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dieastraSeason: Season 7
Spoiler: many, but most of them for “The Simpsons” Brief mentions of „Solitudes“, „Frozen“, „Gamekeeper“, „Tangent“, „Prodigy“ and „Disclosure“.
Rating: C
Category: Crossover, Humor
Word count: 5.459
Summary: Jack is pulled into his favourite TV-Show. Sam, Daniel and Teal’c desperately try to get him out…
Authors Note: I wrote this story long before Rick for real became a part of this series. So please believe me that any similarities are coincidences. And as for the Air Force manual and “to macgyver” – that’s true! Many thanks as always to CoriKay for the quick beta and a tiny part also was done by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lothithil- it's finally finished! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
It’s A Yellow World (Jack and “The Simpsons”)
Friday evening. Jack sighed, relieved to be sitting in his favourite recliner and opening a bottle of beer. After a few days “offworld” it was nice to be back in his familiar surroundings. He held the bottle as always with just two of his fingers, as he fished for the remote with his other hand. He always remembered to program the VCR to record his favourite program after that incident in Antarctica.
He pressed “play” and the familiar melody came to him. By the time the cloud with the title “The Simpsons” appeared, he already had an expectant grin on his face. During the rest of the credits he thought about why he liked this television series so much. When it had started in the early Nineties he had watched it together with Charlie. When he had been at home, anyway. That had been their little ritual. Charlie just like other kids liked Bart’s tricks and Homer’s misfortunes, but Jack always had seen more than that in it. By using humor (or Homer?) the writers could present some truths that were often not shown on TV. If he only could make that clear to Carter he was sure that she would like the series as much as he did.
After Charlie’s death and his divorce from Sara, he wasn’t up to watching the series for a long time. The emphasis on family life reminded him that he no longer had one. But as his interest in life came back, his cryptic sense of humour returned as well and he started to tape the episodes.
He settled back to watch the weekly episode. Meanwhile outside it became dark and a storm began to rage. But inside in front of the blazing fireplace, it was warm and comfortable. Jack slowly relaxed. All the tension of the past week fell away and he began to look forward to the weekend.
When he went to the kitchen to get a second beer the thunderstorm definitely caught his attention. The storm had increased and raindrops pelted against the windows. Lightning flashed from dark clouds and the time between strikes became shorter and shorter. Jack thought about turning off the TV.
But maybe he could finish the episode at least. He just wanted to know how it would end. Kawummm! Jack flinched. That was close! Now his decision was made. With a last regretful glance at the screen he got up to switch it off. When he touched it he felt a big surge of energy through his arm. He was unconscious when he hit the floor.
*****
Sam sat comfortably at the table with a cup of coffee, a croissant and the morning paper intent on enjoying the Saturday morning when the telephone rang. She remained seated waiting for the answering machine to pick up. But as soon as she heard Daniel‘s excited voice she immediately grabbed the receiver.
„Sam, finally, I need your help!“, was sputtered into her ear.
„Take it easy, Daniel, what’s the matter?“
Daniel took one deep breath and then continued more calmly. „I can’t get Jack on the phone. We were supposed to do hike in the mountains this weekend. I wanted to call to ask if we should cancel it after the thunderstorm last night. I’m sure the trails will be slippery. Actually I waited for him to call, you know how seriously he takes safety!”
Sam nodded. When she remembered that Daniel couldn’t see her she said, „Maybe he is only getting some groceries or taking out the garbage?“
„Sam, I tried for almost an hour! There is something wrong! Call me paranoid, but I think we need to go over there! I know where he keeps his spare key but I don’t want to go alone. There could be… people in his house.”
Sam understood what he wanted to tell her. It was nothing they should be discussing over a public line. When someone like Jack was involved it was always important to be careful.
„Okay“, she said. „We will meet in front of his house in…“, she looked at her watch, “…half an hour.”
*****
An impatient Daniel waited for Sam to arrive. As she took up her position on the other side of the door, he saw her release the safety on her gun. Then she nodded to him to open it.
For a split second Daniel wondered if they should have informed
Hammond and brought some backup with. But on the other hand, if Jack was just sleeping in, they’d end up looking pretty foolish. Not to mention how pissed Jack would be at them. No, they were doing the right thing by looking for him on their own first he decided.
Cautiously they went through the hall, taking advantage of all available cover. All was quiet. “Sir?“, Sam called. „Are you here? There was no answer. Sam quickly searched the other rooms. She began to worry. It was late and Jack usually was an early riser. Especially if he had planned to go hiking.
She hesitatingly opened the bedroom door. She felt like she was intruding. Nothing. The bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in. She went back to where Daniel was waiting.
„Whatever happened, happened yesterday evening. The bed is still made and there’s leftover food and two empty beer bottles in the living room.”
Daniel couldn’t help feeling anxious. “What should we do?” he asked.
„I think we need to inform General Hammond!“
They returned to the living room and in a last attempt to understand what had happened, gave it a thorough once-over. Yet everything seemed as it should be, there was no indication of a struggle. Jack had obviously watched “The Simpsons” just like every Friday night. In fact the TV and VCR were still on.
Sam sighed and was about to switch them off. She paused. That was odd. No tape was longer than six hours. And on top of that something about the figure on the screen looked familiar. A man was lying at the street, motionless, and yet… She did not know exactly what it was. Maybe her mind was playing a trick on her?
At that moment a street sweeper came down the street and the man on the sidewalk got wet from the overspray. Sam saw with astonishment how the man stirred, then placed an arm over his eyes, turned on his side and curled. All of these movements she had seen countless times before when Colonel O’Neill regained consciousness.
„Daniel“, she said. Then a little louder, „Daniel!“ He turned and came next to her. Speechlessly they watched a man with yellow skin, grey hair, and table-tennis-ball eyes with an unmistakable stagger.
Then they looked at each other. They had found Jack.
*****
Jack moaned and tried to figure out where he was. The surface under him felt hard and cold. So it wasn’t a soft bed, wasn’t the infirmary. He didn’t know yet whether that was good or bad. In any case he was wet. Did he fell asleep in the shower again? Carefully he opened his eyes and saw the blue sky. No shower then. A street. How the hell had he gotten he get here? The last thing he remembered was sitting in his recliner at home. Did he have one beer too many and end up spending the night in the street? That could have happened some years back, but certainly not now.
He sat up slowly. The houses looked unfamiliar, but looked like the homes in a typical small American town. Well, sitting here any longer made no sense. If he wanted to get home he had to find someone who could tell him where he actually was.
As Jack went down the street he noticed something odd. Though the sun shone brightly in the sky, he cast no shadow. Did that mean that he now was a vampire or what? His head began to throb.
There were few people on the street which Jack attributed to the early morning hour. Jack looked for someone who could help him. A yellow-faced woman with lilac hair came toward him. Obviously she had bought groceries. She looked somehow familiar but he did not remember where he might have seen her before. But before he was close enough to ask her, she dropped her sacks and yelled so loud that someone could have heard it 3 miles away. “MACGYVER!!!” Then this crazy woman headed straight for him.
Surely she wasn’t talking to him. He turned around to make certain there was no one behind him. When he turned back, she was standing right in front of him.
“Are you talking to me?” he asked. “Because my name is…”
„Oh, sorry!“ the woman with the very prominent upper jaw said. She continued, “Of course I do know that your name actually is Richard Dean ANDERSON!“ The last part of the name she again yelled out loudly. Jack sighed. Of all the people he could have met, why did it have to be this crazy woman?
Nevertheless he tried again, „No, I don’t know anyone by that name. I’m Colonel Jack O’Neill and I somehow… well, got lost. Could you please tell me if this is still Colorado Springs?”
„You aren’t?, she asked disappointedly. “But you sure look like him! – Colorado Springs? I never heard of that before. No, this lovely town is called –“
At that moment Jack noticed the familiar towers of the atomic power plant. Now he knew where he was.
He completed her sentence, “…Springfield”.
D’oh!
*****
Sam and Daniel had listened in silence. If they had doubts before, now they were gone. It was certain: Jack O’Neill had become a cartoon figure!
Daniel shook off the numbness. „What do we do now?” He looked to Sam for help.
She didn’t think for long before responding, “We’ll find a way of getting him out of there. If you’ll call the General and let him know what’s happened up to this point, I’ll do some investigation.”
She went over to the table where a laptop laid. Although she had never seen it before, she wasn’t surprised that Jack had one. It hadn’t taken her long to see right through Jack O’Neill. She knew exactly when he was faking his slow uptake and when she was talking over his head with astrophysics.
He wasn’t as dumb as he wanted to let others think. One didn’t make it to Colonel without some smarts and it offended her somewhat that he continued to play the role for her, Daniel and Teal’c as well. Obviously he always hid the telltale computer when they visited him.
But there it sat, waiting for her to start. While Daniel was on the phone with Hammond, she considered “googling” “The Simpsons”. Instinctively she knew that only the writers of the show would be able to help Jack.
First try, „The Simpsons“. Well, maybe not a good idea. Obviously she underestimated the fascination with this series. The search engine had a lot of results; there were a lot of creative fans out there. But at least some of the web pages had facts for her so now she could look for names like Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon. She needed a town, an address, something.
Daniel was still on the phone with Hammond. Now he held his hand over the receiver and asked, “General Hammond wants to know how he can help us!”
„Just a minute!“ Impatiently Sam waited for the page to load. Finally, the address of the production place.
„We have to go to Los Angeles!“, she called to him and heard Daniel repeat it for the General, “Yes, we need a flight to Los Angeles as soon as possible.”
As Daniel turned, he caught sight of Sam closing the lap-top and reaching for the television.
„Wait, don’t turn it off!“
Sam froze in the middle of the movement and then drew back her finger cautiously as Daniel said, “General, could you please send Teal’c over here? We need someone to stay with Jack. Well, thank you. We’ll call again when we know more.“
Then he replaced the receiver and looked at Sam. “The television is the only connection to Jack at the moment”, he told her tiredly. “Maybe we’ll lose him if we switch it off.”
***** *
„I’m Selma“, the woman with the lilac hair explained, somewhat belatedly. “Selma Bouvier. Actually Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-McClure, but who counts the husbands anyway?”
Jack held back his ‚I know’ and said absent-mindedly „Nice to meet you.“ His head swam. He couldn’t think straight. How had he gotten himself in such a mess? While he might have yearned to visit the world of the Simpsons, he certainly didn’t intend to make it home.
Selma apparently wasn’t bothered by his lack of conversation. She prattled on, “You poor man, you’re all wet. It will be the best when you come with me. I still have some clothes from Troy McClure. He conned me into a sham marriage and I should have get rid of them long ago. But they sure look like your size and you need something dry to put on!”
So she babbled on and on and pulled Jack to her car. The promise of dry clothes had convinced him so he came along. But deep down he had the suspicion that Selma did not believe him and still saw this guy – Richard what’s his name? – in him. But she wanted to help him and that was all that mattered at the moment.
*****
Sam got herself coffee from the board-kitchen and took another one for Daniel. They were in a military airplane on their way to Los Angeles. Now when they found time to think over the whole situation for the first time, they realised how difficult it could be.
Daniel watched her over the rim of his cup. “And we will be able to help Jack exactly how?”
Sam thoughtfully stirred her coffee and shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know, Daniel. I’m familiar with natural laws. Something like this shouldn’t happen, but it did!”
Daniel thought about her last sentence. It reminded him of something. When was the last time that events seemed to make no sense at all? Suddenly his face brightened.
„I think I have an idea! Isn’t this just like virtual reality? All we had to do back then was to go through a door. Hidden exits were everywhere, we just didn’t know it.”
„And Jack has no idea that he has to find such an exit“, Sam completed his thought. “So we need a gate, a door, something like…”
„But we do have a gate!“, Daniel interrupted excitedly. He got out his notebook and opened to a drawing of the Stargate.
Sam looked at him questioningly. “We can’t reveal anything about the Stargate, that’s for sure.”
„What about that fact we’re military? Can we tell that? Maybe then they’ll be more cooperative?”
„I think a little back up from the general surely can’t hurt. On the other hand it shouldn’t go too public, it would be just what some people would want, to have a USAF colonel go missing.“
Daniel nodded, he knew the person she meant: Kinsey.
„Nevertheless“, he said slowly. „I think it is necessary that we show them this.” His index finger traced the curves of the gate almost lovingly.
„Of course I have no idea if it will work“, he continued. “There is no Stargate in Springfield. So we must convince the illustrator to draw one. We don’t have to tell them what it is exactly. They draw it, Jack goes through it, and that will be that!”
He looked hopefully at Sam. She watched him amazed. “That really could work! How did you get this weird idea, Daniel?“
He smiled self-consciously. “Well, as a child I used to watched a cartoon series, I don’t remember what the name of it was. But there was a little boy, pretty smart, that always invented crazy things. He had a magic drawing pen. Every time he needed something to solve a problem he only had to draw it onto the wall and it became real. Do you understand?”
Sam watched him with wonderment. And they say you can’t learn anything from cartoon series!
*****
Selma had given Jack a few clothes and then left him alone. While he changed he had to think about this MacGyver-Richard Dean Anderson-confusion. How could two men walk around with a face that looked like his? What a bunch of bullshit!
The term „to macgyver“ he knew of course, even Carter had used it a few times, the first time on Abydos. Another time she had shown him with great pleasure that in the official Air Force instruction manual it was written literally that in case of repair without the necessary tools, you have to ‘macgyver’ it.
Back in the eighties when the show aired, Jack went from one clandestine operation to the other and the little time he had at home he spent with his family instead of watching TV. So he never had a chance to watch this strange guy for himself. But he suspected that Carter had watched it with enthusiasm, and maybe her unconventional solutions of problems were a late off-shoot of that.
While Jack thought about this he changed and then looked resignedly at the door. Finally he took a deep breath and then went toward the kitchen where he heard voices. When he walked in he suddenly saw double. Selma was there twice. Surely he had not drunk that much yesterday that he was having hallucinations? Or maybe he had another head injury and these were the signs of a concussion?
But the confusion didn’t last long. Looking more closely he could see the differences. The dress of the other one was red instead of blue, and she also had a different hairdo. But other than that, they looked like …
„This is my twin-sister Patty“, Selma said.
…like twins. Yep. This would be Patty of course. He should’ve known it. Where one was, the other was not far away. They were a pair. And both of them were wild about… No! Not that too! Jack moaned inwardly.
Patty held a cigarette in her hand and with the other she waved to him a little suggestively, or so it seemed to him. Somehow he began to feel uneasy. Selma also beamed at him. Obviously she still didn’t believe that he was not the man she thought he was. Probably they wanted an autograph from him later on…
„And this is…“, Selma continued and looked at him questioningly. “Excuse me, what was the name?”
Jack sighed. „Colonel O’Neill“, he then said. “Ah, may I call someone?”
„Certainly. The phone is in the living room“, both of them said in unison. That really scared him. Quickly he disappeared into the living room and dialed the emergency number of Cheyenne mountain. A young sergeant identified himself. Jack didn’t give him time to say anything else.
„Colonel O’Neill, service number 66-789-7876-324, I need to speak with General Hammond!“, he demanded. He continued to monitor the discussion that was going on in the kitchen.
„Colonel O’Neill, service number 66-789-7876-324!“, he repeated, a little louder this time. “What do you mean, I’m not authorized?”
But he only received a repeated „You are not authorized to use this number. Get off the line!” from the sergeant. Finally he hung up, somewhat frustrated.
As he made his way back to the kitchen he couldn’t help overhearing the dispute.
„And I’m sure it is him!“ That was Selma.
Then the little deeper smoky voice of Patty, “I have to get to know him first before I can be sure!”
„You only want him for yourself!“, Selma hissed back.
„We always shared everything, why not this time?“
Patty made no reply.
Jack didn’t wait for the end of the discussion but made a rush for the door.
*****
Sam looked at her note and then a little uncertainly at the building in front of them. They were in the middle of Hollywood, and according to the address this should be the animating studio. But it looked more like an apartment house rather than a business. Daniel nodded to her encouragingly and resolutely she pressed the button of the intercom.
„Who’s out there?” a distorted voice asked. Sam took a deep breath. She couldn’t screw this up. If this man got the impression that they were just ordinary fans the door would remain closed to them.
„I’m Major Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force. We need to speak with…,” she looked at her note again, “… Matt Groening. It’s really important!”
For a moment there was silence at the other end of the line and she was afraid that her request had been refused, when the door buzzed and opened. She took a deep breath, let Daniel go first and then followed him into the building. A man came towards them. Sam eyed him briefly: glasses, dark curly hair, with a sympathetic appearance.
„Matt Groening?“ she asked expectantly.
“No, I’m Al Jean, one of the writers of the show. How may I help you?”
„Major Samantha Carter, and this is Dr. Daniel Jackson. Sorry, but we rather would discuss this with Mr. Groening. It’s a little… complicated.” Hopefully she looked at the man and waited for his response.
He watched her for a moment. Obviously he tried to decide whether this was an attempt of some crazy fans to get into the hallowed halls. But something in her eyes seemed to tell him that she was telling the truth.
„Well, then follow me, please. I’ll bring you to Matt’s office.” With that he turned and led the way. They passed a few rooms and could see through big windows how the animators worked.
Finally they stood before a door. Al knocked briefly and looked into the room. “Matt, do you have a moment? These two want to talk with you.”
An inarticulate grunt was the only response. Al opened the door a little further and shoved Sam and Daniel into the room. Behind a large desk sat a man that also wore glasses and sported a neatly trimmed beard that was beginning to gray Still he looked astonishing young. The whole office existed in creative chaos and even if that didn’t quite correspond with Sam’s idea of organization – she immediately had confidence that Matt would be able to help them.
He looked at her expectantly, but didn’t lay the pencil he was holding down.
“I’m Major Samantha Carter”, she introduced herself for the third time now. “This is Dr. Daniel Jackson. We come from a military facility of the United States Air Force in Colorado Springs and we need your help. It involves national security.”
She never thought that she would ever use that phrase someday. But it seemed to work. At least she had his rapt attention now. He waved them to sit down and waited for her to continue.
„I don’t know exactly how to explain it. Are you familiar with the movie, “Pleasantville?” she asked.
Matt and Al nodded simultaneously.
„Well, ah, one of our officers got, ah, just like in the movie, sucked into the TV. It happened during a Simpson’s episode.”
Now she had said it. How would they react? It really sounded silly. Maybe they should have had someone like the President use some of his influence here. But it was too late now.
Daniel jumped in. “I know how that sounds, but it is the truth. We saw him on the screen. And you are the only one that can help us bring Colonel O’Neill back. Please listen to Major Carter’s suggestion.”
Matt and Al looked at each other, speechless. This had to be the craziest thing they ever heard of. On the other hand, how many crazy stories they had thought up for their yellow family? And now one was happening right under their noses.
„What’s with national security? “, Matt wanted to know.
„It’s classified“, Sam said automatically. Then she tried to explain, “Colonel O’Neill is very important to our program. We need to have him back. And you have to believe me; you really don’t want to have him wander around for a long time without any control. He tends to… muddle up things.”
Daniel grinned briefly at her last sentence but quickly got serious again. At least Matt seemed to be convinced now.
„Okay“, he said, „what do I have to do?”
*****
Jack was relieved when he finally stood outside the door. He had felt a little bad that he just left without saying ‘Thank you’ – and wearing the clothes of another man – but he just couldn’t stay any longer.
He had wadded up his own wet clothes and carried them under his arm. Maybe there would be an opportunity to send the other clothes back.
He looked up and down the street indecisively. Finally he just started to walk. The street was empty and hopefully he would not encounter another attack by lunatic fans of this Dean Anderson character.
Somewhere ahead of him, the peace and quiet was broken as he heard someone loudly curse. When he turned round the corner he only saw a tower of blue hair behind a car. Well, who that hair belonged to was obvious to him. There was only one person in Springfield with hair-dye number 56.
Marge Simpson was a clever woman that had tried many things during the seasons. She had worked on a few committees and tried a lot of different jobs. Obviously car-mechanic hadn’t been among them.
Slowly he strolled over. He didn’t want to startle her. When he was standing right next to her, she looked up at him.
„May I help you... ma’am?” he hesitantly asked. He remembered a second too late that the crazy twins were Marge’s sisters… But it was too late now. She took his offer, and appeared to be relieved.
So he rolled up his sleeves, opened the hood and then froze. He did not know exactly what he had expected but in any case not THIS. He had expected hoses, a radiator, a lot of cables that wound around each other, or at least an engine… was it too much to ask for an engine in a car? But the compartment was completely empty.
Of course there was no engine. Why should there be one? He was in a cartoon-world after all. Why should the animators draw something you never got to see anyway? The cars ran just fine without it. Well, most of the time.
Trying to fix something that didn’t exist put an entirely different complexion on the matter. He slammed the hood down and hoped that Marge hadn’t seen his helpless expression.
“Have you tried putting the key into the ignition and turning it?” he asked and immediately hated himself for it after he saw Marge’s look. He compared it with Carter’s expression that communicated, “I know what I’m doing, don’t doubt me because I’m a woman!”
But she went ahead and turned the key another time, Jack sent a fast prayer towards heaven and behold, the car started. That was the first time that his presence had positive effects on machines. Usually Carter’s reactors started wildly to blink even when he still was a couple of yards away, at which point she politely requested that he go and annoy someone else.
No, of course she would never put it that way, but he and machines just did not get along very well.
But Marge beamed and said, „Thank you very much for your help!“ Somehow it sounded a little sarcastic, although he probably deserved it. So he just shrugged, uttered “You’re welcome” and started to walk away.
But Marge called after him, „Can I drive you somewhere?“
Jack hesitated. He would love to get to know her, her and Homer and the whole family, but should he really do this? Who knew what kind of trouble he could bring to them? To hurt them was the last he wanted. They were happy in their small world, they didn’t know that there was anything else beyond it. And it needed to stay that way.
They must never find out where he came from and that he knew all about them, maybe better than they knew themselves.
After Jack had given this promise to himself he got into the car – that at least had a steering wheel, if not an engine - and considered what he should tell her instead.
*****
Sam watched with growing impatience as Matt wadded up yet another sheet of paper and tossed it in the general vicinity of the waste basket. Time was passing quickly, it had gotten dark already.
„Look, Sam“, Matt said without looking up from his sixth try. During the passing afternoon they had come to be on a first name basis. “It’s not as easy as it looks. I must not draw too many details, but on the other hand it also must be recognizable. I need to configure the essential details with a few lines, that’s the point.”
While Matt continued to work at a cartoon version of a Stargate under the watchful eye of a fascinated Daniel, Sam opened her mobile phone.
„Hi, Teal’c, it’s Sam. What’s the colonel doing right now?”
„O’Neill is sitting with LisaSimpson in a tree-house and looking at the stars, MajorCarter.“
Sam closed her eyes for a moment, somehow relieved. For now. O’Neill was seeming to enjoy his unusual predicament.
„Listen, Teal’c. He can’t leave the town. Call me immediately in case you notice anything like that. We only can help him if he stays close by, understood?”
„Understood, MajorCarter. Good night.“
„Good night, Teal’c.“ She hung up and turned to the others. She suddenly saw how exhausted they all looked. It had been a long day. A sprint had turned into a marathon and there was no way to tell how much longer it was going to take.
„We should take a break. Daniel, what do you think?”
He obviously hadn’t heard the question at all. Frowning, he asked her instead, “Why can’t Jack leave the city?”
Matt also looked up. “Yeah, why? What’s the matter if he is somewhere else as long as I can draw him anything he might need?”
„But that’s exactly the point”, Sam answered patiently. “As long as we know where he is we can direct him to go where we want him to go. Your central characters are the Simpsons. Everyone else has a supporting role and are seen only occasionally, correct?
Matt nodded.
„I could be wrong but when someone that is less than a supporting character or in this case, shouldn’t be there at all disappears, we really never know where they went since the focus is on the town, with the Simpsons in the middle. Or, let me put it this way: Like a surveillance camera that only is focused on one room and only is transmitting what is happening there. We never see what’s happening in the next room. Maybe we really need to end this for today.”
„I really don’t know Sam, are you sure?“ Daniel asked indecisively, looking back and forth between her and Matt. Al was already asleep in a chair in one corner of the room.
Sam was thinking about something that O’Neill had said to her, back in Antarctica. She had thought he was about to give up when he insisted on a few hours of sleep. Now she knew better. Jack O’Neill never gave up. And she would not do so either. But if she made a mistake just because of fatigue it wouldn’t help him at all.
„It seems that Colonel O’Neill will spend this night with the Simpsons. For the moment he is safe, and I think some sleep will do all of us some good. And T will stay with him all night and inform us immediately if necessary.”
“There is a little motel a few blocks down the street, if you need a place to stay”, Matt said without looking up. “I will just finish this last attempt here and tomorrow we will see if it’s working.” He might never admit it out loud, but Matt was almost as interested as Sam and Daniel in whether or not this was going to work.
Sam and Daniel bid their farewells, and then Matt was alone with the snoring Al. His fingers passed over the ring with the weird symbols. He really wanted to know what this all was about.
*****
read part 2/2 here
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Spoiler: many, but most of them for “The Simpsons” Brief mentions of „Solitudes“, „Frozen“, „Gamekeeper“, „Tangent“, „Prodigy“ and „Disclosure“.
Rating: C
Category: Crossover, Humor
Word count: 5.459
Summary: Jack is pulled into his favourite TV-Show. Sam, Daniel and Teal’c desperately try to get him out…
Authors Note: I wrote this story long before Rick for real became a part of this series. So please believe me that any similarities are coincidences. And as for the Air Force manual and “to macgyver” – that’s true! Many thanks as always to CoriKay for the quick beta and a tiny part also was done by
lothithil- it's finally finished! Enjoy!Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
It’s A Yellow World (Jack and “The Simpsons”)
Friday evening. Jack sighed, relieved to be sitting in his favourite recliner and opening a bottle of beer. After a few days “offworld” it was nice to be back in his familiar surroundings. He held the bottle as always with just two of his fingers, as he fished for the remote with his other hand. He always remembered to program the VCR to record his favourite program after that incident in Antarctica.
He pressed “play” and the familiar melody came to him. By the time the cloud with the title “The Simpsons” appeared, he already had an expectant grin on his face. During the rest of the credits he thought about why he liked this television series so much. When it had started in the early Nineties he had watched it together with Charlie. When he had been at home, anyway. That had been their little ritual. Charlie just like other kids liked Bart’s tricks and Homer’s misfortunes, but Jack always had seen more than that in it. By using humor (or Homer?) the writers could present some truths that were often not shown on TV. If he only could make that clear to Carter he was sure that she would like the series as much as he did.
After Charlie’s death and his divorce from Sara, he wasn’t up to watching the series for a long time. The emphasis on family life reminded him that he no longer had one. But as his interest in life came back, his cryptic sense of humour returned as well and he started to tape the episodes.
He settled back to watch the weekly episode. Meanwhile outside it became dark and a storm began to rage. But inside in front of the blazing fireplace, it was warm and comfortable. Jack slowly relaxed. All the tension of the past week fell away and he began to look forward to the weekend.
When he went to the kitchen to get a second beer the thunderstorm definitely caught his attention. The storm had increased and raindrops pelted against the windows. Lightning flashed from dark clouds and the time between strikes became shorter and shorter. Jack thought about turning off the TV.
But maybe he could finish the episode at least. He just wanted to know how it would end. Kawummm! Jack flinched. That was close! Now his decision was made. With a last regretful glance at the screen he got up to switch it off. When he touched it he felt a big surge of energy through his arm. He was unconscious when he hit the floor.
Sam sat comfortably at the table with a cup of coffee, a croissant and the morning paper intent on enjoying the Saturday morning when the telephone rang. She remained seated waiting for the answering machine to pick up. But as soon as she heard Daniel‘s excited voice she immediately grabbed the receiver.
„Sam, finally, I need your help!“, was sputtered into her ear.
„Take it easy, Daniel, what’s the matter?“
Daniel took one deep breath and then continued more calmly. „I can’t get Jack on the phone. We were supposed to do hike in the mountains this weekend. I wanted to call to ask if we should cancel it after the thunderstorm last night. I’m sure the trails will be slippery. Actually I waited for him to call, you know how seriously he takes safety!”
Sam nodded. When she remembered that Daniel couldn’t see her she said, „Maybe he is only getting some groceries or taking out the garbage?“
„Sam, I tried for almost an hour! There is something wrong! Call me paranoid, but I think we need to go over there! I know where he keeps his spare key but I don’t want to go alone. There could be… people in his house.”
Sam understood what he wanted to tell her. It was nothing they should be discussing over a public line. When someone like Jack was involved it was always important to be careful.
„Okay“, she said. „We will meet in front of his house in…“, she looked at her watch, “…half an hour.”
An impatient Daniel waited for Sam to arrive. As she took up her position on the other side of the door, he saw her release the safety on her gun. Then she nodded to him to open it.
For a split second Daniel wondered if they should have informed
Hammond and brought some backup with. But on the other hand, if Jack was just sleeping in, they’d end up looking pretty foolish. Not to mention how pissed Jack would be at them. No, they were doing the right thing by looking for him on their own first he decided.
Cautiously they went through the hall, taking advantage of all available cover. All was quiet. “Sir?“, Sam called. „Are you here? There was no answer. Sam quickly searched the other rooms. She began to worry. It was late and Jack usually was an early riser. Especially if he had planned to go hiking.
She hesitatingly opened the bedroom door. She felt like she was intruding. Nothing. The bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in. She went back to where Daniel was waiting.
„Whatever happened, happened yesterday evening. The bed is still made and there’s leftover food and two empty beer bottles in the living room.”
Daniel couldn’t help feeling anxious. “What should we do?” he asked.
„I think we need to inform General Hammond!“
They returned to the living room and in a last attempt to understand what had happened, gave it a thorough once-over. Yet everything seemed as it should be, there was no indication of a struggle. Jack had obviously watched “The Simpsons” just like every Friday night. In fact the TV and VCR were still on.
Sam sighed and was about to switch them off. She paused. That was odd. No tape was longer than six hours. And on top of that something about the figure on the screen looked familiar. A man was lying at the street, motionless, and yet… She did not know exactly what it was. Maybe her mind was playing a trick on her?
At that moment a street sweeper came down the street and the man on the sidewalk got wet from the overspray. Sam saw with astonishment how the man stirred, then placed an arm over his eyes, turned on his side and curled. All of these movements she had seen countless times before when Colonel O’Neill regained consciousness.
„Daniel“, she said. Then a little louder, „Daniel!“ He turned and came next to her. Speechlessly they watched a man with yellow skin, grey hair, and table-tennis-ball eyes with an unmistakable stagger.
Then they looked at each other. They had found Jack.
Jack moaned and tried to figure out where he was. The surface under him felt hard and cold. So it wasn’t a soft bed, wasn’t the infirmary. He didn’t know yet whether that was good or bad. In any case he was wet. Did he fell asleep in the shower again? Carefully he opened his eyes and saw the blue sky. No shower then. A street. How the hell had he gotten he get here? The last thing he remembered was sitting in his recliner at home. Did he have one beer too many and end up spending the night in the street? That could have happened some years back, but certainly not now.
He sat up slowly. The houses looked unfamiliar, but looked like the homes in a typical small American town. Well, sitting here any longer made no sense. If he wanted to get home he had to find someone who could tell him where he actually was.
As Jack went down the street he noticed something odd. Though the sun shone brightly in the sky, he cast no shadow. Did that mean that he now was a vampire or what? His head began to throb.
There were few people on the street which Jack attributed to the early morning hour. Jack looked for someone who could help him. A yellow-faced woman with lilac hair came toward him. Obviously she had bought groceries. She looked somehow familiar but he did not remember where he might have seen her before. But before he was close enough to ask her, she dropped her sacks and yelled so loud that someone could have heard it 3 miles away. “MACGYVER!!!” Then this crazy woman headed straight for him.
Surely she wasn’t talking to him. He turned around to make certain there was no one behind him. When he turned back, she was standing right in front of him.
“Are you talking to me?” he asked. “Because my name is…”
„Oh, sorry!“ the woman with the very prominent upper jaw said. She continued, “Of course I do know that your name actually is Richard Dean ANDERSON!“ The last part of the name she again yelled out loudly. Jack sighed. Of all the people he could have met, why did it have to be this crazy woman?
Nevertheless he tried again, „No, I don’t know anyone by that name. I’m Colonel Jack O’Neill and I somehow… well, got lost. Could you please tell me if this is still Colorado Springs?”
„You aren’t?, she asked disappointedly. “But you sure look like him! – Colorado Springs? I never heard of that before. No, this lovely town is called –“
At that moment Jack noticed the familiar towers of the atomic power plant. Now he knew where he was.
He completed her sentence, “…Springfield”.
D’oh!
Sam and Daniel had listened in silence. If they had doubts before, now they were gone. It was certain: Jack O’Neill had become a cartoon figure!
Daniel shook off the numbness. „What do we do now?” He looked to Sam for help.
She didn’t think for long before responding, “We’ll find a way of getting him out of there. If you’ll call the General and let him know what’s happened up to this point, I’ll do some investigation.”
She went over to the table where a laptop laid. Although she had never seen it before, she wasn’t surprised that Jack had one. It hadn’t taken her long to see right through Jack O’Neill. She knew exactly when he was faking his slow uptake and when she was talking over his head with astrophysics.
He wasn’t as dumb as he wanted to let others think. One didn’t make it to Colonel without some smarts and it offended her somewhat that he continued to play the role for her, Daniel and Teal’c as well. Obviously he always hid the telltale computer when they visited him.
But there it sat, waiting for her to start. While Daniel was on the phone with Hammond, she considered “googling” “The Simpsons”. Instinctively she knew that only the writers of the show would be able to help Jack.
First try, „The Simpsons“. Well, maybe not a good idea. Obviously she underestimated the fascination with this series. The search engine had a lot of results; there were a lot of creative fans out there. But at least some of the web pages had facts for her so now she could look for names like Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon. She needed a town, an address, something.
Daniel was still on the phone with Hammond. Now he held his hand over the receiver and asked, “General Hammond wants to know how he can help us!”
„Just a minute!“ Impatiently Sam waited for the page to load. Finally, the address of the production place.
„We have to go to Los Angeles!“, she called to him and heard Daniel repeat it for the General, “Yes, we need a flight to Los Angeles as soon as possible.”
As Daniel turned, he caught sight of Sam closing the lap-top and reaching for the television.
„Wait, don’t turn it off!“
Sam froze in the middle of the movement and then drew back her finger cautiously as Daniel said, “General, could you please send Teal’c over here? We need someone to stay with Jack. Well, thank you. We’ll call again when we know more.“
Then he replaced the receiver and looked at Sam. “The television is the only connection to Jack at the moment”, he told her tiredly. “Maybe we’ll lose him if we switch it off.”
„I’m Selma“, the woman with the lilac hair explained, somewhat belatedly. “Selma Bouvier. Actually Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-McClure, but who counts the husbands anyway?”
Jack held back his ‚I know’ and said absent-mindedly „Nice to meet you.“ His head swam. He couldn’t think straight. How had he gotten himself in such a mess? While he might have yearned to visit the world of the Simpsons, he certainly didn’t intend to make it home.
Selma apparently wasn’t bothered by his lack of conversation. She prattled on, “You poor man, you’re all wet. It will be the best when you come with me. I still have some clothes from Troy McClure. He conned me into a sham marriage and I should have get rid of them long ago. But they sure look like your size and you need something dry to put on!”
So she babbled on and on and pulled Jack to her car. The promise of dry clothes had convinced him so he came along. But deep down he had the suspicion that Selma did not believe him and still saw this guy – Richard what’s his name? – in him. But she wanted to help him and that was all that mattered at the moment.
Sam got herself coffee from the board-kitchen and took another one for Daniel. They were in a military airplane on their way to Los Angeles. Now when they found time to think over the whole situation for the first time, they realised how difficult it could be.
Daniel watched her over the rim of his cup. “And we will be able to help Jack exactly how?”
Sam thoughtfully stirred her coffee and shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know, Daniel. I’m familiar with natural laws. Something like this shouldn’t happen, but it did!”
Daniel thought about her last sentence. It reminded him of something. When was the last time that events seemed to make no sense at all? Suddenly his face brightened.
„I think I have an idea! Isn’t this just like virtual reality? All we had to do back then was to go through a door. Hidden exits were everywhere, we just didn’t know it.”
„And Jack has no idea that he has to find such an exit“, Sam completed his thought. “So we need a gate, a door, something like…”
„But we do have a gate!“, Daniel interrupted excitedly. He got out his notebook and opened to a drawing of the Stargate.
Sam looked at him questioningly. “We can’t reveal anything about the Stargate, that’s for sure.”
„What about that fact we’re military? Can we tell that? Maybe then they’ll be more cooperative?”
„I think a little back up from the general surely can’t hurt. On the other hand it shouldn’t go too public, it would be just what some people would want, to have a USAF colonel go missing.“
Daniel nodded, he knew the person she meant: Kinsey.
„Nevertheless“, he said slowly. „I think it is necessary that we show them this.” His index finger traced the curves of the gate almost lovingly.
„Of course I have no idea if it will work“, he continued. “There is no Stargate in Springfield. So we must convince the illustrator to draw one. We don’t have to tell them what it is exactly. They draw it, Jack goes through it, and that will be that!”
He looked hopefully at Sam. She watched him amazed. “That really could work! How did you get this weird idea, Daniel?“
He smiled self-consciously. “Well, as a child I used to watched a cartoon series, I don’t remember what the name of it was. But there was a little boy, pretty smart, that always invented crazy things. He had a magic drawing pen. Every time he needed something to solve a problem he only had to draw it onto the wall and it became real. Do you understand?”
Sam watched him with wonderment. And they say you can’t learn anything from cartoon series!
Selma had given Jack a few clothes and then left him alone. While he changed he had to think about this MacGyver-Richard Dean Anderson-confusion. How could two men walk around with a face that looked like his? What a bunch of bullshit!
The term „to macgyver“ he knew of course, even Carter had used it a few times, the first time on Abydos. Another time she had shown him with great pleasure that in the official Air Force instruction manual it was written literally that in case of repair without the necessary tools, you have to ‘macgyver’ it.
Back in the eighties when the show aired, Jack went from one clandestine operation to the other and the little time he had at home he spent with his family instead of watching TV. So he never had a chance to watch this strange guy for himself. But he suspected that Carter had watched it with enthusiasm, and maybe her unconventional solutions of problems were a late off-shoot of that.
While Jack thought about this he changed and then looked resignedly at the door. Finally he took a deep breath and then went toward the kitchen where he heard voices. When he walked in he suddenly saw double. Selma was there twice. Surely he had not drunk that much yesterday that he was having hallucinations? Or maybe he had another head injury and these were the signs of a concussion?
But the confusion didn’t last long. Looking more closely he could see the differences. The dress of the other one was red instead of blue, and she also had a different hairdo. But other than that, they looked like …
„This is my twin-sister Patty“, Selma said.
…like twins. Yep. This would be Patty of course. He should’ve known it. Where one was, the other was not far away. They were a pair. And both of them were wild about… No! Not that too! Jack moaned inwardly.
Patty held a cigarette in her hand and with the other she waved to him a little suggestively, or so it seemed to him. Somehow he began to feel uneasy. Selma also beamed at him. Obviously she still didn’t believe that he was not the man she thought he was. Probably they wanted an autograph from him later on…
„And this is…“, Selma continued and looked at him questioningly. “Excuse me, what was the name?”
Jack sighed. „Colonel O’Neill“, he then said. “Ah, may I call someone?”
„Certainly. The phone is in the living room“, both of them said in unison. That really scared him. Quickly he disappeared into the living room and dialed the emergency number of Cheyenne mountain. A young sergeant identified himself. Jack didn’t give him time to say anything else.
„Colonel O’Neill, service number 66-789-7876-324, I need to speak with General Hammond!“, he demanded. He continued to monitor the discussion that was going on in the kitchen.
„Colonel O’Neill, service number 66-789-7876-324!“, he repeated, a little louder this time. “What do you mean, I’m not authorized?”
But he only received a repeated „You are not authorized to use this number. Get off the line!” from the sergeant. Finally he hung up, somewhat frustrated.
As he made his way back to the kitchen he couldn’t help overhearing the dispute.
„And I’m sure it is him!“ That was Selma.
Then the little deeper smoky voice of Patty, “I have to get to know him first before I can be sure!”
„You only want him for yourself!“, Selma hissed back.
„We always shared everything, why not this time?“
Patty made no reply.
Jack didn’t wait for the end of the discussion but made a rush for the door.
Sam looked at her note and then a little uncertainly at the building in front of them. They were in the middle of Hollywood, and according to the address this should be the animating studio. But it looked more like an apartment house rather than a business. Daniel nodded to her encouragingly and resolutely she pressed the button of the intercom.
„Who’s out there?” a distorted voice asked. Sam took a deep breath. She couldn’t screw this up. If this man got the impression that they were just ordinary fans the door would remain closed to them.
„I’m Major Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force. We need to speak with…,” she looked at her note again, “… Matt Groening. It’s really important!”
For a moment there was silence at the other end of the line and she was afraid that her request had been refused, when the door buzzed and opened. She took a deep breath, let Daniel go first and then followed him into the building. A man came towards them. Sam eyed him briefly: glasses, dark curly hair, with a sympathetic appearance.
„Matt Groening?“ she asked expectantly.
“No, I’m Al Jean, one of the writers of the show. How may I help you?”
„Major Samantha Carter, and this is Dr. Daniel Jackson. Sorry, but we rather would discuss this with Mr. Groening. It’s a little… complicated.” Hopefully she looked at the man and waited for his response.
He watched her for a moment. Obviously he tried to decide whether this was an attempt of some crazy fans to get into the hallowed halls. But something in her eyes seemed to tell him that she was telling the truth.
„Well, then follow me, please. I’ll bring you to Matt’s office.” With that he turned and led the way. They passed a few rooms and could see through big windows how the animators worked.
Finally they stood before a door. Al knocked briefly and looked into the room. “Matt, do you have a moment? These two want to talk with you.”
An inarticulate grunt was the only response. Al opened the door a little further and shoved Sam and Daniel into the room. Behind a large desk sat a man that also wore glasses and sported a neatly trimmed beard that was beginning to gray Still he looked astonishing young. The whole office existed in creative chaos and even if that didn’t quite correspond with Sam’s idea of organization – she immediately had confidence that Matt would be able to help them.
He looked at her expectantly, but didn’t lay the pencil he was holding down.
“I’m Major Samantha Carter”, she introduced herself for the third time now. “This is Dr. Daniel Jackson. We come from a military facility of the United States Air Force in Colorado Springs and we need your help. It involves national security.”
She never thought that she would ever use that phrase someday. But it seemed to work. At least she had his rapt attention now. He waved them to sit down and waited for her to continue.
„I don’t know exactly how to explain it. Are you familiar with the movie, “Pleasantville?” she asked.
Matt and Al nodded simultaneously.
„Well, ah, one of our officers got, ah, just like in the movie, sucked into the TV. It happened during a Simpson’s episode.”
Now she had said it. How would they react? It really sounded silly. Maybe they should have had someone like the President use some of his influence here. But it was too late now.
Daniel jumped in. “I know how that sounds, but it is the truth. We saw him on the screen. And you are the only one that can help us bring Colonel O’Neill back. Please listen to Major Carter’s suggestion.”
Matt and Al looked at each other, speechless. This had to be the craziest thing they ever heard of. On the other hand, how many crazy stories they had thought up for their yellow family? And now one was happening right under their noses.
„What’s with national security? “, Matt wanted to know.
„It’s classified“, Sam said automatically. Then she tried to explain, “Colonel O’Neill is very important to our program. We need to have him back. And you have to believe me; you really don’t want to have him wander around for a long time without any control. He tends to… muddle up things.”
Daniel grinned briefly at her last sentence but quickly got serious again. At least Matt seemed to be convinced now.
„Okay“, he said, „what do I have to do?”
Jack was relieved when he finally stood outside the door. He had felt a little bad that he just left without saying ‘Thank you’ – and wearing the clothes of another man – but he just couldn’t stay any longer.
He had wadded up his own wet clothes and carried them under his arm. Maybe there would be an opportunity to send the other clothes back.
He looked up and down the street indecisively. Finally he just started to walk. The street was empty and hopefully he would not encounter another attack by lunatic fans of this Dean Anderson character.
Somewhere ahead of him, the peace and quiet was broken as he heard someone loudly curse. When he turned round the corner he only saw a tower of blue hair behind a car. Well, who that hair belonged to was obvious to him. There was only one person in Springfield with hair-dye number 56.
Marge Simpson was a clever woman that had tried many things during the seasons. She had worked on a few committees and tried a lot of different jobs. Obviously car-mechanic hadn’t been among them.
Slowly he strolled over. He didn’t want to startle her. When he was standing right next to her, she looked up at him.
„May I help you... ma’am?” he hesitantly asked. He remembered a second too late that the crazy twins were Marge’s sisters… But it was too late now. She took his offer, and appeared to be relieved.
So he rolled up his sleeves, opened the hood and then froze. He did not know exactly what he had expected but in any case not THIS. He had expected hoses, a radiator, a lot of cables that wound around each other, or at least an engine… was it too much to ask for an engine in a car? But the compartment was completely empty.
Of course there was no engine. Why should there be one? He was in a cartoon-world after all. Why should the animators draw something you never got to see anyway? The cars ran just fine without it. Well, most of the time.
Trying to fix something that didn’t exist put an entirely different complexion on the matter. He slammed the hood down and hoped that Marge hadn’t seen his helpless expression.
“Have you tried putting the key into the ignition and turning it?” he asked and immediately hated himself for it after he saw Marge’s look. He compared it with Carter’s expression that communicated, “I know what I’m doing, don’t doubt me because I’m a woman!”
But she went ahead and turned the key another time, Jack sent a fast prayer towards heaven and behold, the car started. That was the first time that his presence had positive effects on machines. Usually Carter’s reactors started wildly to blink even when he still was a couple of yards away, at which point she politely requested that he go and annoy someone else.
No, of course she would never put it that way, but he and machines just did not get along very well.
But Marge beamed and said, „Thank you very much for your help!“ Somehow it sounded a little sarcastic, although he probably deserved it. So he just shrugged, uttered “You’re welcome” and started to walk away.
But Marge called after him, „Can I drive you somewhere?“
Jack hesitated. He would love to get to know her, her and Homer and the whole family, but should he really do this? Who knew what kind of trouble he could bring to them? To hurt them was the last he wanted. They were happy in their small world, they didn’t know that there was anything else beyond it. And it needed to stay that way.
They must never find out where he came from and that he knew all about them, maybe better than they knew themselves.
After Jack had given this promise to himself he got into the car – that at least had a steering wheel, if not an engine - and considered what he should tell her instead.
Sam watched with growing impatience as Matt wadded up yet another sheet of paper and tossed it in the general vicinity of the waste basket. Time was passing quickly, it had gotten dark already.
„Look, Sam“, Matt said without looking up from his sixth try. During the passing afternoon they had come to be on a first name basis. “It’s not as easy as it looks. I must not draw too many details, but on the other hand it also must be recognizable. I need to configure the essential details with a few lines, that’s the point.”
While Matt continued to work at a cartoon version of a Stargate under the watchful eye of a fascinated Daniel, Sam opened her mobile phone.
„Hi, Teal’c, it’s Sam. What’s the colonel doing right now?”
„O’Neill is sitting with LisaSimpson in a tree-house and looking at the stars, MajorCarter.“
Sam closed her eyes for a moment, somehow relieved. For now. O’Neill was seeming to enjoy his unusual predicament.
„Listen, Teal’c. He can’t leave the town. Call me immediately in case you notice anything like that. We only can help him if he stays close by, understood?”
„Understood, MajorCarter. Good night.“
„Good night, Teal’c.“ She hung up and turned to the others. She suddenly saw how exhausted they all looked. It had been a long day. A sprint had turned into a marathon and there was no way to tell how much longer it was going to take.
„We should take a break. Daniel, what do you think?”
He obviously hadn’t heard the question at all. Frowning, he asked her instead, “Why can’t Jack leave the city?”
Matt also looked up. “Yeah, why? What’s the matter if he is somewhere else as long as I can draw him anything he might need?”
„But that’s exactly the point”, Sam answered patiently. “As long as we know where he is we can direct him to go where we want him to go. Your central characters are the Simpsons. Everyone else has a supporting role and are seen only occasionally, correct?
Matt nodded.
„I could be wrong but when someone that is less than a supporting character or in this case, shouldn’t be there at all disappears, we really never know where they went since the focus is on the town, with the Simpsons in the middle. Or, let me put it this way: Like a surveillance camera that only is focused on one room and only is transmitting what is happening there. We never see what’s happening in the next room. Maybe we really need to end this for today.”
„I really don’t know Sam, are you sure?“ Daniel asked indecisively, looking back and forth between her and Matt. Al was already asleep in a chair in one corner of the room.
Sam was thinking about something that O’Neill had said to her, back in Antarctica. She had thought he was about to give up when he insisted on a few hours of sleep. Now she knew better. Jack O’Neill never gave up. And she would not do so either. But if she made a mistake just because of fatigue it wouldn’t help him at all.
„It seems that Colonel O’Neill will spend this night with the Simpsons. For the moment he is safe, and I think some sleep will do all of us some good. And T will stay with him all night and inform us immediately if necessary.”
“There is a little motel a few blocks down the street, if you need a place to stay”, Matt said without looking up. “I will just finish this last attempt here and tomorrow we will see if it’s working.” He might never admit it out loud, but Matt was almost as interested as Sam and Daniel in whether or not this was going to work.
Sam and Daniel bid their farewells, and then Matt was alone with the snoring Al. His fingers passed over the ring with the weird symbols. He really wanted to know what this all was about.
read part 2/2 here
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