Newbie Fic
Title: Three things Jack doesn't know about the quantum mirror, and one he does
Rating: G. Or possibly PG, for one tiny curse word.
Character: Jack
Word count: 520
Notes: I am currently on a beta-hunt, but I wanted to post something before I lost my nerve. Thus, criticism and pointing out of glaring errors are doubly welcome. Also, SG-1 obviously belongs to MGM and I stole Terry Pratchett's trousers.
He doesn't know how it works. Carter explained it to him once (twice, actually, and then a third time, with small words and big diagrams), but all he remembers is something about a fork, and how every decision creates another possibility. It reminds him of something he read in one of Cassie's books about the trousers of time.
It has absolutely nothing to do with magnets.
*****
Ours is the only reality that matters.
But that sounds very like "Ours is the only world that matters", and even though Jack would always, unhesitatingly, without doubt, do whatever he could to protect Earth, he's not sure (anymore) that it should be done at the expense of other worlds.
Because once you start caring only about your own world, it's just a short step to caring only about your own country. Jack is an officer of the United States Air Force; he has served in the protection of his country for all his adult life, he has fought and killed and almost died for his country. He thinks there is a difference between a country worth defending and a government out for what they can get.
Care only about your own universe, your own world, your own country, your own family, yourself.
So he goes and gears up with Daniel and the other Kawalsky, and tries not to think about how his friend died. Then they all head off to Oz to avert someone else's apocalypse.
*****
"In the first alternate reality we encountered, you and Sam were engaged. In the second, you were married. Starting to notice a trend, here."
"Have you noticed that in both those realities, I'm dead?"
"Uh, yes, I suppose that is a somewhat negative point."
"Excuse me? You suppose it's somewhat negative? Well, thank you for the heart-warming sentiment, Daniel. I might mention that you're dead too, y'know."
"Only in one reality, actually. Although it is interesting that I wasn't part of the SGC in either of them."
"...Are you suggesting that your presence is the only thing keeping me alive?"
"Well, it's either that or Sam being military. I suppose we could try to figure out which is the deciding factor, but it seems unnecessarily risky, to be honest."
"Again, thank you for the sentiment. So, I should keep you around and make sure Carter doesn't resign. Got it."
"Yeah. Jack, you do realise that it's not quite that simple? And I'm not sure about being objectified as some kind of lucky charm - "
"Daniel? Shut up."
*****
Somewhere, in one of the infinite possibilities, there is a Jack O'Neill who has a wife and a half-grown son and thoughts of retirement. Jack could hate him - after all, he has enough self-loathing to share across several universes - and he should definitely be jealous of him, but the closest he's ever managed is to hope that the guy continues to not mess up. Because it's just as likely that somewhere there is a Jack O'Neill who died without ever seeing his son, and a Jack O'Neill who never met Sara at all, and compared to those poor bastards, this reality isn't too bad.
Rating: G. Or possibly PG, for one tiny curse word.
Character: Jack
Word count: 520
Notes: I am currently on a beta-hunt, but I wanted to post something before I lost my nerve. Thus, criticism and pointing out of glaring errors are doubly welcome. Also, SG-1 obviously belongs to MGM and I stole Terry Pratchett's trousers.
He doesn't know how it works. Carter explained it to him once (twice, actually, and then a third time, with small words and big diagrams), but all he remembers is something about a fork, and how every decision creates another possibility. It reminds him of something he read in one of Cassie's books about the trousers of time.
It has absolutely nothing to do with magnets.
*****
Ours is the only reality that matters.
But that sounds very like "Ours is the only world that matters", and even though Jack would always, unhesitatingly, without doubt, do whatever he could to protect Earth, he's not sure (anymore) that it should be done at the expense of other worlds.
Because once you start caring only about your own world, it's just a short step to caring only about your own country. Jack is an officer of the United States Air Force; he has served in the protection of his country for all his adult life, he has fought and killed and almost died for his country. He thinks there is a difference between a country worth defending and a government out for what they can get.
Care only about your own universe, your own world, your own country, your own family, yourself.
So he goes and gears up with Daniel and the other Kawalsky, and tries not to think about how his friend died. Then they all head off to Oz to avert someone else's apocalypse.
*****
"In the first alternate reality we encountered, you and Sam were engaged. In the second, you were married. Starting to notice a trend, here."
"Have you noticed that in both those realities, I'm dead?"
"Uh, yes, I suppose that is a somewhat negative point."
"Excuse me? You suppose it's somewhat negative? Well, thank you for the heart-warming sentiment, Daniel. I might mention that you're dead too, y'know."
"Only in one reality, actually. Although it is interesting that I wasn't part of the SGC in either of them."
"...Are you suggesting that your presence is the only thing keeping me alive?"
"Well, it's either that or Sam being military. I suppose we could try to figure out which is the deciding factor, but it seems unnecessarily risky, to be honest."
"Again, thank you for the sentiment. So, I should keep you around and make sure Carter doesn't resign. Got it."
"Yeah. Jack, you do realise that it's not quite that simple? And I'm not sure about being objectified as some kind of lucky charm - "
"Daniel? Shut up."
*****
Somewhere, in one of the infinite possibilities, there is a Jack O'Neill who has a wife and a half-grown son and thoughts of retirement. Jack could hate him - after all, he has enough self-loathing to share across several universes - and he should definitely be jealous of him, but the closest he's ever managed is to hope that the guy continues to not mess up. Because it's just as likely that somewhere there is a Jack O'Neill who died without ever seeing his son, and a Jack O'Neill who never met Sara at all, and compared to those poor bastards, this reality isn't too bad.