Chapter 14

Jul 25, 2007 16:14



Erin opened the door to the communications room and went out. Joaquin and Lisa were waiting in the corridor.

"You can go back in, thanks, guys," Erin said absently.

God, what was she going to do?

"Are you okay?" Lisa asked her.

It was Erin's first instinct to say that no, she wasn't okay. St. Louis had been attacked, and Markus could be a prisoner of Valhalla Sector or dead. How could she possibly be okay?

"I'm fine," Erin said. Then she turned around to face them. "If you get a signal from Nathan or any of the teams that went to St. Louis, call me right away, okay? There might be … some kind of, of trouble." She stumbled on the last part.

Lisa nodded, now somber-faced, and Joaquin said, "Sure, Erin. No problem."

Erin left them, her mind and body in shock, oblivious to everything around her.

How would she free Markus? She knew what she wanted to do, and that was take every gun and every bomb in Thunder Mountain's arsenal, and fall on Valhalla Sector like a pack of ravenous wolves and not relent until they set Markus free.

But she couldn't do that. She didn't know enough. She didn't really know anything yet. Above that though, Markus would never want her to gamble the lives of everyone in Thunder Mountain in a useless, reckless attempt to free him. She had to take care of his people first, that was what she had promised, though she wished she could do something else.

She continued down the hall, striving to gain control of her emotions, knowing that she would need her sense of balance if she were think of some kind of workable plan. The hall clock read ten o'clock. She had twelve hours to gather a team and get to Stoneridge.

Erin blinked. Of their own volition, her feet had carried her to Markus' office. Slowly, she opened the door and entered. Tears welled in her eyes as bent over to pick up a discarded sweatshirt and buried her nose in the fabric trying to capture the last remnants of his scent. She felt numb, yet if she were honest with herself she'd have to admit that she'd known this was going to happen all along. Why hadn't Markus listened to her? Anger began to replace the shock -- anger at Markus for putting himself in the situation, anger at herself for feeling so strongly and mostly at Valhalla Sector for daring to disrupt the first good thing to happen to the country since the old people had destroyed it.

Energized, Erin abruptly stood up and marched out of his office. The first order of business was to find Murray and tell him that his friend was taken. Perhaps with his advice she'd figure out what to do.

He was easy enough to find, giving some martial arts lessons to Dimitri, Carl, and Terence. But with a courteous bow of his head to his students, he left them to follow her back to Markus' office.

She told him the whole story. He seemed neither surprised nor upset by the news, but accepted it calmly. "What are your plans?" he asked.

"I don't know," she admitted. "We need to confirm that it's true. Not that I doubt what Jack heard," she added quickly, seeing him lift his head as if offended, "but Daniel didn't really say all that much. Plus, we need to know where they were taken in order to do much of anything. We'll meet the others in Stoneridge."

"Will they not take Markus Alexander to Valhalla Sector itself?" Murray asked.

The words struck like a lash, because of course they would. The others from the meeting could be anywhere, but Markus was far too notorious to ignore. He'd be taken to Valhalla Sector. To be interrogated, tortured, and held captive until they decided to execute him for treason.

She looked at the small pots of African violets lined up against the window, and thought about him never coming back to care for them again. She wrapped her arms around herself. "I can't just do nothing!" she burst out. "I can't leave him in there."

"We will leave neither Markus Alexander nor Daniel Jackson captive," Murray declared. It was comforting how certain he was.

She nodded. "We won't. But I can't think of how to get them out."

He considered for a moment. "I believe Lee Chen will be a valuable asset in retrieving Markus Alexander and Daniel Jackson. He should go with us to Stoneridge."

Her first instinct was to say over her dead body. Lee was a traitor to the mountain, and she couldn't trust him outside his cell. But she remembered his face, and she believed he wanted to help. But she'd believed him for five years, and never once guessed that he had any other loyalties, so her instincts were obviously suspect. Markus wouldn't want her to jeopardize everyone's safety for him. Lee knew too much. But if he really was on their side, then she needed what he knew about Valhalla. "I don't know..." she answered, unable to decide.

Murray nodded in his regal way. "I will leave you alone to consider. May I have permission to talk to Majors Kawalsky and O'Neill? When we attempt our rescue, it would be best to have an accurate description of Valhalla's defenses."

Erin nodded. "Sure."

Murray left the room. Erin sunk into the chair, overwhelmed with the responsibility now on her shoulders. How would she know the right decision? Could she trust Lee? Should she trust the opinions of these travelers from another reality? Markus was depending on her to do the right thing.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. The numbers were barely discernable through her tired eyes. But she couldn't sleep -- she had to think, had to come up with something. What did Markus do when he had to make difficult decisions? Meaghan! He talked things over with her. Maybe the woman would have some insights on what to do.

Meaghan was still awake and reading a book as Erin entered. The older woman glanced up with a ready smile, which faded fast. She set her book aside and rose to her feet. "What's happened? Is Markus--"

"Valhalla's got him. Jack radioed us," she explained in a rush.

Meaghan caught the edge of the table in a white-knuckled grip. "What happened?" she demanded in a tight, controlled voice.

"Daniel was only able to get a message to him during the meeting that they were attacked by a hell of a lot soldiers and they were trapped. Jack said he heard gunfire and helicopters. Markus is probably on his way to Valhalla right now." Erin leaned against the glass, not able to look Meaghan in the eyes as she whispered her greatest fear. "Or he's dead."

"He's not dead," Meaghan said.

Erin glanced up, struck by her certainty. "You can't know that."

"I know. I would know if he was dead," Meaghan folded her arms tightly around herself and looked away, as if she could almost see him. "We're too much a part of each other not to know. But captured --" She inhaled a deep, steadying breath, and faced Erin again. "That's possible. We talked about it before he left."

"Then why did he go?" Erin burst out. "He knew! I told him, everybody told him -- "

"Of course he knew," Meaghan answered calmly. "But this is his dream, Erin, what he's lived for since the day the virus ripped everyone's lives apart. There was no way he was going to sit at home, if being there might make it work."

Erin nodded, miserably. "But now it's all fallen apart anyway. He's in their hands, and the meeting's destroyed, with who knows how many dead among the other leaders. And I don't know what to do."

"Get Markus out," Meaghan said flatly. "Any way you have to."

Erin was a little surprised at Meaghan's flinty expression. She wasn't all torn up with grief, as Erin expected, but nor was she focused on the safety of the mountain, as Erin knew Markus would be. She had one single desire, and that was to bring Markus home.

"I know," Erin said. She sat heavily in the gray vinyl chair last occupied by Markus and looked upward at Meaghan. "But where should I start?"

"What are your choices?" Meaghan asked.

"Murray wants me to release Lee from his cell and get him to help us. Jack, Sam and Jeremiah are on their way back and we're supposed to meet them near the Kansas border. We'll figure out a plan to get into Valhalla Sector, somehow."

"Where is Valhalla Sector?"

Erin shrugged. "Back east someplace. I don't know."

"Who does?"

"Lee," Erin admitted. "And the two Markus had brought in, Major Jack O'Neill and Major Kawalsky."

Meaghan's folded-arm posture shifted to something more thoughtful. She paced down the length of the window. "So, our Jack is a good guy, is it possible Major Jack is one, too?"

"Murray thinks so. He's been spending a lot of time in the brig talking to them."

"So, you could ask them to help with the rescue."

Erin nodded, although reluctantly. "I just don't know how much I can trust them."

Meaghan smiled a little. "And what would Markus say?"

Erin knew the answer to that one, having heard it not long ago when Markus had brought in Theo from the outside. She heaved a sigh, knowing Meaghan was right. "He'd say that we have to give trust in order to get any."

"I suspect sitting in cells isn't making them more willing to help us," Meaghan pointed out. "And if they're going to betray us, better to find out now, than when they're on their way to Valhalla Sector."

Erin's eyes widened. "Are you suggesting they go there? That's so … risky…"

Meaghan shrugged and turned to sit in her armchair, tucking her robe around her legs. "If they're going to help with the rescue, it only stands to reason they'd have to go to Valhalla. They're not doing us any good sitting in jail. Either they really are on our side, in which case they'll help, or if they're not, we're best rid of them. Because Markus is right -- Valhalla Sector is going to come here, Erin. And I think we'd better find out everyone's true loyalties before then."

Erin looked at her for a moment, realizing where Markus got his practical side. This woman was how a sheltered child prodigy had managed to blossom into a leader.

But she had a good idea. It could work. Of course, it could also fail horribly.

Her gaze met Meaghan's. "Their reception in Valhalla might not be very friendly, even if they go in."

Meaghan shrugged again. Their fate didn't seem to bother her very much. "It's a risk. They'll have to decide if they're willing to take it."

"All right. That's the best idea I've got. Thanks, Meaghan." Erin got back to her feet, feeling better now that she had at least the glimmers of a plan.

"Wait, Erin! Keep me informed," she pleaded.

"Of course. As soon as I find out anything I'll let you know."

---+---

Lee listened as Murray told them how Valhalla had attacked the St. Louis meeting. He was surprised only by the amount of force Waverly had sent against it. The general must have felt even more threatened than Lee had thought.

He looked over at the two majors to see their reaction. While they didn't look stunned at the news, he could see that it troubled them. Lee himself was worried. He knew Waverly and Simmons. Neither would go easy on anyone found at the meeting, but especially not Markus. He turned his eyes on Murray. "We have to rescue them."

"Indeed." Murray turned to the two majors. "Any information you can give me about the layout of Valhalla and its defenses would be beneficial."

"You can't be serious?" O'Neill responded incredulously. "The place is a bunker. You can't break in. If they see any kind of threat, they can close it down so it's impenetrable for a set length of time."

Murray was not impressed. "I have been in bunkers before. There is always a way. We must be sure not to force them into a lock down. Do you know of any secret tunnels or passages?"

"There is one," Lee volunteered, "but I don't know where it is. Devon does."

"The question is if Waverly and Simmons do, too," Kawalsky put forth.

"Colonel Frank Simmons?" Murray asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep. Know him?" O'Neill asked.

"We have met. We are not friends."

Kawalsky snorted. "He's no one's friend."

Lee saw Murray straighten, as if he had a sudden thought.

"Is there a Jacob Carter at Valhalla?"

Kawalsky and O'Neill exchanged glances. O'Neill shrugged his shoulders. "Never heard of him, why?"

Just then the door burst open, and Erin entered.

"Erin Gant. Have you made a decision?" Murray asked.

"Yes," she answered, opening the cell and letting Lee out. "Come on, we need to talk."

Lee felt an overwhelming sense of relief. They were going to accept his help. He really needed to help rescue Markus; to prove to everyone he wasn't a traitor -- at least not to Thunder Mountain.

---+---

Teal'c saw how Erin's face glowed with renewed hope. She led them to a conference room, which had a large map of the country spread out on a table.

She asked, "Lee, where's Valhalla?"

Lee pointed to an area in western Virginia. "There."

Erin started, "I don't have everything worked out, but--"

"That's okay, tell us what you've got," Lee encouraged her. "We can help."

"I have a question for both of you though, first. Do you think our "guests" are really on our side?" she asked.

Teal'c considered her question very seriously. "I am certain of Major Kawalsky. He seemed profoundly affected by Markus Alexander's speech, and he has been helpful."

She bit her lip. "But not Major O'Neill?"

"He has not been put in a position where I can verify his change of heart," Teal'c acknowledged. "I believe he has. But he hesitates, not certain where his loyalty should go."

"Would it help if I let them out?" she asked.

Teal'c nodded, now suspecting what she intended. "Indeed. I believe it is the imprisonment which hinders his conversion."

Erin turned to Lee. "What do you think?"

"You know what I think, Erin. It's dangerous to let them out." She let out an involuntary bark of laughter, clearly expecting that answer. But Lee wasn't finished. "That said," he hesitated, "if anyone -- anyone else -- was going to turn coat from Valhalla Sector, it'd be them. They've kept to their principles and been punished for it. The brass has considered them expendable for a long time."

She took a deep breath. "Okay. That's good enough for me. Here's the plan." She looked at both of them in turn. "I'm going to let them out. They'll get a choice -- they can help us, or we put them outside. And they help us by going back into Valhalla Sector and freeing Markus and anyone else with him."

"It won't be that easy," Lee cautioned. "There's a mole in here. He's probably seen the other O'Neill walking the corridors. Plus, they know I've been compromised."

"I know it won't be easy--"

"It is a beginning, one we can build on," Teal'c interrupted, to prevent her from growing disheartened. "I suggest that Colonel O'Neill instead be partnered with Major Kawalsky to infiltrate Valhalla Sector."

She frowned at him, surprised. "You think he'd do it? They might toss him in a cell the second he walks in the door."

Teal'c nodded once. "I believe he would take that risk to free Daniel Jackson and Markus Alexander. Nor will he hesitate once within Valhalla Sector, but do all he can. I cannot guarantee the same for Major O'Neill."

"But Jack doesn't know the people or the layout," she protested and shook her head, in frustration. "I guess it doesn't matter. It's a gamble either way. Best choice might be for Kawalsky to go alone, if he's willing. But in any case, I was thinking that you two would stay nearby ready to help them and bring them home."

Lee appeared stunned. "You would let me go with Murray? Really, Erin?"

She heaved an aggravated sigh. "Well, Lee, who the hell else is there? At least I know you're not the mole."

His shoulders slumped and he muttered sourly, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

She slammed her hands down on the table. "Damn it! Considering I found out you were a spy only three days ago and Markus told me to keep you in the cell until he came back, it is a vote of confidence, Lee. So I'd be a little grateful, if I were you."

Teal'c intervened before anxiety and tiredness caused an argument among allies. "I would be honored to undertake this mission, Erin Gant."

She took a deep breath, calming herself once again. "Thank you."

"Me, too," Lee added. "I promise I'll do whatever you want to get Markus out of there, Erin. And I am thankful you're letting me help. You won't be sorry."

She gave him a friendlier look, peace now restored between the two. "I hope not. Anyway, you're both going with me to meet Jack, Sam, and Jeremiah." She rose from her chair. "I'm going to release our new friends, and pray they really are friends."

"There is something else," Teal'c pointed out. She stopped and looked at him curiously. He explained, "If Major O'Neill chooses to help us and is left free within this facility, he will be at risk from the spy."

Lee smiled a little. "Well, it'll give him an incentive to help catch the mole first, won't it?"

"You mean play bait?" Erin asked, sounding both horrified and doubtful.

"Precisely," Teal'c agreed. "It would draw the silent attacker out. Major O'Neill may be able to identify him among the population."

"I don't like it," Erin added.

"Major O'Neill is a soldier," Lee responded. "He can take care of himself."

"Will he?" Erin sighed. "Will he use force against someone who's only following orders? What if it's someone he knows?"

"He knows that hesitation may mean his own life," Teal'c reminded her. "If he chooses to remain, he will accept the risk."

"All right," she rubbed her cheeks and smoothed back her hair from her face. "I guess all we can do is ask."

On the way down the corridor toward the elevators, Lee changed the subject. "We need to keep the spy from contacting Valhalla."

"Markus shut down the whole system, except for the comm room. All calls out need council approval, and the comm room is staffed with at least two people all the time."

He nodded. "Good. I'd put guards on the room too. He's going to need to call for instructions with all this going on. Maybe frustration will make him careless."

"God, we can hope," she said with a heartfelt groan, slouching against the inside wall of the elevator and letting Lee push the button for the proper floor. "I'd really like this to be done with. I'm so sick of looking at everyone, wondering if they're the one."

Teal'c followed the two young adults into the elevator, and though he shared her hope, his primary wish at this point was that O'Neill and Kawalsky not prove him wrong about their loyalties.

---+---

Kawalsky sat on his bunk and watched O'Neill pace back and forth.

"Why is it they asked you to look at the tape and not me?" O'Neill complained again.

Charlie shrugged his shoulders, but he wondered how they had guessed. Charlie hated Waverly, even more than Jack hated Simmons. Waverly was the reason Valhalla Sector had slid into the abyss, and he was the one who encouraged Simmons' predations, all to keep himself in power. Charlie had known for a long time that he wanted to leave, but he hadn't known where else he could go. He had never even considered Thunder Mountain.

The door opened and Murray walked in, followed closely by Erin and Lee.

Erin strode forward, and faced them with her arms crossed. "Here's the deal: you both go free right now. If you want, you can leave. We can't spare transportation, but I'll give you food, and you can walk wherever you want to go."

O'Neill looked at her suspiciously. "You're going to let us go, just like that?"

She smiled tiredly. "Yeah, just like that." She dug a key out of her pocket and opened the cell door. "A wise person reminded me you're not likely to want to help us while you're sitting in jail, so I'm setting you free. But if you want to help us, we could use it."

Kawalsky was first through the door. He didn't miss how both Murray and Lee took a step closer to Erin to flank her protectively. But Kawalsky found it endearing, rather than offensive. "What sort of help?"

She turned to him. "I know Murray told you what's happened. We need your help to get Markus -- "

"And Daniel Jackson," Murray interrupted.

"Get Markus, Daniel and all the other prisoners out of Valhalla's hands," Erin continued without missing a beat.

"Right. You expect us to walk in and open the cell doors?" O'Neill asked sarcastically.

"I'm sure it won't be that simple," Erin answered with strained patience. "But if you or Major Kawalsky are willing to go back, that would be a step. Our main problem right now is information. We don't know where the prisoners will end up. We're assuming Valhalla Sector, but hell, for all we know, there could be a special prison set up in Kentucky or something."

Kawalsky shook his head. "The important prisoners, like Markus I'm guessing, will go to Valhalla Sector. Simmons is gonna want to question him in person. The rest of them -- if you're talking dozens, would have to go someplace else. The hole in the ground doesn't have the capacity."

"But we can't go back," O'Neill said. "They think we're the ones who gave up Chen to you folks."

Chen folded his arms. "It's not true."

"Well, of course it's not!" O'Neill rolled his eyes. "But they don't know that. I still have no clue how they even got that idea, but they did, and that makes any sort of going back just insane."

Erin exchanged a glance with Murray, who nodded. She explained, "They think that because of our mole problem." She paused and Charlie thought she was done, though it didn't quite make sense to him. Why would the mole claim that O'Neill -- and himself by association -- had betrayed Chen?

But then she finished, answering that question but raising a whole bunch of others, "We have another O'Neill that the mole knows about."

"Huh?" O'Neill stared at her. "What the hell are you talking about?" His gaze went from her to Murray, putting together all that stuff about 'how an O'Neill thinks'. "You have another O'Neill?"

"It's a long story," Chen said impatiently. "And it's not important right now. Just know that Thunder Mountain has another O'Neill who looks enough like you to be confusing. The point is that you have an opening for mistaken identity. Kawalsky, you especially, since your presence here is a secret. Simmons probably doesn't know you're here. You can go back and play it any way you want."

Erin added, "Look, I know it's risky. We don't know exactly how much their spy here has told them. But we need someone on the inside, and you're our best shot. We need someone who will be willing to take the risk to free Markus." She glanced at Murray and took a deep breath, as if she knew he wouldn't like what she had to say.

"I want everyone out, of course. Some of them are my friends, and I don't want them kept prisoner. But if I have to make a choice, Markus has to come first. Not just because he's our leader and we need him. But because, being practical, we need to get him out before he tells them anything." She rubbed her arms as if she felt cold but turned earnest blue eyes on Kawalsky. "I don't think he will -- I think he'll die first. But if he does, it's a bigger disaster than the attack on St. Louis. He knows this place inside and out, he knows all the people we contacted for the meeting, he knows other important secrets… If they find out any of it, they can use it to crush our hopes of the future for a long time, maybe forever."

Kawalsky nodded slowly. She was right. That sort of information in Waverly's hands would doom their attempt to build a new nation, because Waverly would root out and destroy any resistance. Nor did he or Simmons have any incentive to hold back in torturing Markus for information, unlike with Devon for fear he might die and take the Big Death with him. It was unlikely that Markus could hold out against them for long.

Thinking back to the young man with the intense eyes he'd met so briefly and seeing the loyalty of his friends and followers, Kawalsky knew it was time to step up and do what was right. "All right. I'll do it. I'll go back."

O'Neill whirled to look at him and stab him with an incredulous glare. "Are you nuts? They shot at us, remember?"

Kawalsky gave a half-smile to his friend. "Jack, aren't you the one who's always saying we have to find something better than doing Waverly's dirty work?"

"Well, yeah," O'Neill admitted, "but I didn't mean suicide! You've seen what they do to people like us that they catch." He shuddered elaborately. "No, thanks. I pass."

"There is another option," Murray offered.

Both Kawalsky and O'Neill turned to him in sudden interest. Murray continued, "The other O'Neill will be willing to enter Valhalla Sector, I believe. With Major Kawalsky, if he wishes," he added with a bow of his head toward Kawalsky, who suddenly felt that going would be the honorable thing to do. Honor wasn't something he'd thought about, in a very long time.

O'Neill said, frowning, "Your imposter-guy takes my place and then what? I get kicked out on my ass?"

"No," Murray said, unflappable by O'Neill's hostility, which Kawalsky knew was just a cover for fear of being abandoned. Murray seemed to know it as well. "You might stay here if you agree to assist us with a different task. There is still the matter of the spy within this base."

O'Neill's attention was caught by that. "What do you want me to do?"

Erin explained, "You can walk around like the other Jack. Hopefully, you'll be able to recognize the mole if you see him face-to-face and help us catch him. He's already killed one person -- we have to catch him before he kills anyone else, or sabotages the systems in some way to let Valhalla Sector walk in here." Erin looked at him, then Kawalsky, with beseeching eyes, although her following words belied her softness. "If you don't think you can do it, let us know now. I can't take the chance you're gonna make things worse."

O'Neill hesitated and glanced at Kawalsky. "Charlie, you promise to tell me about this clone of mine?"

"I will." Kawalsky nodded. "But can I trust this other Jack to watch my back?"

Murray gave a semblance of a smile. "Just as if he were your O'Neill."

Kawalsky had to admit he was curious. Where did they find another man like Jack O'Neill? Before the Big Death, there had been another John O'Neill, but these people said their Jack looked like his Jack. In any case, he was going to meet the guy -- he'd be able to give him pointers, since personality-wise, there was only one Jack O'Neill.

"Okay, you've got your spycatcher," O'Neill announced, glancing at Kawalsky. "Are you really gonna go back in that viper pit?"

"Hey, you know me," Kawalsky tried to give a casual shrug. "If a New Yorker can't talk himself out of trouble, who can?" Growing more serious, he gave O'Neill a look. "You won't be out of danger yourself, you know. Watch your back."

"You too," Jack responded, looking worried.

Charlie knew Jack hated the fact that they were splitting up. In truth he didn't like it either. But it was necessary.

"So, when do we leave?" Charlie asked.

The big black man looked at Erin questioningly.

She shrugged. "We have a little time. We meet the others tomorrow morning. First thing, we'll get you two settled, catch a little sleep, and head out early."

Kawalsky thought it through. "We'd better keep me a secret. Fewer eyes that see me the better."

"No problem," Lee declared. "You can stay in O'Neill's room before we go."

"While there, may I suggest that Major O'Neill remove his BDU's with ID and change into something else?" Murray looked at them seriously.

Jack demanded, "You're kidding, right? First my name, now my clothes?"

"And your tags. Erin Gant will provide you with adequate apparel in return," Murray answered.

Kawalsky knew as well as Jack did, even though Jack was whining about it, that the other Jack needed Jack's clothes in order to carry off any sort of deception. If he had the wrong patches on his BDU's or was missing his dogtags, someone at Valhalla Sector would notice and report it to Waverly. That would be a death sentence for the other Jack and probably Kawalsky, too.

"Adequate apparel? Can't you speak in plain English?" Jack complained.

An eyebrow raised. "I believe I am. Do you find me difficult to understand?"

Jack looked over at Charlie and they rolled their eyes. "Never mind," Jack finally responded as Murray seemed to be waiting for an answer.

Lee'd had enough of the talk. He started for the door. "Come on -- I think we've all spent enough time in this place. We've got things to get ready."

They made an odd procession: Jack and Charlie in the middle, following Erin and Lee, with Murray bringing up the rear. Whether by accident or design, they saw no one as they went through the corridors and finally stopped at a room. Erin opened the door. "This is where the other Jack stayed. It would look funny if we assigned you someplace different."

Charlie and Jack walked in. It was a small room, with two metal-frame beds, bureau, closet, and a small table. "Don't tell me this is your VIP suite?" Jack asked with raised eyebrows.

Erin gave a small smile. "Out here in the real world, Jack, we're all created equal. That means everyone has space according to their needs. Families have the suites."

Jack gave her a skeptical look. "So Markus doesn't get a big room?"

Erin and Lee exchanged a glance that seemed amused at the question. "Markus has his own," Erin said, "that's his perk. But it's smaller than this one. He spends most of his time in his office or roaming around, anyway." She bit her lip and her eyes shone for a moment before she looked away, as it occurred to her that he wasn't around and was probably on his way to Valhalla Sector at that very moment.

She cleared her throat and added, "We'll leave you here to get changed. I'll send someone in ten minutes to pick up what you're wearing, Jack. There should be something to wear in the closet. After that, get some sleep in whatever's left of tonight." She started toward the door and turned back. "I want to thank you both for volunteering to help us. It's a dangerous thing you're doing, and don't believe that we don't appreciate it, because we do. Very much."

She left, Murray on her heels after a formal nod. Lee lingered behind a moment. He looked at both of them, but especially Jack. "These are good people," he said after a moment's heavy silence. "This is a good place. They want to trust you -- even I want to trust you. But make no mistake, if you play them false, you'll deal with me. Understood?"

Kawalsky just nodded. He'd expected Chen to issue some sort of threat.

Jack couldn't help a quick taunt back. "Hey, we're not the ones who lied to these good people about our loyalties, Chen. So take a look in the mirror before you start throwing stones."

Lee stiffened. "I don't have to justify my actions to you."

"No, but you did to Markus," Jack retorted, "and he wasn't impressed, was he, since you were still in a cell when we got here."

"Jack," Charlie intervened before Lee could get more offended. "Enough. We're all tired. I'm going to be bouncing around in a chopper all day, and all this yakking isn't getting me any sleep. Good night, Lee. See you in the morning."

"Major Kawalsky," Lee gave him a nod and left, pointedly without any acknowledgment of O'Neill at all.

After the door closed behind him, Charlie shook his head ruefully.

"What?" Jack asked defensively. "He was threatening us."

"He's protective of this place, that's all." Charlie wandered to the closet and the small bureau, rooting among the clothes to find a T-shirt with the worn logo of a long-dead rock band and pajama bottoms that looked like they might fit him.

"Come on," he threw another shirt and running shorts at O'Neill. "Get changed before they strip 'em off your skinny ass."

O'Neill caught the clothes, but his attention was obviously elsewhere. "I've been thinking. What if, somehow, Charlie's alive after all? Maybe he's the O'Neill they're talking about."

Kawalsky felt a pang for his namesake, the little boy who hadn't lived to see five. He cleared his throat. "Jack, buddy, Sara said --"

"I know what she said! But what if she was wrong?" Jack persisted, stripping off his BDUs like he couldn't stand them anymore. "Samuels' kid is still alive. Why not Charlie, too?"

Kawalsky didn't know what to say. The little he had gleaned about the "other O'Neill" suggested someone closer in age to Jack, since there would be little hope of passing a teenager off as someone more than twice that. But he hardly wanted to tell Jack that.

Luckily he didn't have to, since there was a knock on the door. Jack called who was there, and the answer in a girlish voice drifted through the door. "I'm here for your clothes."

"Hang on a second," Jack called back and quickly changed, remembering only after Kawalsky gestured, to take off the chain with his dogtags and put it on the pile too. He then motioned Kawalsky out of sight and opened the door.

The girl said, "Erin said I should take your dirty ones?"

"Sure, sweetie," Jack said, his voice softening. "Sorry, they're a bit stinky."

"That's okay." She took his dirty pile and closed the door behind her.

"Shouldn't she be in bed?" Jack wondered aloud.

But Kawalsky barely heard. He had picked up a flat card from the wall shelf behind the door and now he couldn't look away. "Holy shit. Jack, it's you."

It was a military ID in the name of Colonel Jonathan O'Neill, USAF.

The picture was of Jack. The haircut a little shorter than the way he usually wore it, but it was him. Shock almost made him drop it.

Jack took it away from him. "Where the hell did this come from, Charlie?" Jack's voice was soft, amazed right out of his usual attitude. "I'm not a colonel. Waverly would have to be in the ground before I'd get a promotion. Who the hell is this guy?"

Kawalsky was just as puzzled. It didn't make any sense. "Maybe it's all fake," he offered. "Some sort of con."

"No, Charlie, I don't think so. Not by these kids anyway. I don't know… this is like we're in the Twilight Zone or something." He gave Charlie a sharp look. "You watch yourself with that other O'Neill. Don't trust him."

"I won't." Kawalsky let out a yawn. "C'mon, let's get some shut-eye. We'll figure it out tomorrow. Maybe there's a some simple explanation we're not seeing."

Charlie lay back and pulled the blanket up, letting Jack turn off the light and head for the other cot. He knew Jack would remain awake for awhile, trying to sort out what was going on, but Charlie deliberately put it out of his mind in favor of getting some sleep.

---+---

Down the corridor, away from Jack's door, Erin glanced up at Murray's imperturbable face and wondered when she had got so comfortable with him.

"It is time to rest, Erin Gant," he suggested, breaking into her thoughts.

She glanced at the clock and couldn't help a yawn. "Not yet. I've got to -- "

Gently, but firmly, he laid a large hand on her shoulder. "You must allow others to share the burden. You are in command now, and your people require you to be wise."

"Wise?" she repeated, and her voice caught when she tried to laugh. "I don't think I can be wise."

He smiled a little, his dark eyes kind. "Then perhaps rested will be sufficient. Come, I will assist you to finish what tasks remain, and escort you to your bed, to ensure that you find it."

And he did. After she'd seen to O'Neill's clothes and got ready for bed, he followed her into her room and turned down her bed. "I will remain, to be sure your sleep remains undisturbed." He then lit a candle in the corner of her room and settled himself down before it.

"You should sleep, too," she suggested, only half-heartedly, as she pulled the covers up. She thought she ought to be offended by his taking charge of her, but instead, she felt safe. She didn't really want him to leave.

He didn't. "Another time. Now I will guard your sleep."

She didn't expect to sleep. But his presence was warm and comforting, and she found herself drifting off. Her last thought was of Markus, and the fervent prayer that he would come home soon.

INDEX or forward to Chapter 15 . (August 1)
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