Chapter Text
When the doorbell rang, she had been trying to figure out how to locate the endpoint of a wormhole. Something she had been discussing with a colleague for some time now. She had been a little surprised by the sound, but welcomed the break. Or more precisely, she had welcomed the break until she had opened the door and found two lieutenants of the Air Force standing in front of her. Of course, she was somewhat used to seeing soldiers, but having them show up late at night on her front door? That was definitely something she didn’t like.
“Are you Dr Jim Alexander?”
She nodded slowly, wondering what they wanted from her.
“We must ask you to come with us, your presence has been requested in a matter of utmost importance to the national security.”
Odd. Very odd. And vague, but that she was used to form the Air Force. Raising an eyebrow at the men in front of her, Jim sighed. Who was she to disobey such politely delivered orders? So she gave the men a quick nod and returned inside to get her laptop and the bag she had always pack for emergencies. One of the lieutenants took it off her, leaving her only with her handbag. They escorted her to a SUV.
Early morning, they arrived at a military facility called Cheyenne Mountain Complex, in Colorado. The two lieutenants that had so far accompanied her now left. In their stead a sergeant came and escorted her to an office, where he knocked and peaked inside
“Dr Alexander would be here now.”
“Bring him in.”
The sergeant nodded at Jim and stepped aside to let her enter. Which she did. Inside was a General, sitting at his desk, looking equally exhausted as she was. Though his expression changed from tired to astonished as he saw her.
“Dr Alexander?”
“Yes Sir.”
“Jim Alexander?”
“Yes Sir.”
Still astonished, he nodded.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think you were a woman. However, that does not matter right now. Please sit.”
So she did and he handed her a cup of coffee, which she gratefully took.
“You certainly wonder why you have been brought here in this manner.”
“The question crossed my mind once or twice.”
The general mustered a smile, before continuing seriously.
“Major Carter told me, that you were an expert on wormholes?”
“I am considered one, yes.”
“Very well. What I will tell you now is top secret and must remain so for the sake of everyone.”
“Yes Sir.”
Before the general, who now introduced himself as General George Hammond, told her anything he had her sign an agreement of confidentiality. After that, he took her to the adjoining room. A conference room with windows on one side, looking into a large room with a giant, upright stone circle in it.
“What you see down there is called a Stargate. It enabled us to establish a stable wormhole between this Stargate and one on other planets.”
“Stable wormholes?”
“Yes Doctor. But Major Carter will be more qualified to explain this to you. She is our expert on that matter.”
“Wait, Dr Sam Carter?”
“Yes. She is the one that requested your help. Two days ago, she and her team were attacked while on an alien planet. Major Carter got separated from the rest when she was knocked unconscious. As it seems, the leader of the team drew the attackers away from her in order to prevent her capture. However, when Major Carter woke up again, he and the other two team members were gone.”
Jim nodded silently, still unsure what she had to do with all this.
“Since she came back, Carter has tried to figure out where her team was taken. Apparently, she has been working on a theory on how to locate a destination, after the connection has been severed.”
“And here I come in as I have been too.”
“More successfully, I might add.”
Surprised by the new voice, both turned around to see a blond woman standing behind them.
“Dr Alexander, I presume.”
“Yes.”
“You’re a woman.”
“So are you. Tell me, Dr Carter, what have you done so far to find them?”
“Well, I’ll leave you to it. Doctor, you are given a guest quarter for the time you’ll be here. Major Carter can show it to you later.”
He nodded and returned to his office. The scientist, too, left the room, going to Dr Carter’s lab, while she filled Jim in.
“So, to be clear, all those things we’ve been discussing as theoretical, you have not only known to be true, but have actually practically applied them?”
Carter seemed a little uncomfortable as she agreed.
“Once we’ve rescued your team, you must tell me all about it. Now, however, explain to me how the Stargate works exactly.”
It was around midday when Jim had fully understood the functionality of the Stargate and began to comprehend everything she had been told so far.
“How about we take a break and get something to eat before we start working on a solution? Giving you a little time to deal with all that.”
“Excellent idea.”
So, they went for dinner. While sitting in the cafeteria, they talked a little.
“I really didn’t expect you to be a woman. I mean, Jim isn’t a woman’s name.”
“Well, no. It’s just the short form of Jamie, but Dr Jamie Alexander sounds a little unprofessional. Jim Alexander sounds a lot better. I, by no means, intended to deceive you, my apologize. But, if I may, I hadn’t expected you to be a woman either, Sam Carter.”
That made Carter laugh, “You’re right.”
Soon after, they retuned to Sam’s lab, and began working on a solution. But they couldn’t find anything that was neither impossible nor completely ludicrous. Eventually, they had to give up for the night, since Jim hadn’t slept in more than two days and was barely able to stay awake anymore. The upcoming days didn’t change that. They hadn’t talked much about anything other then the problem at hand. Until, on Jim’s fourth day at the base, after another idea turned out to be impossible, she sighed deeply and turned around to Sam.
“Tell me about that team of yours. I’m tired of staring at a screen.”
Sam nodded, one could only stare at a screen for so long without going crazy. She reached at a picture frame, handing it to Jim.
“That’s them. The tall, muscular one is Teal’c. He’s a Jaffa. An alien. That one here is our Colonel, Jack O’Neill and the skinny one is Dr Daniel Jackson, he’s our archaeologist and linguist.”
Slowly, Jim nodded, shocked by the smiling face of Jonathan O’Neill. He looked older than the last time she had seen him, then again, he was. Only after a few moments, Jim realised that she not only recognized him but also the name of the third man, though they had never met, they had been corresponding with each other for almost three years now.
“You actually somewhat remind me of Colonel O’Neill, you have a similar humour.”
Corresponding… of course! Stargates had to be communication with each other in order to establish wormholes.
“I think I’ve got an idea!”
“Really? How? What?”
“Tell me, how do you dial the Gate on other planets. Here you use a computer build for that purpose.”
“The DHD, Dial Home Device. It’s practically our computer just in better.”
“So, it is a computer?”
“A very advanced one, but I guess yeah. Why?”
The vague idea began to turn into a solid theory.
“I think we’ve approached that all wrong. We don’t have the technology to recreate the path of a wormhole after it disestablished, we barely can follow an active one. But what if the DHD saves dialled addresses?”
“But that would mean we could just look up the address in the DHD’s system and dial it”
“Just like a ring back key!”
Sam’s face lit up in excitement, then she frowned, “I’m not sure if I can find the right address by myself.”
“Take me with you. Together we should manage, and then we go rescue your friends.”
Sam sighed, though she liked the idea, it would be very hard to sell to the General to bring along a civilian without any training.
She had been right, General Hammond was anything but happy about the proposition.
“Definitely not, Major. You can’t bring a civilian on a rescue mission!”
“We bring Daniel along all the time! He’s a civilian too. You brought her in so that she can help me find them. I still need her help! Please, Sir. It may be our only chance to get them back.”
“Who will be held accountable if something goes wrong? What if something happens to her? What if she is killed?”
“Then she will die saving lives.”
Until now, Jim had quietly listened to the debate, but now had enough
“Sir, if I may, I am a grown woman, responsible for my own decisions. I want to go on this mission. And yes General, I am aware of the dangers. This isn’t my first rescue. And I doubt it will be my last, Sir. I am capable of defending myself if it becomes necessary. Please let me help. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
For several moments, the General looked back and forth between the women, then sighed.
“If you insist. Major, you will be accompanied by SGs 9 and 12. You leave in an hour. Get her ready. Please bring them all back alive.”
“Yes Sir, thank you.”