Missing Pieces, Gen, PG, SG-1
A sequel to Picking Up the Pieces, set during S9, Arthur's Mantle. Reposted commentfic inspired by sg_betty.


Sam and Cam Mitchell find a souvenir of past adventures:
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"Ew!" Mitchell didn't know what it was, but it was in this phase, and it was stuck to his shoe.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, turning back to look.

"It's - goo." Mitchell said. He glanced around the exam room. "There's extradimensional goo in the infirmary."

Sam squatted down to look at the dried out crusty bits and residual slime that he'd stepped in. "Oh," she said. "Surprising it hasn't dried out after all these years."

"What is it?" Mitchell wondered how he was going to scrape the boot, since he couldn't actually touch anything that he could use to do the scraping. Even the floor was a little spongy underfoot, as if he might sink through if he fell down hard enough.

Sam grinned at him mischievously. "You're the scholar of SGC history, Cam, you tell me."

"Interdimensional goo is not ringing a bell, Sam," he said plaintively. "What *is* this crap?"

She stood up. "Reetou guts."

Mitchell took a moment to recall the details of the report. "You killed them with TERs, right?"

"Yes, right here." Sam smiled. "A couple of longsuffering airmen had the job of scraping up the remains, crating them in a six-inch-thick lead box and sending them to Area 51. Looks like they missed a spot." Her smile faded. "Good thing Janet never knew."

Mitchell looked mournfully at his boot. "But how do I get it off?"

Sam shrugged. "Hard to say. I wonder if it will stay here, or come back with us when we transfer back to our own phase?"

Mitchell was mildly gratified that even Sam, who could be a serious pessimist, was talking in terms of 'when' and not 'if'. But still. "I hope it stays here, personally."

Sam shook her head. "Scientifically, it would be a lot more interesting if you can bring a sample back. It never occurred to us to look for traces of the Reetou when we got the Sodan phase shifters."

"Great. They never told me I'd have to be covered in alien bug guts for science," Mitchell joked.

"Just another fun-filled day at Stargate Command," Sam said cheerfully. "Shall we head up to the control room?"

Mitchell abandoned his attempts to clean his boots as he recalled that they were supposed to be looking for Daniel Jackson. "Sure, why not?" As they left the room, he resisted the urge to look back and see if he was leaving a trail of squishy Reetou bits behind him.
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