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Distortion Chapter 6

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Daniel stood, still waiting for the youth to respond to his question. It seemed odd that he was just suddenly able to see the boy when the others could not. He could tell that Jack wasn't looking well either so rather than press the matter further he would wait for when the other was ready, or rather able, to talk.

Jack in the mean time was gripping his staff tightly and resting his head against the familiar wood. He had the answers Daniel was looking for but for that moment he had to catch his breath. Once he felt a little more settled, he looked up and drew a long breath before exhaling slowly. The temperature in the room dropped by a degree or two, but both ignored it.

“Before I answer that, I gotta ask...” he paused and closed his eyes a moment, reopening them he continued, “What exactly does that mirror do? The one I came through...”

Daniel just stared at the other for a moment, it was a fair question if not a bit unusual, “You mean, you don't know?” he tested.

“If I knew I wouldn't be asking...” Jack responded flatly, “It obviously sent me here, and I can tell it's well...Earth...but it doesn't feel the same.”

“Hmm,” Daniel adjusted his arms a bit while scratching the side of his head, “I see...well, that's because you're on a different Earth,” he was met with a confused stare, “An alternate reality, for example, here man has set foot on the moon, in another reality, man may not have...”

“I see...” Jack leaned back in the chair, “Then...that must be...”

“Are you saying man never went to the moon on your Earth?”

“No, of course they did...I saw it though a window...” Jack waved his hand dismissively, “I guess this will help answer your question though,” he sat up once more, “I'm not believed in here, but the fact that you know of me means that I must exist...I just...never became a Guardian.”

Daniel had pushed himself up and was pacing around the office, he was trying hard to make sense of what Jack was saying. For one, he would have to be a full grown adult now to have seen the moon launch and yet he didn't look a day over eighteen. Secondly, the mention of being believed in did he mean that literally or figuratively? And what was a guardian? More questioned formed in the doctors mind but he stuck with his first for the moment.

“So then, why can I see you and the others can't?”

Jack's eyes rolled and an irate groan came from the spirit, “Because, you believed in me,” he answered, “Though honestly, I was surprised it worked on you...being an adult and all.”

“I'm not quite sure I follow...”

“It's almost impossible to see an adult that still believes in magic.” Jack said slightly.

It was right about there that Daniel's shoulders dropped and his hand came up to rub the bridge of his nose. Magic, perhaps he just meant some special technology that was unique to his reality? He could only hope the answer was that simple but the more he thought about it, the more it sort of made sense. On the plane, when he read that it was Jack Frost he was communicating with, his mind had gone back to his childhood, when his foster parents would tell him to bundle up, and hearing choirs around Christmas time singing about Jack Frost nipping at your nose. He honestly believed for a minute that, maybe...just maybe...he was real. It was after that, that the boy appeared.

“Alright then,” Daniel removed his glasses and rubbed his temples next, “Tell me what a guardian is?” realizing how that sounded, he quickly corrected himself, “I mean, I know WHAT a guardian is, but you said that here you aren't one...what did you mean by that?”

“I was chosen by MiM, like the others, to protect the children of the world,” the winter spirit started to answer; however, Daniel interrupted.

“MiM?”

“Man in the Moon,” was the answer he was given, “He's the one that chooses who will be a Guardian,” Jack then continued, “You probably know of them, you know...Santa Claus, Toothfairy, Sandman, and the Easter Bunny.”

For a man as well versed in mythology, ancient and modern languages, ancient civilizations, and the like, Daniel actually found himself skeptical. Deep down he knew he shouldn't be, considering for the last several years he and the other members of SG-1 have faced off against aliens who have posed as gods, that have shaped civilizations. And yet, here he was having trouble believing that in this young man's world, figures such as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were real. The thing was, the pieces were fitting together...if Jack Frost is real...then why not the others.

“I could try contacting the Guardian's here, but I have no way of finding them...” Jack was still talking, he had moved on to the next order of business, “Or, I could just try and find myself here!”

“No!” Daniel suddenly interjected, making not only Jack Frost jump, but Jack O'Neill as well. The Colonel blinked and stared at his old friend, while Daniel just bit his lip, “It would have been nice if you'd knocked Jack.” he caught himself a second too late, and quickly cast a glance towards the spirit before looking back towards his friend.

Jack Frost though understood now the guy that just walked in shared a name with him...though he felt there were too many Jack's now. One is good, two was acceptable, but three is always a crowd. Jack Frost, Daniel Jackson, Jack O'Neill...

“Right...” O'Neill still wore a look of suspicious concern, “The General needs us in the briefing room, you alright?”

“Oh! Right!” Daniel stood up straight, he had completely forgotten in his excited curiosity, though when asked if he was alright, the doctor just lifted his eyebrows as if questioning what made the other think anything was wrong. Sensing that an actual answer was desired, Daniel walked up to the Colonel, “Yeah, I'm fine Jack, why?”

Not looking at all convinced, O'Neill took a quick glance around the office, “You took off the second we got back,” he moved passed the doctor and circled the room, Jack Frost had recovered enough to move out of the way when the man walked by, “You've got it pretty cold in here, what's up with that?”

“Cold?” Daniel once again lifted his eyebrows, knowing the answer just not wishing to share it just yet.

Jack Frost though just gave a wayward crooked grin.

“Yeah, cold,” O'Neill turned but recognized the look Daniel was giving him, the man was avoiding the questions which meant he was hiding something, “You know what, forget it...let's go.” he would pester it out of the good doctor later.

“Ah! Wait I need to grab a few things first!”

“Fine, fine, whatever, just make it quick.” The Colonel left the office shortly after. Daniel moved to the door and peeked out into the hall. Once certain that nobody would over hear him, he turned to face Jack.

“You know, they think you killed those people on purpose...” he suddenly said, the words catching the Guardian of Fun off guard, “I don't think that's the case, but you're going to have to explain what happened.”

Jack avoided eye contact, he had put the horrid thought from his mind the second Daniel could see him. But it was still a very serious subject that needed attention.

“You said that...this was an alternate reality...what if my sudden existence here messed something up?” Jack slowly formed his theory.

“Didn't you just say that you already exist here?”

Jack glanced down at the floor, Daniel could tell that the young man was trying to find some sort of explanation, “I think...I may have been wrong...”

“What do you mean?”

“Earlier, when you were getting on the plane, I tried calling to the wind but it didn't listen...in fact it acted as if it couldn't even hear me,” Jack leaned heavily against his staff, “I think I existed here, but I never...I just...” the thought brought an actual chill to his bones, but no matter which way he looked at it, it made perfect sense. He existed, once...but here he never became a Guardian. The only reason he became a Guardian was because... “I didn't save her...”

Now Daniel was confused, he walked over to Jack and reached a hand out, but the boy just moved away. “Jack? Who didn't you save?”

“My sister...” Jack answered quietly, though he looked up and finally met Daniel's eyes, “I think I'm starting to see just what kind of world this is...”

“That's the difference between our worlds?” Daniel could almost feel the tension growing in the other, the room had dropped another degree as well, “In your world, you saved your sister and became a Guardian, but here that didn't happen.”

“R-Right...”

“Do people just become invisible when they become a Guardian?” Daniel then asked. Jack gave him a look that said that the question had been a stupid one, but his mood had grown exceptionally negative all of a sudden. However, he took a deep breath...this was a touchy subject now it seemed.

“No...not in my case,” he answered, “We went skating on a pond one morning, the ice seemed safe enough but a few minutes in and it started to crack,” Jack gripped his staff, “I was able to pull her to safety but wound up falling through the ice myself,” Straightening himself, Jack Frost dragged the staff across the floor leaving frosty patterns, “The last thing I remembered, it was cold...and dark...and I was scared.”

“That's when this...MiM chose you?”

“Yeah...it was only recently that I learned about my sister and what I'd done,” Jack sighed, “So here, I don't exist as Jack Frost...which is probably why everything is out of whack. I only used a little bit of my powers to cool that store room down, but this world isn't used to my kind of magic so it reacted...badly.”

This was good news, well not exactly good, good news but it was a step in the right direction. This means that Jack didn't intentionally attack those people. Of course, that made their deaths senseless...it was bitter sweet this new information. Daniel still had many questions about this MiM character and the other Guardian's, but if he kept General Hammond and O'Neill waiting, they would grow suspicious and impatient. Not wanting a repeat of being walked in on, Daniel gathered up his things.

“This is good, well..not good, but with this I can at least provide a good argument for the others,” moving towards the door, Daniel paused, “Though, you should stay here for now, I still have a lot of questions.”

Just tilting his head, Jack gave a nod before pulling his hood back up. He needed a break anyway, some time to fully process his thoughts. Naturally his gut told him to contact the Guardians of this world, but he also had a sneaking suspicion that this world's Guardians might not be exactly the same.



Pacing around the large, black stone globe, Pitch Black watched the lights flicker on the dark surface. He wore a subtle grin, three days had passed since he had sent Jack Frost away. Three days and not a so much as a peep from the Guardian's either. He didn't doubt that they were already on to his little scheme but that was just what he was hoping for. Pausing when a cluster of lights on the globe flickered, the Nightmare King leaned in close and waited. A few seconds passed before one of the lights flickered again and then went out completely.

“Ah, poor, dear, sweet child...did Jack not bring his promised snow day?” it was hard for him to contain the grin that split across his face, “And Jack...however are you fairing?” moving away from the globe and over to his newly prized possession. The large stone mirror stood a few feet away, the image that now displayed on its reflective surface was not the same as what had appeared when Jack unwittingly stepped through the mirror. It appeared to be a world ruled by strange beings, monuments were built in their honor. However, none of that mattered much to Pitch, no he picked up on the fear that the world was seeped in.

He had spent several hours learning how the mirror worked, he knew that it would be next to impossible to find the exact world that the Guardian of Fun had stumbled into. There were a few times where he thought he saw Jack but it was not the same one, no the few Jack's he had seen were far too comfortable in their worlds. If it had been this world's Jack, he would have been far more hell bent on getting back. No matter, he didn't have to worry about the winter spirit. His main focus was on where to spirit the other Guardian's away to. What dark, desolate world, filled with fear and devoid of hope could he send them?
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