SGC, Earth…
The Infirmary within the SGC base at Cheyenne Mountain was probably the most advanced medical facility on the planet. Medical applications for technologies brought through the Stargate find themselves tested and evaluated here first before it is sent on to Area 51 to begin long-term research and study. It is also where any medical related emergency related to Gate travel is diagnosed and treated by the best health care practitioners in the military. It is also the first line of defense with regards to any diseases brought back by personnel going off world.
In charge, was Doctor Captain Janet Frasier; a small but nonetheless beautiful well figured woman, who more than made up for her lack of height by the sheer force of her personality. Colonel O'Neill liked to refer to her as a 'Napoleonic Power Monger' within her medical domain, as her word was as good as law when it came to medical issues affecting the SGC. She could even 'technically' take command of the entire base if the situation warranted it. The Doctors, nurses and orderlies under her, are her personal little army, always ready to spring into action should the base be compromised due to a contagion.
Harry entered Doctor Frasier's domain with some amount of trepidation. He had to be very cautious when the good Doctor ran her periodic health screenings that he did not…seem above the ordinary, so to speak. In this case, he was rather blessed with the fact that Earth medical science had not yet evolved to the point where they could accurately point to a genetic marker and say 'that does this'. As such he could freely give blood samples for testing. However, it was when any sort of MRI, Cat or EEG scan was done of his brain that he had to consciously suppress his Alteran nature. It was something that Alteran's had long ago learned to do when they wanted to blend in to relatively technologically advanced human societies to observe them.
But, for all the advanced nature of the medicine in the SGC, it could still not predict that Daniel Jackson would suddenly get an infected appendix and had to have it operated. Resulting in a week of downtime for SG1.
Harry approached the bed where Daniel was laying staring up into the ceiling and looking really bored. He was also fidgeting from the occasional stabbing pain coming from the wounded area.
"Aveom, Daniel," said Harry, with a grin, speaking in Alteran. He had been teaching Daniel the spoken version of Ancient for the past few weeks. Daniel could before only work from written Alteran and eventually derive a sound association and dialect, but Harry had offered to teach him when he saw how much he struggled in some of his translations.
"Greetings, Harry," said Daniel automatically.
"How are you feeling?"
"Ummm…painless…no…I mean I'm still in a bit of pain," he replied.
"You should be able to leave in about a week," stated Harry.
"Tell me why can't you use the Goa'uld healing device on me?" he asked with a wince. "Doctor Frasier shot down the idea when I mentioned it to her."
"Sometimes it is better to let nature take its course," said Harry looking apologetic. "The hand healing device is actually a tiny version of a sarcophagus, and you've been through a true sarcophagus twice already…that's one time too many."
"Yeah, I guess," said Daniel.
"Anyway, I came by to give you this," Harry handed a thick leather bound book to him, "my notes from when I learned Ancient from the Asgard. Should keep you from counting the tiles in the roof too much."
"Thanks," said Daniel, eagerly opening the book.
"Take it easy, Ok?"
Harry walked out of the Infirmary and headed back to the laboratory that he and Sam shared. Though it was initially only her laboratory, she had made some space concessions when it became apparent just how much Harry could contribute…and of course, she wanted to be able to observe when Harry was doing anything at all, just in case she sprang upon a new theory or idea and wanted him to help with.
When he entered he saw her staring at a whiteboard with a frown on her face. Harry had drawn an incomplete idea for a new Naquadah reactor sub-assembly on the board, and of course, his labels were done in Alteran.
"Hey," greeted Sam, absentmindedly, staring hard at the whiteboard.
"Trying to solve my problem, heh?" said Harry with a chuckle.
"Trying being the operative word," she said with a sigh. "I wish I had Daniel's affinity for language, I can't make heads or tails of this…just why do you work in the Ancient language?"
"That's like asking why did people stop using Old Shakespearean English in late seventeenth century," said Harry with a grin.
"Oh, so you're saying modern English just doesn't have the vernacular yet to describe some of the science you're working with," she deduced.
"Exactly," he said, "but I will attempt to explain it…the current Naquadah reactor type that you are using is still based off the original Orbanian design; its efficient and powerful, but not yet powerful enough for the purposes of the X-project. The locus for this idea came from Doctor Lee…tell me…have you seen that new movie that's been all the rave lately."
"Ummm…oh yeah, the Matrix? Yes, it's quite good, though a bit too surreal for my tastes…"
"Yes," interrupted Harry trying to keep on topic. "A matrix…define it for me please?"
"That's easy, it's an interconnected system of units…" she trailed off staring at the whiteboard. Harry had drawn a three dimensional model of a cube, and at each intersection of the lines of the cube was a sphere, more spheres were drawn in the center of each square that made up the cube, which was in turn interconnected with all the neighboring spheres. "A Naquadah reactor matrix…"
"Exactly," said Harry with a big grin. "I'm working on the calculations at the moment…"
"Hello folks!" came an awfully cheerful voice. Harry and Sam turned to find Jack O'Neill in civilian clothes consisting of a leather jacket, white shirt and light brown pants, he was obviously getting ready to leave the base, to take a much needed (in his opinion at least) vacation. "Watcha doin?"
"Well, I was originally going to do a detailed analysis of the decay rate of naquadah in the reactor, but then Harry showed me this idea that Dr Lee thought up and…"
"Uh-uh," said Jack, shaking his head to stop her, he obviously sensed the technobabble that he wouldn't understand in a million years about to be heaped onto him. "I'm on vacation."
"Yes, sir," said Sam with a tiny grin.
"So are you both, by the way," he added.
"I know," said Sam. "And I'm pretty sure Harry knows too, but he's stumbled onto something rather big here. And it's not as if I'm happy that Daniel is in excruciating pain or anything, it's just that I've been looking forward to this research for some time."
"You know maybe it's just me," said Jack, "but I always thought that when someone got some leave, one actually…left." Harry shook his head in amusement and added another line to the energy equation on the whiteboard. "Daniel's recouping, Teal'C is off visiting his kid somewhere out there…personally I have a date with a little lake in Minnesota where the Bass grow," he raised his arms and hands wide apart, "…that big."
"Really?" said Sam, with a tiny hint of sarcasm.
"Oh yes!"
"What I'm describing here Carter involves a very special element," said Jack with an expectant look on his face.
"This," she pointed at the reactor and whiteboard, "is fun to me, sir."
"Well, if playing with your little reactor and math equations is more fun than enjoying the natural beauty and wonder of Northern Minnesota, there's not much I can do."
"Was that an invitation, sir?" asked Sam dubiously. Harry had to bite his cheek to keep from breaking out in a grin. Sam and Jack out on a date…now there was something awkward, a relationship between a CO and his 2IC, not exactly something that the armed forces sing praises about.
"Nothing wrong with that, is there?" he asked nonchalantly. "Two co-workers…friends, if you will, fishing? It'll be fun."
"Wow," said Sam, grinning and having to stare at the desk from breaking out into laughter. "I appreciate the offer sir, sounds great," she looked up again, "but I should…"
"No sweat," said Jack dismissively. "See you in a week," he began to walk out of the lab," and by all means…have fun!"
When Jack was gone Harry couldn't help but let out a snort of suppressed laughter. "Do you even know how to fish, Major?"
"I can count on one hand the times I've gone with my father," said Sam. "Anyway, I think I better go after him…I don't want him to get the wrong impression…"
"And what impression do you want him to have, Major?" asked Harry teasingly, twinkles in his eyes. Sam spluttered in incomprehension before deciding that retreat was the better part of valor in the conversation and hurried out of the lab after her CO.
Harry shook his head in amusement and turned back to the whiteboard. He held the marker above the board…this equation just doesn't want to factor out, dammit…he thought…just as he was about to scribble a correction he felt the world around him being engulfed in white light and the familiar hum of an Asgard transporter beam.
Harry blinked in surprise and found himself standing in front of a large curved window that overlooked the marble blue and white of Earth. He could hear the familiar hum of an Asgard ship behind him, a look to his right also confirmed that he was not alone. Jack was standing next to him still entranced by the view of Earth.
"Colonel," said Harry.
"Yes, what?" he snapped, "oh, you got snatched up too, heh?"
"Indeed," said Harry and turned around in confusion. They had been beamed into a t-junction corridor quite far away from where he knew the bridge and other vital systems to be…but why? "Let's try to find Thor, shall we, this is most definitely his ship."
Harry and Jack walked down the junction cautiously, looking down other corridors that led if other directions. Eventually they saw a half open door that flashed occasionally with a blue light and strange whirring mechanical sounds reached their ears.
Before they could even get near the door however, the source of the sounds appeared and Harry gasped in realization. Approaching them were about nine mechanical-looking bug like machines that stood only about half a foot off the ground, they were colored in a neon purple, and seemed to be composed of numerous individual identical blocks that formed an approximation of an insect shape.
"What the hell?" said Jack in astonishment.
"Shit! Get against the wall and don't move!" said Harry and pushed Jack against the wall and put his own back to the wall not a moment later.
The mechanical bugs were now joined by numerous others and scurried forward relentlessly along the ground towards the point where both he and Jack had transported. A few of the bugs decided to crawl along the walls and right over Harry, who grabbed it and flung it down the corridor towards the transport site. Finally the last of them passed and clustered to the window…before finally finding nothing and the swarm went in various directions again.
"This is bad, very bad," said Harry worriedly.
"What was that?"
"You recall that enemy that's worse than the Goa'uld that Thor and I have hinted about," said Harry with a sigh. "Well, you've just met them."
"Those…technobugs are worse…how?"
"The 'technobugs' as you so eloquently put it, are the enemy of the Asgard. We call them…Replicators. Thor's ship must have become infested with them in a recent battle."
"Correct deduction, Tyr," came Thor's voice from the PA system of the ship. "I am in the port forward auxiliary control room…we must hurry."
"This way," said Harry, gesturing for Jack to follow and they ran down a corridor turning left and took another two rights before finally approaching a solid neutronium door. Harry touched the jewel control on the side and the door parted to reveal the large control room with a high ceiling and strangely enough only two control pedestals and a portable Asgard biobed upon which Thor himself was laid out.
"Thor!" said Harry in alarm, the Asgard was very pale. He ran over to biobed and immediately consulted the readings.
"Are you ok, Thor?" said Jack, looking astonished at the Asgard's condition.
"I…am dying," said Thor weakly.
"What happened?"
"It is, as you humans say, a long story," said Thor droningly. "Tyr?"
"Yes, Thor?" said Harry, standing next to the biobed.
"Information you need are in the stones…you must…destroy the ship, prevent the Replicators from reaching…Earth…forgive me…" and with that the small Asgard fell into unconsciouness.
Jack placed a palm on Thor's chest and was relived to find breathing. "So any idea just how we are going to destroy this ship?" Harry walked over to one of the control pedestals and started to move the jewels and type rapidly. A holographic screen appeared ahead and started to scroll with information written in Asgard.
"Well, it seems," said Harry, frowning at the display. "That when the ship became infested, the Replicators learned of Earth from the Beliskner's computer. They then set a course to come here. The crew was transported off by Thor before they left the Ida Galaxy, and then he destroyed the outgoing transporter technology to stop the Replicators from simply beaming themselves onto Earth once they arrived."
"Sooo…that means we're stuck here?"
"In essence…yes," said Harry mock cheerfully. "And it gets even better…I can think of no safe and reliable way to destroy this ship."
"What?" asked Jack incredulously. "You're supposed to be all…'Asgardian' and you have no idea how to destroy this ship."
"I do have an idea, its just not safe," said Harry patiently.
"Well, what is it?"
"No amount of conventional explosives, even placed strategically throughout the ship will destroy it, as the Beliskner is equipped with dampening fields which activate in the case of internal explosions. The only thing powerful enough to overwhelm the dampening fields is a fusion bomb."
"There is no way we are setting off a fusion bomb," said Jack flatly. "The EMP will fry every satellite on this side of the globe, not to mention computers on the ground."
"I realize that, Colonel," snapped Harry. "But it's only weapon Earth has that will do the job."
"Doesn't this ship have a self-destruct?"
"No," sighed Harry. "If there is one failing the Asgard have, then it's their overconfidence in their own technology. They just don't think it would be possible for the need to ever arise to blow up one of their own ships."
"Urgghhh, typical," said Jack rolling his eyes. "Well, when we get out of this, I'm going to have a heart to heart with Thor about that. Listen, I'm sure you'll figure something out with conventional explosives, the BF8 is enhanced with naquadah, it should give a lot more bang than usual."
"Fine," sighed Harry, "I think we better appraise the SGC of the situation."
"How?"
"You see that white glowing circle in the center of the floor," said Harry, turning back to the pedestal and pressing controls faster than Jack could follow. "Step into it." Jack frowned for a moment uncertainly but then did as instructed. "OK, I'm going to project a living image of yourself directly into the briefing room, it'll interface directly with your mind and it will feel as if you're actually standing in the briefing room, ready?"
"Cool, go for it," said Jack, rubbing his hands together
A soft white glow encompassed Jack from the floor and he started as his mind was linked to the holographic image being projected into the briefing room of the SGC. It was just in time it seemed. Teal'C had apparently arrived back, and he, General Hammond and Sam were sitting at the table discussing what apparently the Asgard were up to by yanking Harry and Jack out of the SGC.
"Sir?" said Sam in astonishment.
"Ah, General, Teal'C, Carter, there you are," he said shaking his head, "this one weird hologram."
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Well. I need two SPAS-12s, a BF8, ten pounds of PBX and two USASs (semi-automatic shotgun), at the…where Ambassador?…oh, base of the Stargate in ten minutes."
"That's a lot of explosives, sir," stated Sam dubiously.
"May I ask why?" said General Hammond.
"Well, basically, Thor's ship has been overrun by a bunch of nasty technobugs," said Jack ruefully.
"Were the Asgard not able to defeat them?" asked Teal'C.
"Nope," said Jack.
"So, sir, are you saying that these bugs are technological?"
"Yeah, apparently they plan to land the ship and infest Earth," said Jack darkly. "According to the Ambassador, that would be a very bad thing."
"So what are you going to do?" asked the General.
"Destroy the ship, somehow," said Jack nonchalantly.
"Where's Thor?"
"He's here," affirmed Jack. "Though not feeling too well."
"Well, we can be ready to go in ten minutes, the Ambassador can transport us up there…"
"Thank you, Carter, but that's not going to happen," said Jack resolutely. "We can beam stuff up, but the beaming down gadget was destroyed by Thor to keep the bugs contained within the ship for as long as possible."
"But sir, if you and the Ambassador can't get off the ship…" began Sam with a worried frown on her face.
"Yeah, we know…look, my time is almost up here…have everything ready to go in ten minutes," ordered Jack. "Wish us luck."
"Sir…" said Sam, but was interrupted.
"That's an order, Carter, and it's final."
"Good luck, Colonel," said General Hammond with a worried frown.
Jack stepped out of the circle and Harry shut down the hologram communicator.
"So…" said Jack, rubbing his hands together. "Any ideas yet?"
"Not yet, but something will come to me," said Harry with a frown. "Right now, let's just focus on getting equipped, unless we plan to scribble the Replicators to death," Harry threw the whiteboard marker, which he had put in the pocket of his chromesuit, away, and began to type in a command sequence for the transporter. "Tell me, Colonel, how did you know that the PR7s wouldn't work against the Replicators?"
"They don't?" asked Jack with a frown.
"No," said Harry, "Replicators are able to adapt themselves to harmlessly absorb any form of energy based weapon."
"I just thought that shotguns are the best weapons to use indoors," said Jack, shrugging.
"Ok," said Harry, stepping away from the pedestal, "I've programmed the transport sequence. Now since the replicators are attracted to the energy pulse of the transporter, we're going to have to grab the gear and get out of there as quickly as possible."
"Got it," nodded Jack. Harry pressed the appropriate symbol on the pedestal and ran out of the control room, with Jack following in his wake. They turned right, followed a curving corridor and turned left, went down that corridor, and eventually arrived the appropriate cargo hold. Harry opened the door, and he and Jack stepped in, halting a few feet from the door to give the equipment enough room to materialize. A few seconds passed…and then multiple columns of light of various height appeared in front of them.
The equipment appeared, in addition to a fully geared up Sam and Teal'C. Harry sighed in frustration.
"Dammit! I gave you people a direct order!" snapped Jack.
"General Hammond, overruled you, sir," said Sam, handing Jack a SPAS-12 pump action shotgun and combat vest. "We have a way off the ship."
"But we do not have time for a chat," stated Harry, grabbing the proffered USAS and combat vest from Teal'C and putting it on. "The Replicators will have detected the transport and are on their way. Grab everything you can and follow me." Harry picked up the heavy case which stored the BF8, while Jack and Teal'C carried a largo cargo cylinder between them and Sam picked up the case full of PBX explosive. They had no choice but to leave the second cargo cylinder behind.
It was just as they cleared the cargo hold that the replicators began to swarm into it.
Jack pushed the jewel to close the door behind them, but four replicators had managed to get into the corridor before it close. The replicators twittered menacingly at them and Teal'C raised a Zat gun and fired. The coiling blue energy merely pushed back the replicator he had been aiming at. Teal'C fired twice more, again to no effect.
Harry put the BF8 canister on the floor and hefted the USAS and fired two shots in quick succession. The replicators exploded into their constituent blocks. Jack also fired two shots with his SPAS, the last two replicators also exploded.
Teal'C had gotten rid of his Zat gun and now also sported a SPAS shotgun, just as two replicators reformed themselves out of the mass of exploded blocks. Jack and Teal'C's shotguns barked once and both replicators exploded again…they waited…the blocks remained inert.
"Well, it seems that normal projectile weapons work like a charm," commented Harry. They picked up their equipment again and followed Harry's lead through the ship, at a considerably slower pace.
They eventually returned to the auxiliary control room dumping the equipment along the sides of the room to find that Thor was awake again.
"Hey, Thor, good to see you haven't left us yet," said Harry with a happy grin. Thor cocked his head to look at Sam and Teal'C.
"Why did you bring them?" he asked weakly.
"They invited themselves," shrugged Harry. "But I'm looking forward to hearing why they would willingly choose to come."
"We believed we could be of assistance," said Teal'C stoically.
"Now you will all die," said Thor sadly.
"Actually, we don't think so," said Sam. "Sir, there's a shuttle prepping on the launch pad, if we can transmit the co-ordinates to NASA, they can be here in a matter of hours. We also brought space suits, in case an EVA is required."
"This pod I am in," said Thor, "can generate an anti-gravity field, making it easy to move."
"Does this ship have an airlock?"
"Yes," said Thor.
"But we first have get a viable idea for destroying the ship, which I have no idea yet how to do," said Harry, he turned to Sam, "maybe it's good that you came after all. Your intellectual presence is of benefit to my own." Sam seemed flattered at the complement. So Harry explained again about the dampening fields.
"I think you must show Samantha Carter the technical specifications of the ship," suggested Thor. "Between the two of you, I'm sure you can solve this dilemma."
"Ok," said Harry, gesturing for Sam to follow him to the control pedestal. Harry moved a jewel with his left hand, while his right tapped Asgard symbols at breakneck speeds. The holographic screen flared to life and graphic of the Beliskner appeared, which became transparent and three giant engines that spanned the length of the ship was highlighted. "All Asgard ships of this class are powered by three neutrino-ion generators, they each deliver about oh…about a hundred thousand terawatts of energy per second…"
Sam looked duly impressed.
It took Harry almost half an hour to get Sam up to speed on the Beliskner's systems to her own satisfaction. And it seemed that even she was coming up empty as to a means to use normal explosives to destroy the ship, even though she thought of a few new suggestions, but Thor shot down each suggestion, mentioning some or other safeguard that would kick in and protect the ship.
"Let's try a different approach," stated Sam, turning to Thor, "tell me anything you can about the Replicators?"
"They were discovered on an isolated planet in our home galaxy, some time ago, the creators were not present," said Thor.
"Most likely destroyed by their own creation," commented Teal'C.
"The Replicators were brought aboard an Asgard ship, for study, before the danger could be fully comprehended."
"We do that all the time," said Jack ruefully. "Kind of expected more from you guys."
"Overconfidence in our technology has been our undoing," said Thor, "the entities learned from the very means that were employed to stop them. They have become a plague on our galaxy, that is annihilating everything in its path."
"Why haven't they landed the ship already?" asked Jack.
"Their odds for survival in a new environment, depend on numbers, they are currently feeding off the ship and replicating," answered Thor.
"You're saying they're actually eating the ship," said Sam incredulously.
"They are ingesting the alloys, yes, and they will continue until they risk compromising the integrity of the hull. Then they will land, in search for more raw materials."
"How intelligent are they?"
"Their capacity for learning is great," said Thor darkly, "each entity is capable of individual behaviour. Yet, they all act, with a common purpose."
"Which is?" asked Jack.
"Self replication."
"And there does not appear to be a way to stop them," said Teal'C with a raised eyebrow.
"Perhaps there is," said Harry thoughtfully. "The only weakness that I can think of, the only weakness that an Asgard ship has in fact, is that the hull cannot withstand extremely high temperatures."
"You serious?" said Jack in askance. "All this technology and this ship can't take heat?" Harry nodded.
"Yes! That's it," said Sam snapping her fingers. "When the replicators try to land the ship we just have to alter its trajectory so that it comes in at too steep an angle, and make it an uncontrolled re-entry."
"We would have to gain control of the navigational computer to do that, and it is located on the bridge," said Harry. "An area that is likely to be swarming with Replicators."
"How would you know?" asked Jack with a sigh.
"All computer command pathways for the ship lead there, there would have to be Replicators there interfacing with the systems…how else could they have piloted the ship to Earth. However, I think the Replicators should have left the cargo bay where our remaining equipment is located, if you and Teal'C can go and get it, the Major, Thor and I will work on another way of disabling the ship's navigation."
"Will the Replicators not have consumed our equipment?" asked Teal'C stoically.
"No," said Thor. "The Replicators only consume and learn from that which is new and more advanced than themselves."
"Ok," said Jack, hefting his shotgun, "let's go T."
For the twenty minutes that Jack and Teal'C were away Sam and Harry analyzed each piece of navigation and propulsion technology the Beliskner had. However, their considerations were interrupted when they heard a muted hiss of pain coming from Thor.
"Are you OK?" asked a worried Sam, coming over to Thor's biobed.
"I dare not use the ship's automated medical systems; if the Replicators have tampered with it, it could kill me," explained Thor in a weak voice.
"Well, I brought a medical kit, and I have field medical training."
"Major…" prompted Harry, gesturing for her to come closer. "Asgard physiology is too different from our own, any medicines you have would likely only make the situation worse."
"But he's getting visibly weaker…" she argued in turn.
"Yes, but that pod he is in can put him into a stasis field and preserve his life should it come to that," said Harry, turning back to the control pedestal.
"Harry is correct, Samantha Carter," said Thor. "If I go into critical condition, the pod will give a visible warning, only then should you engage the stasis field…until that time, however, I can still be of some assistance."
Teal'C and Jack returned at that point, carrying the remaining cargo cylinder and the rest of the PBX explosives.
"We don't have much time folks," said Jack, "the Replicators are eating through the walls and I think it won't be long before they decide to have a snack on Earth."
"And I found our solution," said Harry, tapping a few symbols on the screen and highlighting an engine on the port aft quarter of the ship. "Now…the dampening fields will stop explosions inside the ship. But not outside."
"What about the shields then?" asked Sam.
"They would not protect against a weapon already within the perimeter of the force field," he went on to explain. "This engine is called the Deceleration Drive, its basically what's used when the ship wants to enter a planet's atmosphere. We place the BF8 on the engine and just as the Replicators land the ship we destroy the Deceleration Drive…"
"…causing the ship to spin out of control and burn up in Earth's atmosphere," finished Sam with a grin.
"Someone will then have to place the explosive outside of this vessel," said Teal'C stoically.
"Of course they are," said Jack, rubbing his eyes wearily.
Sam and Teal'C went off to ready the space suits for the upcoming EVA, while Harry highlighted a route on the holographic screen for Jack to follow towards the port airlock. Jack noticed however when Teal'C started to put on the space suit.
"Hey, shouldn't I be the one doing this?"
"There is a radiation concern, sir," said Sam, as she helped Teal'C to climb into the solid thick pants of the space suit.
"My symbiote protects me from prolonged exposure to any form of radiation," said Teal'C neutrally.
"Ah, I see," said Jack, suddenly looking none too enthusiastic about the EVA.
When Teal'C was fully suited up and the BF8 attached to a cord that would keep it attached to him in the zero gravity outside the ship, he and Jack left the control room again, their place slowed considerably due to the bulky space suit.
Harry and Sam monitored their progress toward the airlock by using thermal sensors overlaid with a graphic of the ship. Luckily it seemed that the Replicators had not yet overrun the airlock as yet. Harry watched as Teal'C's blip on the sensors carefully as he moved into the airlock. It was depressurized and finally the Jaffa was outside, carefully using the various protrusions on the ship's hull as makeshift handrails…it was something akin to mountain climbing, you loose your grip…you're dead.
Finally, after half an hour of careful moving, Teal'C was over the Deceleration Drive.
"OK, Teal'C," said Harry, keying his radio. "That's it. The drive is right in front of you. Stick the BF8 face down onto the hull and get out of there."
"Understood."
Teal'C took about a minute to securely fasten the device and arm it. And then, he began the long trip back. When Teal'C was almost to the airlock again, Jack's voice crackled over the radio link. "Yo, Teal'C, I think you better step on it. I can hear Replicators nearby."
"I'm almost there, O'Neill," gasped Teal'C back.
It was then that things began to go wrong. Harry saw the computer report that the open outer hatch of the airlock had shut. He knew that Jack would never do such a thing, not while Teal'C was still outside. Harry traced the last command pathway to the airlock door and swore.
"Is it the Replicators?" asked Sam.
"Yes," said Harry, his fingers tapping furiously on the pedestal, trying to override the lockout.
"Ambassador?" asked Jack, in a sing-song voice. Harry knew he too, had discovered the problem.
"I know, I'm working on it!" snapped Harry back. Teal'C in the meantime had paused outside the airlock and was thumbing the exterior buttons, trying to get in.
"The door will not open."
"I know, Teal'C, sit sight I'm working on it," said Harry into his radio. Then, Murphy's law decided to make it's very welcome presence felt.
"Teal'C's oxygen tank just blew!" said Jack urgently over the radio.
"O'Neill!" shouted Teal'C desperately.
"Quick, use the transporter," said Sam. Harry only nodded and he hastily moved the jewel in his left hand to Transporter control, while his right tapped in the coordinates.
"Ambassador!" prompted Jack.
"Shit and Damn and a thousand curses!" snapped Harry. "Colonel, the transport array covering that side of the ship has been knocked off line by the Replicators…the only way we can get him inside is if he pushed off the ship so that one of the other arrays can pick him up."
Jack cursed and relayed the message. Harry watched anxiously as the thermal dot that represented Teal'C pushed itself off the side of the ship and began to drift away.
"Isn't there some way to adjust the closest array?" asked Sam with worry.
"Not in the time Teal'C has left," said Harry. Just then, another beeping alarm went off, this time coming from Thor's biopod…the small Asgard's biosigns were reaching critical levels. "Sam! Quick! Press the large jewel on the right side of the bed, second from the top." She ran over and did so…a dark shield of plastic materialized over Thor, completely encasing the pod and sealed it.
"I'm going to find Murphy someday and shoot him!" groused Harry and turned his attention back to Teal'C.
"Ambassador!"
"He's coming into range…now!" Harry tapped the control, and Teal'C vanished from outside the ship and appeared in the corridor next to Jack. "Whew."
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Teal'C and Jack came back into the control room, where Sam was waiting to get the space suit off.
"Sorry for the trouble, guys," said Harry. "But that was the last airlock untouched by the Replicators, guess they went back to round up their handiwork." Jack glanced at the biopod capsule.
"What happened?"
"Thor was dying, we had to put him into stasis."
"So, now what?"
"We wait and blow the bomb at the right time," said Sam, pulling off the oxygen connector hoses on the space suit.
"Which is when?"
"When we start to enter the atmosphere," said Harry, turning to the control pedestal. "Too early, and the re-entry could be aborted by the Replicators…too late, and the BF8 will burn off the hull and be of no use."
"Can you fix the beam down thing, so we can get out of here just as we blow it?" asked Jack.
"I cannot fix this ship's outward transporter in the time available," said Harry shaking his head. "But I do have a way for us off this ship."
"How?" asked Sam curiously, as she unzipped the back of Teal'C space suit.
"If I tell you," said Harry, turning to them, looking dead serious. "Will you keep this a secret, even from your own superiors?" Sam frowned confusion.
"That would depend on what the secret was," said Jack.
"Well, after your undercover operation two months ago, which allowed us to shut down the illegal National Intelligence Directorate (NID) off world base, which was stealing technology, I came to the conclusion that these rogue NID elements on Earth would stop at nothing to achieve any of their selfishly appointed goals. One of the concerns I had was that they would kidnap me and coerce me into providing technologies that I deemed Earth was not mature enough to have."
"I don't think that would happen," said Sam thoughtfully. "You have Ambassadorial status and if your person was ever harmed or kidnapped, the Asgard would step in."
"They would," agreed Harry. "But that would take time…so, to get to the point, I installed an automated Asgard transporter module in your lab Major, and shifted it out of phase. In the skin and flesh between my left forefinger and thumb is a tiny hidden subspace transponder. I only need to squeeze it and the module will activate and transport me back into the good Major's lab."
"Wow, but how does that help us?" said Sam.
"As long as you are all holding onto me, you will be taken along for the ride," said Harry with a grin.
"I can keep this secret," stated Teal'C, who finally stepped out of his space suit. Sam nodded in agreement.
"I'll do it," said Jack. "But only if you give all of us transponders as well. You never know when the NID might decide to do the same to us."
"Very well," said Harry. "Then in our report we will state that I managed to fix an outbound transporter. OK?" Everyone nodded.
"Well, we better let Hammond know what to expect," said Jack and stepped into the hologram transmitter circle. Harry walked over to the control pedestal and shifted the jewel into the appropriate spot…only to get no response from the system. "Anytime now?"
"The Replicators have disabled it," sighed Harry with a sigh. His words were punctuated by the sound of the Replicators moving through the walls in the control room. A rumbling echoed through the ship as the engines powered up. "We're beginning our descent," said Harry darkly staring at the computer, he made a quick note of the ship's altitude and rate of descent…made a quick mental calculation and rushed to Thor's pod.
He jumped on top of it and found a seat above the transparent stasis bubble. Jack and Teal'C hurried over to the right side of the pod and grabbed onto Harry's elbow and shoulder respectively. Sam approached from the other side and grabbed onto the crook of his left elbow.
"Now this is a Kodak moment," said Jack wryly, as the ship began to enter the atmosphere and a loud rumble permeated the hull. But it seemed the Replicators were not content to just leave them alone. The control jewel of the door to the control room melted away and it allowed space for a single file of Replicators to enter.
Jack hefted his USAS and began to shoot shot after shot of shotgun shells at the Replicators. It would have been fine if that was it. But it seemed the Replicators had gained control of the door as well as it parted to allow a veritable flood of Replicators to stream in.
Harry and Teal'C brought their USAS's to bear and began loosing off shots as fast as they could squeeze the trigger. The noise of the shotguns and exploding Replicators was deafening and pretty soon Sam's M16 joined in the chorus of destruction, as more Replicators streamed in from other points of the room and the ceiling.
"Ambassador!" prompted Jack.
"Not yet!" screamed Harry back.
They group continued firing, Replicators kept exploding, but their numbers were too great.
"Ambassador!" shouted Jack.
"Noo..t YET!" said Harry, putting a new clip into his USAS and resuming their defense.
A veritable tide of Replicators stormed the room…Harry pulled out the remote control for the BF8 waited two seconds and pressed the button…the ship rocked from the sudden loss of the engine…Harry dropped the remote and shouted, "NOW!" The group grabbed a hold of him as he thumbed the transponder in his hand…