Window of Opportunity Bonanza

By Livi2Jack

Summary: The SGC loses a scientist through the wormhole in Season Three. She ends up in the Old West with the Bonanza Cartwright family. SG1 has to rescue her but they can't for years. Should she be rescued? This is AU for the purposes of exploring time travel, its paradoxes, and human nature. How would a normal non-technical modern person function in the Old West under Victorian standards? How would people in the Old West deal with a modern person?

Characters:

SG-1; Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, Hammond, Fraiser, and O/C,

Bonanza; Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe Cartwright, Sheriff Coffee, Doc Martin

Warnings: Some minor language issues.

Spoilers for Seasons 1-5 for SG1 and all for Bonanza.

Pairings: Hoss Cartwright/OC

Category: Het, AU, Angst, Adventure

Rating: Teen for some language and for medical issues

Author's Note: The Original Character is done for three purposes. One, I wanted a normal intelligent modern person but not a mechanical genius or a military person to deal with living in the Old West. Any woman who works for the SGC and goes off world is capable to a point and certainly brave and smart enough.

Two, I wanted a female O/C because women face different and more dire problems than men in those times, especially on the frontier.

Three, I want the problem to baffle SG-1 because of women's issues. They have to approach the problem with more care than just zatting the O/C and dragging her back through the Stargate to our time. I chose the classic TV show Bonanza because it is easily recognizable. Bonanza fits the bill for the Old West scenario since it is set in 1859 through the Civil War years in the Lake Tahoe/Virginia City, Nevada area, during the time of the Comstock Lode and Paiute Indian treaty problems. The Stargate Episode 1969 opened the possibility of time travel. Alternate Universe Episodes and the time loop episode Window of Opportunity open avenues to explore various time travel scenarios.

Don't bother to complain about a Mary Sue.

DISCLAIMER: "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis"andtheir characters are the property of Sony Pictures, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp., Showtime/Viacom and USA Networks, Inc. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author(s), and may not be republished or archived elsewhere without the author's permission.

Suggested search: Map of Virginia City Area

P3R-669: No Name Planet

"Aw crap!" Colonel Jack O'Neill cursed seeing the Death Gliders turn for another strafing run. "Dial it up, Carter!"

Major Samantha Carter rushed to the DHD to enter in the combination of symbols that would activate the Stargate on P3R-669. They had to evacuate and fast. It seemed as though each chevron took forever to light up and the wormhole to engage back to Earth. She punched in her code to the GDO so the folks back at Stargate Command under Cheyenne Mountain would open the Stargate at their end. To keep pursuing hostile out of the base, a trinium and titanium Iris blocked the reintegration of matter coming home through the active wormhole. Once she confirmed by radio that the Iris was opened, the fight was in progress.

"Dixon, where did you learn to count! I thought you said there were ZERO hostiles!" Jack snarled while reloading his P-90 behind a big stone block.

"Colonel, hostiles on your six!" One of SG-13 called out as an Al'kesh mid-range bomber hovered to ring down a platoon of Jaffa. O'Neill turned and showered the Jaffa with bullets just as the rings recycled to bring more soldiers. He and Dixon mowed that party down only to have to reload another clip and take out the ones on foot coming through the tree line.

Teal'c opened the doors to the cargo ship he had recently stolen. It was either get to the ship or through the Gate. Two of the scientists, who Dixon was there to baby sit, made it through the Gate. The third one had been with Teal'c. Both Teal'c and the scientist bolted from the cargo ship just before the Al'kesh bombed it. Teal'c turned to return fire with his oversized mini-canon blaster, that he removed from a fallen Death Glider on the last mission.

"Run, dammit!" O'Neill yelled at the scientist. "RUN!" She was sprinting for the Gate. Two Death Gliders turned to make another attack. She was right in the line of fire, not running fast enough. Teal'c fired off at two more Gliders approaching when the Al'kesh managed to ring down another party of Jaffa. Dixon and O'Neill mowed all but one down before having to reload. The Al'kesh rang down more Jaffa.

"RUN!"

It was not a good sign that one of the Death Gliders was pounding the runner's six trying to get her. Just as she looked as though she'd lose the race, she managed to sprint up the stone steps to the portal and throw herself through head first. The shot meant for her hit the Gate which toppled backwards shutting off.

Carter saw it happen. She ran to the DHD again and dialed. The Gate engaged. By then, Teal'c was racing to reinforce the defenders. More Jaffa arrived by the Rings. In a temporary lull between strafing runs, the remaining soldiers jumped into the shimmering puddle that was the event horizon back to safety and home.

"Close the Iris!" O'Neill commanded, as the last one bounced through. The metal plates shut behind him as a loud thud hit the backside of the barrier. The wormhole disengaged. Everyone in the Gate Room breathed a sigh of relief.

"SG-1 and 13 all accounted for, sir," O'Neill announced to General Hammond in the Control Room above the floor of the Gate Room.

"Uh, Jack, where's Dr. Hunt?" Dixon was looking around for one of his charges. "Where's Dr. Hunt?" He addressed the Control Room.

"She didn't come through," Sgt Walter Harriman informed them over the PA.

"Did you leave her behind, Colonel?" Hammond glared down at them.

"No, sir!" Both Colonels replied in unison.

"She went through right after the other two civilians. We all came after," O'Neill reported, looking confused and angry. "Isn't that right, Carter?"

"Yes, sir, I saw her go through just before the Death Glider blast hit it and knocked it over. I had to dial again because it shut off after her."

"We did have a second wormhole, sir," the diminutive Sergeant replied. We lost connectivity on the first, and then reacquired a second. It's in the record, sir."

"See, she should be here."

"I saw her go through, too," Teal'c affirmed.

"Well, she's not here!" Hammond huffed over the microphone."

"She's absolutely not on the planet. I saw her go through," said the lieutenant from Dixon's squad.

"Request permission to go back, sir," Dixon shouted.

"Negative, Colonel, de-brief in one hour. Get yourselves checked out in the infirmary." Hammond crossed his arms and stalked off to his office to the chorus of yes sirs' down below.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

SGC Briefing Room: One Hour Later

"What I want to know is how does Apophis know where to show up so often?" Colonel Dixon demanded in exasperation. "It can't be a coincidence that SG-1 has the most run-ins with that System Lord. Now I say someone is compromised."

"You'd better be able to back that up, Dave," O'Neill said in quiet deadly tones.

"I'm not saying it is anyone on your team, Jack. I'm saying someone at the SGC is compromised. Considering Apophis' vendetta against Teal'c, he's targeted your team."

"It would explain the consistency," Sam relented. "He is after Teal'c. Maybe we have a nishta problem or some sort of brainwashing going on?"

"What about some sort of device, Major?" Jack doodled in irritation.

"I suppose it's theoretically possible, but I don't see how unless human assets have gotten in here somehow to plant it. In that case, we are back to the problem of determining how someone was compromised."

"Ashrak," Teal'c said with confidence.

"That makes no sense, Teal'c." Sam leaned in, "If Apophis could get an ashrak in here, why not just kill you on the base?"

"We know an ashrak did get on the base once," Dixon conceded. "Why not again? He may be planting other devices."

"Why not just blow up the base?" O'Neill was dissatisfied with their reasoning.

"The Protected Planets Treaty, sir," Carter answered. "If he did that, then the Asgard would go after the System Lords. He can't leave a trail that he's been here or ordered an attack."

"So what do we do, zat everyone on the base?" O'Neill looked at Dixon. From their operation against Seth, O'Neill knew a strong electrical shock could overcome the brainwashing effects of the Goa'uld substance called Nishta. A zat could deliver a non-lethal shot sufficient to the task.

"I'll hold that option in reserve, Colonel," Hammond decided. "Major, I want you to do a sweep of the base looking for anything unusual. We just had a security sweep this last week. Maybe they missed something."

"Maybe it is a passive device activated when we turn on the Stargate," the lieutenant on SG-13 piped up.

"If that's the case, how does he know it's SG-1 going and not some other team?"

"Why would he care which team he killed? He'd just kill as many as he could. No, it is something specific to SG-1 and that's Teal'c."

"You have a point," Hammond realized. "Okay, we have another mystery. Now, what have we determined about Dr. Hunt's disappearance?"

"Sir," Carter knew it was her turn. "We know that a significant energy blast hitting an active Stargate will shift the exit point from one gate to another. Last time, it shifted Colonel O'Neill and me to the Antarctic gate. But that Gate is here buried beneath the Mountain. We verified it is still there. No wormhole can form since it is effectively buried. And we checked seismic readings. There were no anomalies consistent with another Gate activating on Earth."

"Then where did she go?"

"We don't have any idea, isn't that right, Carter?" Jack huffed, still doodling. He hated losing civilians. It was worse than military personnel because the civilians trusted the military to protect them.

"Could she have died when the Stargate shut off prematurely?" Dixon asked with trepidation.

"Yes, sir," Carter admitted. "Without a viable exit and the disruption of the wormhole, I would say there's a very high probability she died in transit, hitting the buried Stargate under this base."

"But she could have exited to any Stargate in the system?"

"Theoretically, yes sir, but we have no way to determine if that happened or where it happened."

"If Dr. Hunt exited on some other planet; wouldn't she dial the Alpha Site and come back that way?"

"She could if she didn't get captured or injured, assuming there's a working DHD at that planet. We could try to search along the route back here, sir."

"How many planets are we talking about, Major?"

"Since the route passes through the center of the Galaxy, we are talking hundreds if not thousands of possibilities. We know there are several hundred addresses in the dialing computer from the cartouche on Abydos and from the time Colonel O'Neill took the download from the Ancient database. But Colonel O'Neill didn't finish his input before we stopped him. Just the permutations from the number of symbols suggest millions of planets have Stargates."

"Needle in the haystack, Carter?"

"Well, we could eliminate those not on a direct path but it's still hundreds of planets."

"Narrow it down to the best of two dozen, Major. If you don't find her in the next 48 hours, I'm listing her as missing in action."

"But sir, there…"

"That's all, Major," Hammond rose and retreated to his office.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Stargate Command

Friday, January 7, 2000

"What's this about, General?" Colonel O'Neill wanted to take off for his cabin in Minnesota for his week of leave. Instead, Hammond summoned SG-1 to the Briefing Room before they could leave. Dr. Janet Fraiser came in with her folders ready. Daniel sniffed his coffee with disdain. It wasn't his special stash but it would have to do. Teal'c sat stoically as usual only he was garbed in Jaffa robes ready to leave for Chulak. Samantha Carter had been ready to start one of her pet projects on one doohickey or another. The look on Hammond's face was enough to make them realize this was serious.

"As you know, two months ago Dr. Michelle Hunt disappeared in transit from P3R-669 during a firefight with Apophis' Jaffa."

"Yes, I was in charge," Jack said solemnly. "They are finally getting around to filing charges?"

"No Colonel," Hammond gave his fatherly look. "We have just determined what happened to her. She's dead."

Sighs passed around the table.

"How do we know, sir?" Sam knew something was different. "Did someone find the body?"

"As a matter of fact, we did," Dr. Fraiser answered. "Two hours ago, DNA forensic results came back from Area 51. A body positively identified as Dr. Hunt was listed as Dr. Michelle Hunt Cartwright. We even found her dog tags with the body."

"Where was she?"

"We exhumed her body from a grave outside Virginia City, Nevada. She was buried on the Ponderosa Ranch in the Cartwright family plot."

"How the heck did she get there from P3R-669? NID messing around?"

"Three days ago while you were off world," General Hammond began softly, "a letter came to me here at the Mountain by courier from Wells Fargo Bank in Carson City, Nevada. The letter was addressed to me to be signed for by me. Another copy arrived at the Pentagon for General Ryan and another at the White House for the President. Each man's name was on the address and required personal signatures before the Wells Fargo executive in charge of the delivery would release it. Each one was from the Estate and Trust Department of the bank. These letters were handwritten by Dr. Hunt. We confirmed her handwriting with experts."

Hammond handed copies of the cover letter to the Team. They read it in silence.

To Wells Fargo Estate and Trust Department, Carson City, Nevada.

In accordance with my Last Will and Testament, Wells Fargo Company
has been paid in advance and charged with a sacred trust to deliver
this envelope as instructed below:

On Monday January 3, 2000, have this letter hand carried to the
entrance of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado Springs,
Colorado. Please wait for a signature from:

Major General George Hammond, EYES ONLY
Stargate Command
The United States Air Force,
Cheyenne Mountain Complex,
Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Deliver the other two envelopes as addressed by hand and receive a
signature from each recipient. Then, send all receipts to:

Colonel Jonathan John O'Neill,
United States Air Force
Stargate Command
Cheyenne Mountain Complex
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Send the fourth letter which is addressed to him on May 25, 2001,
AFTER delivering the other letters to Cheyenne Mountain Complex and
then give him a copy of my Will.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michelle Hunt Cartwright
The Ponderosa, Virginia City, Nevada
March 15, 1862

"I don't understand, sir," Daniel looked up at Hammond.

"Keep going, son. The explanation is in there."

"This is dated March 15, 1862' but she disappeared in November last
year…in 1999."

Hammond gestured to the folders in front of them.

March 14, 1862

Dr. Michelle Hunt Cartwright
The Ponderosa Ranch
Virginia City, Nevada

To:
General George Hammond or the current commanding officer of Stargate
Command, Cheyenne Mountain Complex
Colorado Springs, Colorado

RE: Disappearance of Dr. Michelle Hunt from P3R-669

Dear General Hammond,

How can I explain my disappearance? On some level it's unexplainable.
Just to be certain you would receive my news, I deposited this letter
with the Wells Fargo Company since they do survive as a business
entity until your day. Per my instructions, they agreed and were paid
to hold in trust this letter until Monday, January 3, 2000 and
deliver it personally to you with copies delivered to the Chairman of
the Air Force at the Pentagon and the President of the United States
at the White House. If you are reading this, please understand that
I'm not writing this as a formal report. It will however be my last.

Sir, I did the best I could under the circumstances. That's all any
of us can do, try to do our duty. I'm comforted to know that I did
the right thing even if I pay the price. This report may ramble a bit
since I'll tell it assembled from various writings. Some are in story
form. Others are done as my journal entries. There are bits in report
format. The rest are just whatever I can remember to fill in. I
include my diaries. I have been writing all this as it happened over
three years. Right now, I'm not feeling so good and might not make it
through. Therefore, I'm not going to edit any of it. I thought I
would have more time. Sir, these are my thoughts, feelings, and
impressions of what happened. I instructed my bank's estate and trust
department to deliver these documents on a certain day after the
mission transpired. If you read this before the mission happens, let
it happen. It has to happen this way, General, for all our sakes.
Actually, it's even more important than that; but I digress. I'll
probably digress a lot. In the next day or two, I'll have this sealed
up and hopefully it will find you, God willing and the creeks don't
rise.

I'll begin at the beginning, sir. On Wednesday, November 5, 1999, the
day started normally. I woke up, made coffee, slipped into a
wonderful hot shower, and made sure my roommate knew I'd be gone for
a long while. Tell her she can have my stuff but please give all
personal photographs to Colonel Jack O'Neill. It saves a lot of
hassle being roomies with another scientist at the Mountain. I don't
know what might have changed in the future because of all these
events. So let me say that I will work and have worked for you as a
civilian linguist. Dr. Daniel Jackson is my supervisor. Dr. Robert
Hunt, my late husband, knew Daniel from a long time ago. Daniel
recruited him and then me. Robert died before my disappearance and
all this happened. Anyway, I digress again. My mind wanders a bit at
the moment. Please, tell Daniel it was an honor to work with him.

My thoughts turn to Colonel Jack O'Neill. It's important that he read
this letter AFTER the mission to P3R-669 on November 5, 1999. He is
very important to me and all of us. I hope things stay the same
enough that he plays his pivotal roll at the SGC. The future of the
planet depends on him. I'm just sorry that I can't quite get on with
him somehow. He is like a prickly cactus on the outside but I know
he's sweet on the inside. He doesn't want most folks to know that. It
gets annoying when he's doing his gruff and irritable routine just to
push people away. He's impatient with scientists but he likes Sam and
Daniel well enough. The rest of us are just an impediment to his day.
Well O'Neill's day didn't get any better when he found out Daniel
wasn't available to go to P3R-699. I was next up on the duty roster
so he was stuck with me. I barely got a nod from him at the briefing.

(Really Jack, lose that attitude. It's just not nice.)

Anyway, SG-7 and 13 went to 669, where they found something and
couldn't figure it out. It could have been a warning or instructions
or even a bill of lading. They took pictures to show me. From those
photos, it was obvious there were more text buried and a reference to
more writings on stelae clearly standing in the area. The whole tel
went for three square miles. We were all hoping something great was
under all that dirt. Ground penetrating radar got through the first
layers of sand okay, but the clay and bricks barely showed the
outlines of chambers beneath. Potentially there were more under
those. O'Neill wanted to find a big honkin' space gun as he so
colorfully put it. More likely it would be a stash of grain, some
statues, and a bunch of pots.

SG-1 geared up and went through the Stargate to join Colonel Dave
Dixon's team, SG-13. Teal'c then dialed the Gate for another
rendezvous. After he went through, O'Neill ordered pickets set up
around the gate just in case the bad guys showed up. SG-1 had a long
unlucky streak going with Apophis popping up every which way.
Usually, he showed up at the most inappropriate moments. I couldn't
help wondering if he had some inside information. Maybe there was so
much surveillance at so many planets that Apophis got tipped off by
his own assets. Anyway, we were all expecting trouble. O'Neill wanted
us civilians in and out as fast as possible. That idea was all right
by us. Boy, were we all surprised a few hours later, when Teal'c
showed up in a tel'tac cargo ship. The man knows how to rip-off
Apophis better than anyone, which makes sense since he used to be
that snakehead's top general.

Apparently, Teal'c made a better sweep of the area than the UAV did.
He told O'Neill there were two more mounds south, just outside UAV
range. O'Neill got excited in that "no reaction" reaction he likes to
affect. Scowling, he detailed me to go with Teal'c to see if I
thought it was worthwhile calling in reinforcement teams to excavate
those. I don't know what he thought I could tell on a flyby. I think
he just wanted me out of his way. Teal'c never says much so the
flight was quiet. I saw those mounds and noticed a few more off in
the distance. We flew over those, too, marking the locations. Then we
hit the jackpot. Off on the horizon was a big pyramid, a Ha'tak ship.
We approached carefully and realized it was indeed abandoned. So
Teal'c grinned his ferocious grin that makes badass Jaffa masters
quake in their boots. I was so glad he was on my side. We hustled
back to O'Neill to show him what I had recorded on my camcorder.
Based on that evidence, O'Neill decided that I should go back to the
base and tell you to saddle up plenty of reinforcements. He also
wanted Daniel recalled from wherever he was, on a priority basis,
swapping me out for Daniel. I intended to have a talk with Daniel
about this. It was my find. Believe me, it would take plenty of us to
work it. Since I reported to Daniel, I had to go through him to
complain. I knew he'd smooth it out with the Colonel.

(Jack, you can be such a jerk. If you are reading this, bite me.)

I went back to the tel'tac cargo ship to retrieve my gear. Just as
Teal'c opened the doors, who should show up but Apophis? His Jaffa
strafed our position in a four Death Gliders. The troops under the
Colonel laid down cover fire so the civilians could go through. I was
the last one, trying to run across the field from where Teal'c landed
the tel'tac. Colonel O'Neill was yelling at me to run faster. Trust
me; my lungs were bursting as I sprinted for the Gate. I couldn't get
my pack off, strapped on as it was. I also regretted that second bowl
of oatmeal still lying like a lump of lead in my gullet. An Al'kesh
managed to ring down some Jaffa and then, strafe the position again.
A Death Glider was gaining on me, shooting its two cannons. That's
the last thing I saw as I dove head first through the Gate.

Only I didn't land on the ramp at the SGC. I hit dirt and tumbled
down a steep slope. Thank goodness my pack protected my back as a big
boulder broke the fall. I lay there for quite a while as nausea and
stars overwhelmed me. My eyes were staring up at a cloudless blue
sky. The rest of me just hurt. I have no idea what the scientific
reason is for my landing in the hills above Lake Tahoe but I did. I
know Lake Tahoe from many ski holidays. This was Lake Tahoe on the
California/Nevada border. According to my compass, I guessed I was on
the Nevada side. But something was wrong. Actually, a lot was
missing. I couldn't see the South Lake Tahoe resorts. Nothing. It was
quiet, too quiet.

My GPS didn't work. So, I scrambled back up the slope for a clearer
shot at a satellite. At the midpoint of the slope from where I was,
there was a cave opening. It was a large opening. From the skid
marks, I realized I had tumbled out of the opening, which sharply
dropped off down the slope I was on. Using the vegetation to pull
myself up, I looked into the cave. It was dark. Frustrated, I tried
to get a lock on my GPS. No luck. I thought maybe the mountains were
somehow blocking the signal. So I tried to climb higher. It was
really cold. After a couple of hours, I made it to the highest point
I could. I recorded a message on my camcorder with the last of my
battery power. I would have to use my solar array roll to recharge it
the next day. Not having a cell phone with me, I tried to use my
radio to make a mayday. All I got was static. I tried to uplink the
camcorder mayday from my laptop's antenna plug-in to the AF Satcom
without luck. So, I looked for a road into town, thinking someone
would have a telephone or I would flag down a car. I didn't find one
exactly. Actually, I got lost. I know direction from the sun and the
compass on my watch, but that doesn't mean you can find something if
it isn't there. South Lake Tahoe wasn't there. Incline Village wasn't
there. No ski trails or lifts anywhere I could see. When I did manage
to find a wagon wheel track, I followed it east away from the Lake. I
wound up in Carson City, Nevada. Only it wasn't the Carson City I
knew. The Universe had played a cosmic joke on me. I was lost in the
Old Wild West. The date…Wednesday, September 7, 1859.

Yeah, oh yeah, one for the record books. This beat SG-1's trip to
1969 by more than a hundred years. Picture this. There I was in
forest green BDUs, a Berretta 9 mil pistol strapped to one leg, a zat
on my belt, a GI knife strapped to the other leg, a utility belt with
grenades, C4 with timers, and the usual supplies, canteens, a
backpack with MREs, my radio and headset with a spare set plus extra
batteries, my laptop with the communication antenna, my camcorder, my
portable cd player for those long lonely nights in a tent, my
bedroll, toiletries, a couple changes of underwear, and a fresh
change of BDUs, and the ever essential reference book on Mankura
hieroglyphs.

Damnme, I forgot the hoop skirt.

So here's the story, while I can still tell it. If you are reading
it, just know I wouldn't do anything different. This is my final
mission report, such as it is. Nix to the bullet point summary. I
will leave you some suggestions as they occur to me throughout the
text.

If you aren't General Hammond and not in the Air Force, whoever you
are, please forward it to the United States Air Force. They'll know
what to do with it. Just mark the envelope: Stargate Command, General
Hammond Eyes Only.

Sincerely,
Dr. Michelle Hunt
(Those bloodstains are mine for DNA verification.)
The Ponderosa
Virginia City, Nevada
March 14, 1862

CC: Colonel Jack O'Neill USAF, General Ryan (AF Chief of Staff), and
the President of the United States

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Bite me?" Colonel O'Neill looked around for effect.

"Wow, that's amazing."

"Yeah, she called me a jerk in her report, Carter."

"Well, Jack you were rude to her, even for you." Daniel pushed his
glasses up his nose and huffed."

"Was not."

"Were too"

"No I wasn't."

"Oh yes you were."

"Not."

"Were."

"I'm not like a cactus, am I? Am I?"

"Sorta, Jack."

"She liked your ferocious grin, T." Jack complained to Teal'c.

Teal'c displayed his ferocious grin. "She is correct. Upon seeing me,
intimidating Jaffa masters are fearful in their footwear." Teal'c was
inordinately pleased with himself. Jack noticed in some pique.

"Well, sir, she did point out that you are important to her," Carter
mollified him. Jack inclined his head with a shrug. "And she thinks
you are necessary to save the planet."

"It's my bad attitude towards geeks, Carter."

"General, did she say more about the Colonel's pivotal' role?"

"She did. She left several hundred pages of text and drawings."

"Wow, this has got to be a record," Jack blew out his cheeks,
examining the paper which had aged.

"Colonel," Dr. Fraiser continued. "The headstone said she died March,
27, 1862. The bloodstains next to her signature matched her DNA
profile on record with a 99 probability." She offered him the lab
reports. He waved them off. "We have confirmed that she did indeed
die on that day in that year."

"So the real deal, sir?"

"Most definitely," Hammond confirmed. "The Bank swore an affidavit
that it has held these documents continuously for the entire time in
the vault. The Estate department could not make a disbursement of the
residual estate until these letters were delivered. It's been on
their calendar for 138 years."

"I'm changing banks," Daniel replied. "That's impressive."

"Time travel, sir?"

"Yes, Major."

"Dr. Hunt's Will made several bequests including a bequest to fund a
foundation for the children and families of fallen SGC personnel,"
Hammond hesitated on the answer. "And she left something for each of
you."

"That's very nice, sir. See, she did like me," Jack commented. He was
touched. "I hope she didn't leave any Confederate money what with the
war going on?" He coughed to cover his emotion. Everyone stared
someplace else.

"The bank carefully managed the funds and extensive real estate
holdings so that the estate has grown over time to the sum of $100
billion."

WTF? & ? Dead silence.

"Holy Hannah!"

"It seems Dr. Hunt, as Mrs. Eric Hoss Cartwright, bought land with
proceeds from her share of the Comstock Lode's legendary Ophir Mine.
That land was worthless at the time."

"Oh?" Daniel had the idea that the other shoe was about to
fall, "Where?"

"Las Vegas, Nevada," Hammond answered. Sounds of amazement echoed in
the Briefing Room. No wonder the Cartwright Estate and Trust did so
well. "Her estate owns most of the land around there; in and around
Reno, Nevada; and in Los Angeles, including portions of Beverly
Hills. And one other place."

"Sir?"

"The estate leases land to the Federal government for a dollar a year
for 138 years." Hammond looked around, pausing for effect, "Cheyenne
Mountain. Then the Estate repossesses it. The lease comes due this
month."

Teal'c threw back his head and guffawed as he never had before.

"And you said she was just a geek, Jack." Daniel wiped away his tears
of laughter.

"A smart geek, I said that," Jack doodled with his head down. "So,
what did she leave us?"

"She gave Dr. Jackson, Teal'c, Dr. Frasier, and Major Carter each ten
acres on the shores of Lake Tahoe. The bank estimates the value at
$10 million each." Cries of astonishment from each punctuated the
meeting.

"That's nice," Jack said softly feeling left out. "I guess I know
where our next ski vacation will be, right kids?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, Jack, sure," Daniel smiled. "You said she left
something for each of us?"

"Yes, she left my two granddaughters each five acres on Lake Tahoe."
Hammond toyed with his pen, deliberately ignoring Jack. "She said she
knew I wouldn't accept anything for myself. In addition, Cassandra
Fraiser will receive a trust fund for college sufficient to put her
through any graduate work and beyond, plus an acre of land at Lake
Tahoe."

"She was very thoughtful, sir," Jack answered, rising from the
table. "If that's all, I'd like to start my vacation in Minnesota. We
missed Christmas this year, or at least, SOME of us did." He eyed the
others.

"Sit down, Jack." Hammond waited for Jack to sit. "She left some
things for you, but I'll tell you in private. The rest of you are to
go to the conference room on Level One to sign for your documents and
give the Wells Fargo representative what he needs to complete his
assignment. Everyone else is dismissed."

The others left shooting looks at Jack and then hustling out with the
envelopes from Wells Fargo to get the deeds and other things to sign.

"Bring him in," Hammond ordered the airman. "You have to sign for
this letter personally, Jack." A man in a business suit entered with
a large briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. Clearly, he was curious
and a little concerned being in these surroundings. For security,
Hammond had taken the precaution of lowering the blast doors over the
view of the Gate Room. Jack produced his ID card, driver's license,
and dog tags. After signing several papers, the man compared his
likeness to an old photograph. The man offered a sealed envelope, a
key, and the large briefcase. Once he departed, Jack unlocked the
briefcase and found a sealed metal box. He broke the seal to find a
zat, a laptop, a solar array roll, and a cd player carefully wrapped
in soft but aged skins and disintegrating cloths. Jack fingered the
sealed letter, yellowed with age.

"Jack, I don't know what's in it. For obvious reasons, I am ordering
you to disclose it after you have read it."

"Yes, sir," Jack answered his C.O. He took the envelope, read the
outside and opened the wax seal. His face darkened and he whistled
when he read it. Then he handed it over to Hammond. Hammond read it
carefully and ordered copies. "Well, do you think it's possible?"

"Before we say anything to the Asgard or the Nox, we have some
consultations to make. I want to talk to the President."

Jack fingered the handwritten note, wondering. She had been friends
with Daniel and Carter for years. Teal'c spent time training with
her. Janet and Cassie were thick as thieves with Michelle, especially
after her husband's death. Jack knew he had given her a hard time.

March 13, 1862
The Ponderosa
Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Dear Jack,

Enclosed are invitations, which are my wishful thinking. I wrote
these invitations on the remote chance that you could ever come. I
know we haven't been on the best of terms. I want you to know how
much I admire and respect you. If anyone can find a way to come, you
can. The truth is that I have adjusted so don't feel sorry for me.
I'm writing separately to you because I don't know how things might
have changed, but I know I can always trust you. Assuming I didn't
screw up the timeline and you exist as an Air Force colonel at
Stargate Command which if you don't or aren't and there isn't, don't
worry about it. Okay, that confused me.

The contents of this letter are Top Secret: SCI security sensitive.

I've had time to think about this accident. Could something have
struck the Stargate just as I entered it? If so, then maybe the
wormhole jumped between gates and passed through a sun or black hole,
or another solar flare, or something else or some combination causing
a space-time inversion to throw me back in time before switching back
to Earth's gate? Please ask Thor or even the Nox. Even if I am
correct to some degree, I understand there may be no way to retrieve
me. Still, it may be the answer to the salvation of the Asgard. If
they can control the event, then maybe they can go back to their
initial cloning mistake and stop it. Of course, if they do, then
maybe they will not be around to make Earth a protected planet. Your
call, as usual, Jack. You know them better than any of us.

Now, the most important piece of information that I am entrusting to
you is the existence of another Earth Stargate. I tell you in this
separate letter and seal it for separate delivery. You will know what
to do about it. I hope no one tells the Russians. Jack, the other
Stargate is inside that Lake Tahoe cave! Enclosed is a picture that I
drew of the lake to help you orient your search teams to find it. I
also have delivered to you my camcorder which recorded the site. I
hope you can retrieve the information after all this time.
Unfortunately, I could not locate a DHD. This area is prone to
earthquakes and landslides. It could be anywhere even under some cave-
in. Without the DHD I have no hope of using it. I'm not strong enough
to turn the ring. Even if I could, I would need a power supply. I
have a zat, but I don't know how or even if it would be sufficient.
Yes, Jack, I'm a geek, but not that kind of geek. Happy now? I'm also
guessing that it wouldn't help anyway since there's no place to go
under the circumstances which I described in the writings I sent to
General Hammond, General Ryan, and the President. The Wells Fargo
representative should have delivered to you my personal items
including a zat, a camcorder, my laptop, and my solar array roll.

I bequeath you land adjacent to your cabin in Minnesota for two
square miles from the west and north boundaries totaling a thousand
acres. The parcel includes another larger pond that I had stocked
with fish for the last five years. That team retreat was good for
something besides mosquito bites. Don't worry, it's not a bribe. When
I bought the land, I only paid $25 for it, clearly under the official
gift amount limits. (LOL.)

I know they must have exhumed my body to make the identification. I
trust that you will see I am interred again where I was, next to my
beloved husband, Hoss Cartwright.

Thank you for everything, Jack. I wish you a good life. I know you
will show this letter to General Hammond, but I wanted you to read it
first. My Estate Trustee will be available with the necessary legal
documents for the transfer of property.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michelle Hunt Cartwright

"I think we should have a memorial service, sir." Jack didn't meet
the General's eyes. He coughed to cover his emotions.

"Yes, we should; but not before this matter has been fully discussed
at the higher levels. I'm not sure she didn't change the timeline
investing the way she did. I just got off the phone with the
President. And it is not obvious any of you can keep the bequests.
Until we can mount a counter-intelligence action, we don't want Major
Carter or anyone else to know about her theory of time travel. We
have been concerned for sometime that some entity is directing
surveillance against the four of you, me, and legitimate N.I.D.
personnel. We have been contacted by the Tollan, the Nox, and the
Asgard over related incidents. They want the leak plugged and the
asked for you specifically to plug it. You will be part of a counter
espionage plot to use disinformation to find the trail. For now, I am
classifying that letter at the highest Top Secret: SCI level known to
man. Now go to the Level One conference room to sign the rest of the
receipts for Wells Fargo. You are to take such measures as necessary
to secure that Stargate. Dismissed."

Hammond went into his office to read the diary included with the
papers. It was proving to be a real insight into life in the Wild
West. It was also a testament to resourcefulness of one of his own
people. A diary was certainly a better read than the rest of what was
pending in his in box. So, Hammond had all his calls held and settled
into enjoy it.