Distortion Chapter 3

With his staff weapon, Teal’c blasted a hole through the main door. There was a short gust as cool air rapidly escaped before the dust settled and SG-1 was allowed to enter. The explosion did not go unnoticed; Jack Frost looked up and around. Things had grown deathly quiet since he tried messing with the locks…and the air ducts. Truth be told sitting in the same sweltering room for who knew how long had started to grade on the snow spirits nerves. It was a given that Jack didn’t get along with warm temperatures but he also had Pitch to worry about. Having seen no harm in pushing all of the warm air out through the ventilation system, Jack was finally able to cool his head and think a little more clearly. The storeroom itself had taken on a rather winter wonderlandish feel as well. The winter spirit was not aware of what was actually taking place beyond the walls. There was something about this place that didn’t sit well with him, the difficulty of placing what that feeling was, was making him rather fidgety.

Going back to the explosion, Jack stood and strained his ears for some sign of life. For a long stretch there was nothing, he half wondered if he’d just imagined the noise. The Nightmare King certainly out did himself this time, the young Guardian hadn’t figured out were it was that the dark specter had sent him, much less if he could even escape this place. He was not given much time to dwell on the negative though when a thunk made his eyes snap towards the large metal door. Curiosity getting the better of him, Jack left the mirror to go and investigate. The door itself had a rather lovely fern like pattern of frost around its boarders, in his boredom Jack had decorated some of the walls with little ice pictures. Such things were not his main focus though, there was a noise. He was certain now, it sounded like beeping…

Inching closer to the door until he was able to press his ear against the cold metal, a muffled voice shouted something. Right where his ear was, the beeping suddenly sped up before the whole door just exploded. Were he anything but immortal death would have been instant, in Jack’s case he was thrown back with excruciating force. Slamming into one of the many shelves and knocking it over, the spirit let out a groan before blacking out.

==

As the dust, smoke, and rubble cleared, SG-1 stormed into the store room. Weapons raised and ready for whatever menace had come through the mirror, they took in the spectacle before them. For one it was like stepping into a freezer, which was saying something considering the Colonel had made a comment about the hall feeling like a freezer before they had blown the door.

“Huh…” Daniel lowered the pistol he had out and took a few steps away from the group; he then holstered the weapon in favor of his recorder.

“Daniel…” O’Neill started only to have the archeologist turn and completely ignore him, “Tch, alright…Teal’c I need you to stand watch while Daniel and I check out the mirror, Carter do one more sweep of the building for survivors.” While their mission had been to reach the troublesome mirror, the team had searched as many rooms as they passed for signs of life. Every person they found was encased in ice.  With Teal’c posted at their makeshift door and Carter already taking off back down the hall, O’Neill heaved a heavy sigh and followed the good doctor.

“Care to tell me why you suddenly got that look tourists get when they see a two for one sale?”

Dr. Jackson didn’t respond right away, he had that fascinated look on his face, the one he gets when he notices something important but can’t place it.

“Daniel?”

“Jack, I don’t think whatever did this is hostile.” And there it was, Jack rolled his eyes in disbelief, “What? I’m serious, I mean look at thi…”

“Daniel, there are about a thirty frozen and certainly dead people out there, probably more,” the man interrupted, “I seriously doubt a friendly whatever would kill all those people.”

The man had a point, but Daniel still wasn’t fully convinced, “I don’t disagree but…” his sentence fell short, the his often difficult friend was giving him was enough to say that his argument wasn’t being bought, “Look, just from what I’ve seen, those people out there weren’t attacked.” It was a terrible loss what had happened to those people, but that didn’t mean it was done intentionally. Though, Daniel couldn’t say that made it any less tragic.

“Oh really?”

Daniel wanted to further explain his reasoning but held off when the two reached their destination. The alternet reality mirror, they all had bitter sweet experiences with the alien device but this case was growing more bizarre the more they tried to find answers. However, in the vast spectrum of knowledge Daniel had on ancient languages, cultures, writings, and the like, the images on several of the walls baffled him. In fact, upon examining the mirror more closely, there was a frosty silhouette decorating the reflective surface. Unlike the other images though, which seemed to illustrate an almost juvenile essence of boredom, this one held a very ominous feel. The gears were turning…

“If whatever did this really wanted to hurt us, don’t you think it would have done it already?” he finally said. Again he was given a less than convinced look from the older man.

==

Another groan came from the dazed spirit, bringing a hand up, Jack rubbed his face. He had to stifle an agitated whimper before rolling onto his side. Jack Frost had been kicked around, thrown, and dropped from very high distances, just to name a few, but never in all his three hundred and eighteen years had he EVER had something literally blow up in his face. He suspected that it could have turned out worse, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. It took him some time but he managed to force himself into a sitting position. Another couple of minutes and he had enough awareness to look himself over…nothing seemed to be broken or miss…

“Oh shi…my staff…!” sobering up right quick, he spun around in a frantic search for his beloved item; he found it lying under a pile of tossed boxes. Letting out a sigh of relief, Jack reached for it and pulled it out. Several of the boxes tumbled to the floor once their support had been removed. The disturbance had drawn the attention of the still guarding Jaffa. Teal’c turned and raised the staff weapon. He could not see what had caused the boxes to fall, but he could sense something.

Jack though, turned in time to see the much…much…larger man walk right through him. The sensation caused from this was something Jack was used to by now, it was unpleasant but not as unbearable as it used to be. However, when this man walked through him, Jack felt something else entirely. Where there was often an empty chill, a boiling hatred festered. A pained cry burst from the spirit as his reflexes caused him to shoot a bolt of ice at Teal’c’s back.

Teal’c had also felt something when he passed through the spirit. The symbiote inside him suddenly started seizing. The distress forced Teal’c to double over, cringing, just narrowly avoiding the icy blast which wound up striking a steel beam creating a frosty blast pattern. Samantha Carter had just returned in time to see Teal’c collapse. Quickly rushing over, and much to Jack’s relief just narrowly avoiding passing though him, she grabbed the large man’s shoulder.

“Teal’c! What happened? Are the others alright?”

Only a discomforting groan came from the other, he appeared to still be fighting to settle the symbiote down. Once he had managed at least that much, he looked up and around.

“I am fine…but there is definitely something here.”

“Y-Yeah…me…ow…” Jack groaned, what on earth was this man? The spirit eyed him warily knowing full well that these people wouldn’t be able to see him much less hear him. He felt sick though, dizzy even.

Having heard the commotion, and seeing the suspicious blue flash, O’Neill and Daniel had come rushing back. They found Sam hovering over a kneeling Teal’c, immediately the Colonel went on guard, bringing his P90 to his shoulder and doing a sweep of the area. Jack Frost on the other hand, had pulled himself to his feet and used his staff for support. The nauseous feeling had started to ease away as he finally took notice of the group. Well, a more conscious notice anyway.

“Sam, what happened?” Daniel approached.

“I don’t know, Teal’c just doubled over…there was a blue flash that looked a lot like a zat blast but I don’t think it hit him.” The Captain replied, “The blast struck over…” she paused when her eyes fell on what should have been a burn mark on the far wall, “That can’t be right.”

Daniel glanced over his shoulder in the same direction, “Ice…” he blinked, “Not a zat gun then.”

Jack tilted his head, they were human as far as he could tell…save for the one that walked through him. The large man they called Teal’c, he wasn’t human so then what did that make him? Brows furrowing in mild frustration, the spirit of winter decided that he already had more pressing questions to get answers to and that asking more would just make his situation that much more difficult. Turning, he started to move towards the large hole.

“You don’t think a Reetu came through the mirror do you?”

Jack stopped, ears straining but then turning, these people…they knew about the mirror?

“No, I would have sensed its presence,” Teal’c spoke up, “My symbiote only responded when I went to check on a disturbance,” he closed his eyes to get his bearings before pushing himself to his feet, “It felt as if something very cold passed through me.”

“Heh, it was the other way around big guy…” Jack muttered.

“Have you ever encountered anything like it before?” Sam asked.

“I have not…”

The two doctors sighed, however their commanding officer had other plans. O’Neill had lowered his gun but still looked ready to strike should the situation call for it. He approached the others and removed his sunglasses.

“Alright kids, we best call this in,” he looked towards Daniel, “Danny boy found some interesting pictures on that mirror he THINKS may be important.”

“Pictures?” Sam looked up questioningly, Daniel looked ready to start explaining but O’Neill held up his hand to stop him.

“Later, Carter, I need you to set up C4 around this store room, if anything…invisible or not…so much as steps out of that hole I want to see it from space got it?” he was not in one of his good moods. The rest of SG-1 could sense it and rightfully so. Rather than wait for the man to reprimand them, the group went to work setting up a perimeter around the store room. Jack on the other hand had to make a decision...follow these people who apparently know more about this mirror than he did, or stay here. What decision?! He’d seen enough of this place to last him another three hundred years, having wasted an unhealthy amount of time already, he was ready for answers.


+++++

=NORTH POLE=

The elves and the yetis were stirring nervously, many had gathered around the Great Globe upon noticing the lights flickering erratically. The most familiar of the yetis, Phil, had gone to fetch North. When he returned with the large, bearded, man, immediately the spirit of wonder leaned in, eyes narrowed. The disturbance on the globe was not natural, though double checking with Phil that there was nothing wrong with the axis or that perhaps there was simply a miscalculation, he was given a troubling response. There was nothing wrong and no miscalculations. That was just it though; something had to be wrong otherwise this shouldn’t be happening.  

“Make preparations, we are going to have company…” this situation was starting to feel hauntingly familiar, grasping the lever to the aurora signal, North harrumphed before twisting and pushing it in, activating the great signal. Something in the pit of his stomach was telling him that they had best prepare for the worst. After all, it was only a few years ago since this very event set in motion a great and terrible adventure.