost one of our her life; again?” Jack insisted.
“That’s what this is about?” Landry exclaimed. “Jack, how many times have I told you not to put your personal feelings ahead of the mention! I’m glad she’s alive and all and that you brought her home, but this….” he trailed off in a spluttering exasperation.
“Relax, Sir.” Carter offered. “He’ not really as mad at you as he appears to be.”
“Great, Carter,” Jack sighed. “I know, but I’m willing to take it when does decided to get back at me for this. Still, it’s worth it, I guess.”
“At this point,” Daniel remarked, “What do we do with them?”
“Set them up in accommodations, allow them access to the mess hall and possibly the recreation area. Again, they are civilians and they haven’t done anything wrong. You did say you were ghost hunters?” said Landry with a sigh.
“Yes,” Sam replied.
“As I was saying, but limit their access to secured areas, and have Dr. Jackson or Teal’c act as escort. We have a great deal to catch you up on what’s been happening while you were off on vacation.” finished Landry.
“Understood, Sir,” Daniel Jackson replied.
“Colonel?” Landry pressed. “Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
“As crystal, Sir,” Jack replied.
****
The mess hall was crowded when Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal’C escorted them in. The people occupied in either eating, drinking, or making conversation with their table mates glanced up incuriously as they entered and took a seat at an empty table.
They had just sat down to eat a meal that consisted of macaroni and cheese and a glass of milk when the lights dimmed, flickered and completely went out, and then given an interval of approximately three to five minutes, came back on and repeated the same pattern.
“Forgot to pay the electricity bill,” Sam casually remarked.
“No, and the backup generators and fail-safes should have kicked in by now, even if we had,” replied Daniel
“Call Sam, see if she can get on this…
Daniel stood up and went over to the phone mounted on wall near the entrance and had just picked it up and was in the process of punching in the code when a buzzing and clicking forced him to hold the phone as far away from his hear as he possibly could because of the increased volume of the static coming through the receiver.
“What the hell?
Apparently, he was not the only person in the room experiencing similar difficulties, anyone who had even a laptop, or any other kind of device that ran on electricity or even on batteries had suddenly began to see sparks, and alternately repeating cycles of dimness followed by brightness. Curses and mutterings were heard as those working on their laptops cursed about losing whatever data they had not yet saved.
Sam and Dean glanced at each other, and in that telling look they could each tell what the other was thinking; this kind of was very much in keeping with a level one or two spectral manifestation.. In the back of his mind, Dean also was wondering just how to go about telling the members of SG-1 without getting them both into any further trouble than they already were in. But first things first, Sammy,” Dean said aloud. “Let’s take care of this little ah problem, for them, and maybe they’ll be in a more receptive mood, huh?”
“Agreed,” Sam replied unable, despite the circumstances and his own doubts about Dean’s plans in general and his own need to play things close to the vest, allowed himself a tight conspiratorial grin to slip out. Ghosts he understood, alien and high-technology he did not, but in this situation, they were the ones to turn to for a low-tech solution.
***
Sam and Dean got up from the table shoving their tray aside ignoring the curious looks from Daniel Jackson and Teal’c and the mildly neutral suspicious glares of the armored and armed marines assigned to them as their escort and shoved past them on their way out the door and into the passageway outside.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going” Daniel yelled after their retreating backs.
Over his shoulder. “I hate even to say this, because it grinds every last bone in my body,” Dean sighed. “When things go bump in the night, who you gonna call?”
“Don’t tell me,” Daniel muttered under his breath. “You think what we’re dealing with her, the thing causing this bizarre power fluctuations are what? Ghosts?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” Dean replied folding his arms over his chest.
“Hey, where did you guys put our stuff?” Sam shouted from his position half-in and half-out of the open doorway.
“I’ve got some, uh, supplies in my jacket, Sammy.”
Shouts and thuds coming from farther down the long corridor and around the corners momentarily interrupted whatever the conversation as Sam and Dean sprinted out the door and directly towards the commotion. Daniel and Teal’c sighed and signaled the three marines to follow.
When they arrived they Jack, Sam and another platoon of marines squaring off against something that resembled an opaque cloud of mist, thick through the middle and tapered at the top and bottom. The amount of ordnance and firepower that they were pounding into it seemed to have little effect on the creature, for it simply shimmered in and out of sight much like the lights and the computer screens had done earlier.
“Nice of you to join us,” Jack muttered in aside to Daniel, Teal’s and the Winchester brothers as they ran up and skidded to a stop just outside where the others held their attacker at bay.
Ghost or ghosts plural or not, that it meant business and was dangerous, was no longer a doubt in Daniel Jackson’s mind. On the heels of that particular thought he turned to Dean and Sam Winchester. “Okay, you claim to be some kind of expert on spectral manifestations, any ideas on how we go about getting rid of ‘that? And pointed at the grey/black cloud of mist.
“Get out the rock salt
“There are ghosts, and then there are ghosts, I think what we’re dealing with here falls into the latter category, uh, Sir.” Sam said to Colonel O’Neill. “And pumping ammo into is not going to do much…”
“Other than waste our firepower,” Jack griped.
“So, what do you suggest,” Samantha Carter asked.
“Stand back.” Dean said and then bent down and began to sprinkle something that appeared to be handfuls of a grey black sand over the ground in a concentric ring.
The misty creature held back for a moment and then launched itself at Dean where he crouched on the ground and gave a howling screech that punished the ears of everyone gathered in the corridor. It’s size and shape shimmered and then reappeared more solidly than ever, gaining in size and mass as it did so.
“For cryin’ out loud,” Jack griped. “This will never work.”
“Yes it will. Just give at a chance,” Dean replied.
Then an n invisible force, whether generated from the concentric ring of sand, or by something else entirely, it began to shrink. There was a long awkward and tense silent hush and a gasp, and a shriek and the misty creature disappeared as if it had never been.
“Not bad, huh?” Sam asked of the room in general.
Jack could only stare at the patch of metal flooring and the burnt and acrid smell of smoke and shake his head. “I saw it with my own two eyes and I still can’t believe that worked.”
***
Conclusion
“So, you’re pretty good at being ghost-hunters? I don’t even want to know why,” Samantha Carter sighed and reached over to please a companionable arm on Dean’s shoulder. “Thanks for the save, by the way.”
“Ah, your, ah welcome, ah, Ma’am.” Dean muttered, suddenly uncertain in just what approach to take with the attractive woman.
The fact that she handled something that looked very much like UZI with both deadly aplomb and accuracy and the military stripes on the shoulder of her uniform jacket put some distance between him. Now, if she were in a bar or somewhere else less formal then he might have been more sure of himself, more willing to turn on the famous Dean Winchester charm full-blast.
“Don’t call me, Ma’am,” Samantha Carter replied.”
“Sure, no problem,” Dean replied. As it was he just settled for a causal shrug and a nod.
“There as ghosts, and then there are ‘ghosts,” Sam Winchester replied. “The trick is in sorting out just exactly which category these fell into.”
“I suspect, you’ll fill us in on all the details, right, Mr. Winchester,” Daniel added with a grin. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
“You know something, Daniel,” Jack muttered. ‘You’re too damn curious for your own good. Have I told you lately that it’s gonna get you killed one of these days?”
“No, not lately,” Daniel replied.
“I can vouch for that,” Samantha added.
Fandoms: Stargate SG-1/Supernatural
Author: karrenia_rune
Rating: PG-13
Characters: all from SG, with cameos of others
and Sam and Dean Winchester, mentions of John from Supernatural
Words: 2890
Prompt: #64 fall
46/100
Links to the previous parts:
Links to the previous parts:
Part 1. The Night Watch < <"nightwatch">
Part 2: Those Who Hunt by Night < <"hunt">
Part 3: The One that Got Away <"gotaway">
Part 4: The Woman with One Red Shoe <"womanred">
Part 5: Revenant <"rev">
Part 6: If a Tree Falls <"treefalls">
Part 7: Alice in Fragments
Part 8: What the Living Do <"livingdo">
Part 9: Burning Daylight <"daylight">
Part 10: Wild Boys
Link to Big Darn Table (the screen drops down a bit, so scroll down)
Link to Big Darn Table (the screen drops down a bit, so scroll down)
<"thetable">
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters belong to MGM Productions, Renaissance Pictures and Gekko Film Corp etc; they are not mine. Supernatural is the creation of Erick Kripke and the CW Television network. Note: The story picks up shortly after where the previous one: "If a Tree Falls (Does Anyone Hear It) left off.
"Alice in Fragments" by Karen
Dean had always hated flying and in his case, and after the experience they had been endured aboard a commercial aircraft that had nearly cost both of them of their lives along with hundreds of others; Dean hated flying even more.
The fact that this aircraft happened to be a Blackhawk souped military chopper only compounded matters even further.
As queasy as he felt he still refused to let it show, not that anyone packed as tight into the aircraft, and it was definitely a tight fit much akin to of proverbial can of sardines, were paying any attention to him. He still was not entirely certain that his father's decision to break up with Janet had been the correct one but he trusted his father and
found that he could accept it.
The fact of the matter was he had never really considered that his father could have had anything resembling a normal well, love life, especially after the death of his wife, what with the 'family' business' and all.
Things that went bump in the night usually had a disturbing tendency to target your loved ones.
'Just take Sam, for example and his girlfriend, Jess. But that was over and done with. It was time to move on.
Of the two brothers; Dean had always been the more practical and forward-looking. I had to be. As the older brother it was my job, my responsibility and even so I might have done it anyway because Sam needed me," he thought and then had to suddenly bend over at the waist and place his head between his knees to keep himself from having deja vu
with his breakfast. It helped, just a little bit.
When the bout of nausea paused and he could sit straight in his bucket seat Dean glared around at the other passengers and growled. "Can't this fricking hunk of junk go any faster!"
Janet glanced over at him and said. "If it went any faster, you really would have something to complain about."
Dean shrugged and replied. "So, are we there yet?"
"Ignore him," Sam added. "He doesn't like flying."
"That's hardly any excuse to curse like a sailor," Sam Carter added from a ways down the aisle.
"Okay, okay, you've made your point," Dean replied subsiding back into his seat. "I'll shut up now."
***
"Hammond is no longer our CO, Janet," Daniel remarked to Janet once the Black Hawk had touched down on the ground in front of long and winding dirt road that led into entrance into what appeared to be an underground complex. "I understand, did he retire?"
"No, but while a lot of things have changed around here...."added Daniel and then shrugged helplessly, "a lot of things have remained the same."
"Sounds about right either way. It's going to be nice to get back to work after everything that's happened," Janet replied.
"We have a new Chief Medical Officer," Jack remarked over his shoulder from his seat in the front of the jeep.
"Oh, I guess it would make sense to fill the position, since I was 'ah' deceased," replied Janet.
Daniel, unable to restrain himself and rather ambivalent if he even should, burst out with a loud guffaw and said: "Hey, you can only die once, me, what's my track record now. At least five, six times?
"For cryin' out loud, Daniel!" exclaimed Jack,” It’s not a damn competition, and you really need to stop making a habit out of it. IXNAY on the DOA, huh, what don't you? We got company, remember."
"Inquiry," Teal'C added. "Why did we bring them?"
"Because I said so," Jack replied and glared, "and that's all I say on the matter until we meet with General Landry."
****
Once the initial introductions were out of the was and everyone had taken a seat at the long rectangular conference table there was the unavoidable moment of awkward silence before General Landry deliberately cleared his throat and said simply: “Welcome back, Dr. Fraiser. It would appear that the rumors of your death were greatly exaggerated. I will have to think on just how to go about reinstating your position here, but until such time I think it would be best for you to get to you Dr. Lam and then get back to work. The paperwork alone will be a nightmare, but that’s my lookout.”
“Thank, General Landry,” replied Janet.
“Sir,” Jack O’Neill said. “This is gonna sound strange, well strange enough for us, but Janet was dead, we all saw it, saw what happened to her on PCX 15, and how she managed to wind up somewhere in the East Coast, very much alive, I don’t care to know. I’m just glad that she is alive and well.”
“May I ask why you brought these two young men here? I trust they’ve been given the proper security checks and clearance,” Landry asked turning to Dean and Sam Winchester. “Were you the ones who found her? If so, you have our thanks.”
‘No, actually, it was our father who did,” replied Sam, “but,” he shrugged. “Truth to tell, I’m not really certain myself how it happened. Dad’s always been a bit, well, aloof when it comes to things like that.”
“I had a little chat with your dad, Sam, Dean, and in the course of that, I managed to get a few pertinent details of your ah, ‘family business.”. Jack shrugged. “It’s not exactly your average mom-and pop grocery store, is it?”
“No,” Dean blurted and thrust himself forward in his chair. “Will you tell us why we’re here!
“Because, I’m still not entirely certain that your dealings are not in some way impinging on our effort to keep this ah, country safe from those both foreign and domestic, and well, honestly I’d rather deal with you to than your father.” Jack sighed and reached up to brush a hand through his cropped hair. “Honestly, why do you do what you do, anyways?”
“Wait, just a minute, Jack, before you go flying of the deep end. If your accusing them of committing a crime they are still American citizens and still innocent before being proved guilty.” Landry sighed. “What did they do?” and why you could not have let local authorities deal with the problem?”
“Because local authorities don’t have a paranormal unit to handle this,” Carter added.
“Paranormal,” Sam muttered under his breath with a shaky little laugh. “Come on, you gotta being kidding me right?” he added darting a sideways significant glance at Dean thinking back to a previous encounter with FBI agents in Las Vegas, Nevada and wondering if they had not gotten off from that encounter as easily and cleanly as they had previously believed.
Sam Winchester found himself worrying over the possibility that those very same G-Men had turned over both their dossier, file and descriptions over to this particular branch of the United States Air Force.
If that was the case, they just be in serious trouble here.
Dean noted the glance without giving away that he had and demanded. “
“Well, I’m waiting here!”
“I think it’s time they knew, Jack,” Daniel Jackson remarked.
“What I’m trying to say, and this is hard for me, is that you and your little ghost and ghoulie hunt might just be more dangerous than you. Have you ever heard about a man who dealt in preying on people’s fears and then bilking them out of every penny?”
“Sounds like a cultist,” Dean replied, So what, they’re everywhere these days.”
“Yes, but I’m referring to one in specific,” Jack said. “Tell me something, exactly what do you do?”
“We’re ghost hunters, it’s a relatively harmless pastime, it’s certainly no reason to bring us for questioning as a threat to national security,” Sam replied.
“It is when your ‘harmless’ pastime nearly cost one of our her life; again?” Jack insisted.
“That’s what this is about?” Landry exclaimed. “Jack, how many times have I told you not to put your personal feelings ahead of the mention! I’m glad she’s alive and all and that you brought her home, but this….” he trailed off in a spluttering exasperation.
“Relax, Sir.” Carter offered. “He’ not really as mad at you as he appears to be.”
“Great, Carter,” Jack sighed. “I know, but I’m willing to take it when does decided to get back at me for this. Still, it’s worth it, I guess.”
“At this point,” Daniel remarked, “What do we do with them?”
“Set them up in accommodations, allow them access to the mess hall and possibly the recreation area. Again, they are civilians and they haven’t done anything wrong. You did say you were ghost hunters?” said Landry with a sigh.
“Yes,” Sam replied.
“As I was saying, but limit their access to secured areas, and have Dr. Jackson or Teal’c act as escort. We have a great deal to catch you up on what’s been happening while you were off on vacation.” finished Landry.
“Understood, Sir,” Daniel Jackson replied.
“Colonel?” Landry pressed. “Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
“As crystal, Sir,” Jack replied.
****
The mess hall was crowded when Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal’C escorted them in. The people occupied in either eating, drinking, or making conversation with their table mates glanced up incuriously as they entered and took a seat at an empty table.
They had just sat down to eat a meal that consisted of macaroni and cheese and a glass of milk when the lights dimmed, flickered and completely went out, and then given an interval of approximately three to five minutes, came back on and repeated the same pattern.
“Forgot to pay the electricity bill,” Sam casually remarked.
“No, and the backup generators and fail-safes should have kicked in by now, even if we had,” replied Daniel
“Call Sam, see if she can get on this…
Daniel stood up and went over to the phone mounted on wall near the entrance and had just picked it up and was in the process of punching in the code when a buzzing and clicking forced him to hold the phone as far away from his hear as he possibly could because of the increased volume of the static coming through the receiver.
“What the hell?
Apparently, he was not the only person in the room experiencing similar difficulties, anyone who had even a laptop, or any other kind of device that ran on electricity or even on batteries had suddenly began to see sparks, and alternately repeating cycles of dimness followed by brightness. Curses and mutterings were heard as those working on their laptops cursed about losing whatever data they had not yet saved.
Sam and Dean glanced at each other, and in that telling look they could each tell what the other was thinking; this kind of was very much in keeping with a level one or two spectral manifestation.. In the back of his mind, Dean also was wondering just how to go about telling the members of SG-1 without getting them both into any further trouble than they already were in. But first things first, Sammy,” Dean said aloud. “Let’s take care of this little ah problem, for them, and maybe they’ll be in a more receptive mood, huh?”
“Agreed,” Sam replied unable, despite the circumstances and his own doubts about Dean’s plans in general and his own need to play things close to the vest, allowed himself a tight conspiratorial grin to slip out. Ghosts he understood, alien and high-technology he did not, but in this situation, they were the ones to turn to for a low-tech solution.
***
Sam and Dean got up from the table shoving their tray aside ignoring the curious looks from Daniel Jackson and Teal’c and the mildly neutral suspicious glares of the armored and armed marines assigned to them as their escort and shoved past them on their way out the door and into the passageway outside.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going” Daniel yelled after their retreating backs.
Over his shoulder. “I hate even to say this, because it grinds every last bone in my body,” Dean sighed. “When things go bump in the night, who you gonna call?”
“Don’t tell me,” Daniel muttered under his breath. “You think what we’re dealing with her, the thing causing this bizarre power fluctuations are what? Ghosts?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” Dean replied folding his arms over his chest.
“Hey, where did you guys put our stuff?” Sam shouted from his position half-in and half-out of the open doorway.
“I’ve got some, uh, supplies in my jacket, Sammy.”
Shouts and thuds coming from farther down the long corridor and around the corners momentarily interrupted whatever the conversation as Sam and Dean sprinted out the door and directly towards the commotion. Daniel and Teal’c sighed and signaled the three marines to follow.
When they arrived they Jack, Sam and another platoon of marines squaring off against something that resembled an opaque cloud of mist, thick through the middle and tapered at the top and bottom. The amount of ordnance and firepower that they were pounding into it seemed to have little effect on the creature, for it simply shimmered in and out of sight much like the lights and the computer screens had done earlier.
“Nice of you to join us,” Jack muttered in aside to Daniel, Teal’s and the Winchester brothers as they ran up and skidded to a stop just outside where the others held their attacker at bay.
Ghost or ghosts plural or not, that it meant business and was dangerous, was no longer a doubt in Daniel Jackson’s mind. On the heels of that particular thought he turned to Dean and Sam Winchester. “Okay, you claim to be some kind of expert on spectral manifestations, any ideas on how we go about getting rid of ‘that? And pointed at the grey/black cloud of mist.
“Get out the rock salt
“There are ghosts, and then there are ghosts, I think what we’re dealing with here falls into the latter category, uh, Sir.” Sam said to Colonel O’Neill. “And pumping ammo into is not going to do much…”
“Other than waste our firepower,” Jack griped.
“So, what do you suggest,” Samantha Carter asked.
“Stand back.” Dean said and then bent down and began to sprinkle something that appeared to be handfuls of a grey black sand over the ground in a concentric ring.
The misty creature held back for a moment and then launched itself at Dean where he crouched on the ground and gave a howling screech that punished the ears of everyone gathered in the corridor. It’s size and shape shimmered and then reappeared more solidly than ever, gaining in size and mass as it did so.
“For cryin’ out loud,” Jack griped. “This will never work.”
“Yes it will. Just give at a chance,” Dean replied.
Then an n invisible force, whether generated from the concentric ring of sand, or by something else entirely, it began to shrink. There was a long awkward and tense silent hush and a gasp, and a shriek and the misty creature disappeared as if it had never been.
“Not bad, huh?” Sam asked of the room in general.
Jack could only stare at the patch of metal flooring and the burnt and acrid smell of smoke and shake his head. “I saw it with my own two eyes and I still can’t believe that worked.”
***
Conclusion
“So, you’re pretty good at being ghost-hunters? I don’t even want to know why,” Samantha Carter sighed and reached over to please a companionable arm on Dean’s shoulder. “Thanks for the save, by the way.”
“Ah, your, ah welcome, ah, Ma’am.” Dean muttered, suddenly uncertain in just what approach to take with the attractive woman.
The fact that she handled something that looked very much like UZI with both deadly aplomb and accuracy and the military stripes on the shoulder of her uniform jacket put some distance between him. Now, if she were in a bar or somewhere else less formal then he might have been more sure of himself, more willing to turn on the famous Dean Winchester charm full-blast.
“Don’t call me, Ma’am,” Samantha Carter replied.”
“Sure, no problem,” Dean replied. As it was he just settled for a causal shrug and a nod.
“There as ghosts, and then there are ‘ghosts,” Sam Winchester replied. “The trick is in sorting out just exactly which category these fell into.”
“I suspect, you’ll fill us in on all the details, right, Mr. Winchester,” Daniel added with a grin. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
“You know something, Daniel,” Jack muttered. ‘You’re too damn curious for your own good. Have I told you lately that it’s gonna get you killed one of these days?”
“No, not lately,” Daniel replied.
“I can vouch for that,” Samantha added.