Operation Siler
Chapter 1
Gurneys were rushed from the powerful helicopter and down to the bowels of Cheyenne mountain. The two officers had been stabilized and taken good care of during their flight back from Antarctica but now Colonel O'Neill's internal bleeding and broken leg would receive the appropriate care, as would both his and Captain Carter's numerous frostbites and alarming state of exhaustion. Doctor Fraiser was barking orders as she run at the Colonel's side, holding the IV bag over his body. She was extremely worried by the gray color of his face, and although his vitals were OK, she wanted him into surgery immediately.
Captain Carter had been taken to the infirmary, her frostbites had been taken care of and she was chatting with Daniel, hailing nurses as soon as she saw one of them, in hope of getting news from her CO's stand.
"He is still in surgery Ma'am. We will let you know as soon as we hear something from Doctor Fraiser" was the answer she had received since they came back. Something had to be terribly wrong!
"Sam, as long as we don't hear anything, it means he is still alive. He is in good hands, don't worry!" Daniel tried to reassure.
"He has been there for four hours Daniel! FOUR HOURS!"
"He was in a pretty bad shape but I'm sure he'll be OK. You were in that ice hole for five days without proper equipment, it's a little miracle you survived at all!"
"Yeah, I know... How did you find us by the way? General Hammond explained that to me in the plane but I'm afraid I was too tired to make much sense of what he said"
Daniel went on explaining how he had noticed the vibrations through the mountain, which gave him the idea that there could be a second gate on Earth instead of on some foreign planet. The way everything trembled had reminded him of how dialing their own gate had had that effect before they had installed the dampers on it, and it made sense that an other gate would cause the vibrations when Sam tried to dial home from it. He had then had the idea to search for seismic activity and Walter had found the epicenter at a very precise point on McMurdo. From there, they just had to find the opening in the glacier to enter the ice room and rescue them.
As Daniel finished his summary of the rescue, Doctor Fraiser entered the room, clearly exhausted.
"How is he Janet?" Sam asked as soon as she saw her friend coming in.
"He'll be fine Sam. He just needs to rest now. I don't expect complications, I just hope he won't develop an infection but otherwise it's fine. How do you feel?" she said, adjusting the flow of Sam's IV.
"I'm fine" the Captain answered.
"Good. Sam, I want you to drink that for me, then you'll have to sleep. You've been through a lot and your body needs the rest" she said, handing her a cup of water. Daniel took the hint, and left to see Jack. He found Teal'c already sitting in the observation deck over the isolation room.
"How is he?" he inquired, handing a steaming cup of coffee to his friend, who bowed thankfully.
"O'Neill is fine. Doctor Fraiser is confident that the surgery went well and that he only needs rest" the Jaffa soberly informed. "How is Captain Carter?"
"Good" Daniel answered. "Janet has ordered her to drink and sleep, I think it's the best they can do now. Apart from some quite awful frostbites, she just needs to rest. As I understood, she stayed awake most of the time, trying to make the gate work and keeping Jack alive. I can't imagine how awful the experience must have been"
"Indeed" Teal'c acknowledged with a bow.
After a few days in the isolation room, Jack was transferred to the main infirmary room where Sam was still under observation. She was delighted to see him, as she had not been allowed to leave her bed to visit.
"Sir! How are you?" she said as the nurses were parking his bed to its new place.
"Why Carter, I'm fine. Glad to see you made it in one piece too" he smiled.
"I just have some frostbites, I was lucky" she dismissed modestly.
"Thanks for... you know..." Jack said, waving his hands around.
"Sir I... Yeah... I'm glad you made it too" They smiled knowingly to each other.
A gurney supporting Siler was rolled in the room and the Sergeant was transferred on a bed beside O'Neill's. The nurse drew the privacy curtain so neither of them knew what had happened to the Sergeant. When the curtain was drawn back, they were happy to see him sitting on his bed.
"Hey Siler!" Jack called. "What happened to you?"
"Aaah..." Siler answered dismissively. "I got a jolt from a cable and I passed out. Nothing to worry about Sir"
"I don't agree with you Sergeant" Fraiser pointed sternly. "You have a nasty burn and I want you to come back for a check first thing in the morning. You are not allowed to drive tonight so have someone to drive you or stay at the base, is that clear?" she said as she achieved dressing his arm.
"Yes Ma'am, thank you" the man answered sheepishly, casting a glance at the Colonel on his way out of the infirmary. O'Neill winked supportively at him, which Fraiser didn't miss.
"As for you Colonel, it's time to change your dressings" Jack's goofy smile faded at once, replaced by a murderous glance aimed at the doctor. "Oh, you can drop the act Sir. Come on, up with your gown" she added while drawing the curtains around his bed, winking at Sam who was trying hard not to giggle. A nurse came to change her own dressings at the same moment and she dutifully lifted her hand to help her.
After much whimpering and complaining from the Colonel, the curtain was drawn back by a mildly annoyed Janet. She was not looking forward to have her worst patient laying in the infirmary for the next couple of weeks... She could not understand how a man like the Colonel could boldly go to battle and risk his life every other day, and still, act like the worst sissy as soon as he was on an infirmary bed! She knew it was part of a game, and she played along, but sometimes it just went straight on her nerves!
She was sending someone to get food for her two patients when Siler came back, limping from a bleeding knee.
"What have you done this time Sergeant?" she sighted.
"I tripped and crashed on the side of the gate ramp..." the man explained. Sam and Jack winced sympathetically.
"Right, I'll patch you up.. Pants down and sit back on the bed..." the doctor said, drawing the privacy curtains once again. A couple of marines came in at the same moment, one of them with an open lip. Fraiser entrusted Siler's knee to a nurse and went to take care of the marines.
"And what happened to you Sir?"
"We were training hand-combat at the gym.." the marines answered. Jack grew tired of the never-ending flow in and out of the infirmary. He turned to talk to Sam, but she was sound asleep, and he found out that this was probably a great idea so he settled to do the same.
The following day, and the day after, were quite similar. People dropping in for minor injuries, some having to stay longer with more serious injuries gained in the field, but all the same, the infirmary was its old self and Jack was bored. Daniel and Teal'c came and visited often but they didn't actually have anything new and exciting to tell either. They had the grace to smuggle cake and jello for them a couple of times to make their stay sweeter, but well, hours were following hours and Jack was looking forward to go home. Sam had just been released while he had to stay much longer due to the seriousness of his injuries. He got to talk quite often with Siler, who was definitely Fraiser's most faithful patient, and, apparently a model one too, O'Neill noticed with disgust. Actually, the man was a model in everything he did, which was suspicious in Jack's book. Boring at best. He never disobeyed an order. Never came late. Never had a temper. He didn't even swear when he hurt himself, which apparently happened much more often than Jack had believed possible. Even his locker was clean and tidy! You'd think the man was Walter's twin! He knew the two Sergeants were good pals outside of work, which made one wonder if the two of them went to some good manners and social skills class of some kind, Jack reflected, rolling his eyes as Siler left the infirmary for the third time, thanking Fraiser nicely. Not that Jack himself didn't see the value of being nice to the doc, she deserved it more than anyone on that base. It was just.. not HIS way of acknowledging people. AND.. it would sooo ruin his reputation of bad ass if he did! He did it O'Neill-style, mostly anonymously or with an air of not doing it. He would take Cassie with him to the cabin for the weekend so she could have some time for herself, or pick the girl up at school so Janet would not have to stress and hurry home in the afternoon. He had not witnessed all the times she had discovered his flowers in her office, along with its unsigned "thanks for being such a good doc" card, but he recalled fondly the look on her face when she had found his -still anonymous- gift card for a day at the spa center on her desk. He had pretended to be asleep then, so she would not make him out, but he could see her through his eye lashes and knew then that he had chosen well. She DID need and deserve a day relaxing and taking care of herself. She probably suspected it was from him, she had looked intently at him then, even asked later on if it was from him, but he had played innocent to keep his secret. He liked it that way and she respected it. That was also a part of their game.
"Now Sergeant, you'll have me worry!" said doctor admonished as Siler stepped in for the fourth time that day. "You keep hurting yourself! I think you should take a couple of days off you know!"
"I... I'm fine Doctor. I... I may have been a little distracted lately though. I'm sorry Ma'am, won't happen again" Siler respectfully answered.
"Really Sergeant, I think you should take at least a day off. Anyway, with two fingers burnt like that you won't be able to repair anything for the next couple of days. Go home and spend some time with your family" Fraiser said. Siler dropped his eyes, defeated, and didn't answer. When he left, Jack called the doc to his bed.
"What's with Siler, Doc?"
Janet sighted. She knew very well that although he played dense, the Colonel was remarkable at reading people.
"I don't know Sir, I hope he's just tired"
"What you mean?" the Colonel asked, narrowing his eyes in alert.
"I... He usually drops in once or twice a week with minor injuries: cuts, light burns, bruises, that kind of things. But lately he has been here several times a day, and although it is still for minor injuries that won't require him to be taken off duty, some of them have been more serious than what I'm used to from him"
"Are you worried?" Jack inquired.
"I would be lying if I said no Sir. I don't know if "worried" is the word yet, but I'm sure going to keep my eyes on him. You've been here for some days Sir, have you noticed anything... different with him?"
"Actually I have. The man's lost his mojo. He looks... sad? Defeated?"
Janet took her time to think things over but she felt the Colonel had expressed exactly what she had been feeling.
"Of course! That's the word exactly!" she brightened. "When did you first notice Sir?"
"I dunno... Since I'm here I guess. Possibly before, I'm afraid I wasn't paying much attention then"
"I will check his file to see when these accidents have begun to increase" Janet said, walking up to her office. Jack could see her sitting at her desk, scrutinizing her screen with a concerned look on her face. When she came back, she stood by his bed side, now definitely worried.
"I will have to report this to General Hammond. It has been increasing constantly for several months now. Sergeant Siler has been injured 64 times in the last three months, with respectively 13 injuries in August, 21 in September and 30 for this month, and it's only the 24th!"
"How many days off did he take during that time?" Jack wanted to know.
"He's had regular days most of the time, although he has taken some afternoons off"
"Right... Get Hammond here. I want to talk to him too"
"Sir, you will not be back on duty before at lea..."
"Aaah!" Jack cut her. "I'm in on it now, and Siler's one of my men too. I want to know what's going on with him" he said on a tone admitting no contest.
"Yes Sir" Janet complied. She hadn't expected any other reaction from the Colonel anyway.
"Is everything alright with you Sergeant?" General Hammond gently asked the man sitting in front of him.
"I'm fine General, thank you for asking" Siler answered, still wondering why he had been called in.
"You like the job?"
"Oh I love my job General!" the man answered eagerly.
"Everything OK with your family?"
"... Er..." the Sergeant stammered, confused. "They are fine. What's this all about Sir?"
"Doctor Fraiser has brought to my attention that you have hurt yourself at an alarming rate lately, and she worries about you. I want to know what is going on Sergeant."
"Ah..." Siler paused. "Well Sir, I might have been a little distracted, but I promise it will not happen again" he said resolutely.
"So you say, but I need to know for certain that the problem is eliminated. I am concerned with your health, but also with the health of my men! What if you get "distracted" and you connect the wrong cable on whatever it is you are repairing? You could put good people's lives in danger, yourself included!" Siler swallowed hard and straightened on his seat.
"That will not happen Sir"
"Are you certain?" Hammond insisted, concerned. "How can you guarantee that it will not happen again Sergeant? Is the problem solved?"
"I... " the man began, uneasy on his seat.
"What is it Son? Is there anything I can do?" the General offered.
"No Sir, there's nothing you can do, but I will see to it that this doesn't affect my work"
"That's all I can ask from you Sergeant" Hammond concluded, understanding the man would not tell him more. "Dismissed"
"Thank you Sir" Siler said, relieved that his superior released him with no further question. He went to Captain Carter's lab, hoping she would have analyzed the data generated by the failure that sent both her and Colonel O'Neill to the second gate in Antarctica. Captain Carter was a nice person and he liked her. She would not bother him with questions. He hoped.
Meanwhile, the General had left his office to pay a visit to his 2IC. Stepping out from the elevator, he paused, chuckling at the string of whimpering and loud complains emanating from the infirmary.
"Leave me alone for crying out loud!"
"You are not strong enough Sir..." a patient feminine voice tried.
"I can do that myself thanks! Now get out of here!"
"Colonel, you shouldn't..." A loud thump interrupted her, and Hammond hurried to see what had happened. A freshly showered O'Neill was spread on the floor, trying to get on his feet between two groans and three cruses. Hammond stepped in and gave him a hand.
"Alright alright!" Jack continued whimpering at the nurse. "You were right OK? There. You happy now?" The nurse gave him a knowing smile, unable to resent the man. She knew she shouldn't indulge him but she never knew a man putting so much charm in being infuriating and she never could get genuinely mad at him. Which he perfectly knew and took shamelessly advantage of.
"Oh! Hey Sir" Jack said innocently when he noticed his savior. Both the nurse and the General chuckled. "Are you coming to save me from the dragon?" he said, insisting nastily on the last word while staring intently at the grinning nurse.
"I can see only one dragon here Jack. And it's not the nurse" Hammond said, earning an offended glare from his 2IC. The nurse had to leave before her giggle would be too loud. "How are you feeling?" he added.
"Well! Now I certainly feel hurt!" Jack theatrically complained. Hammond chuckled. Checking that they were alone, he announced:
"I talked to Siler. He would not tell me a thing, but there is definitely something bothering him. As the CO of this base, I did not want to force it out of him though, he promised he would not let it affect his job anymore and that's all I can ask from him at the moment. But I am worried, so is Doctor Fraiser. I suggest we go to phase 2 of our little plan"
"Yes Sir. It would be my pleasure" Jack answered knowingly.
It seemed that Siler was being true to his word. He was not seen in the infirmary for the rest of the day, and the following day passed without his usual drop-in. Jack was beginning to miss him. Walter had come for a visit and they had chatted over a game of chess. As he left, he promised to do his part of the job.
"Doctor Jackson?" a voice said in the phone. "The security camera indicates that Sergeant Siler has been observed visiting storage room 3 on the 24th floor three times today, and four times yesterday. What are your instructions?"
"Thank you airman. I'll take care of it" Daniel answered. "Where is he now?"
"He just left said storage room"
"Good. Thanks" He hang up and headed for level 24.
The storage room was relatively large, and the light was poor. Daniel felt he wouldn't find a clue if he spent the week looking. He left the room and headed for Sam's lab.
"Hey there"
"Hey yourself. How are you?" she smiled.
"Phase 2 is on and the security has something. I need an IR camera. Can you get me one without Siler noticing?" he whispered, acting like he was on a secret mission.
"No problem" Sam whispered back, playing along. They tiptoed to the elevator, straightening themselves and acting perfectly normal when they encountered someone in the corridor, tiptoeing further as soon as they were out of sight. They reached a storage room on level 20, where the main workshops were. Sam was testing cameras when Siler entered the room. Both friends jumped and were frantically thinking of a good excuse for being there, but the Sergeant just saluted them and walked to a shelf, picked a heavy battery and left.
"Wow! That was close!" Daniel whispered, letting out the breath he had been holding.
"Yeah!" Sam answered eagerly. "This is fun!" Daniel returned her broad smile. They grabbed a medium sized battery and put it with the camera in their bag. Their two heads popped from the room and peered in the corridor, sweeping the area to check if it was clear before tiptoeing back to the elevator. The airmen in the security room had quite much fun following them from screen to sreen, keeping an eye on Siler in his workshop. They could see the two members of SG-1 entering the storage room on level 24, and they returned their attention to Sergeant Siler. He was currently working on the MALP, when he suddenly jumped. Although they didn't have the sound, the two airmen could almost hear the curse. Even if Siler never cursed. He was holding his hand, checking that it was OK. He resumed his work but after a couple of minutes, he straightened up and left the room. In full alert, one of the airmen grabbed the phone. On level 24, an other airman got the message and rushed to the storage room. Daniel and Sam followed him out immediately, carrying an empty bag and disappearing in the staircase. They came out on an other camera, walking innocently back to their labs, as Siler was entering the storage room on floor 24. The first airman took his phone again and Daniel picked up.
"He is in"
"Good" They both hung up. Five minutes later, a new call said:
"Out now"
"Roger that. Thanks airman" Daniel called Sam and they walked back to the storage room to pick the camera up.
Jack's sick bed had become the center of "Operation Siler". Currently, all members of SG-1 and Doctor Fraiser were gathered around it. Daniel and Sam were reporting on their actions in the storage room.
"He has a first aid kit hidden there" Daniel informed.
"What?" Janet choked.
"Yeah... so that's why we don't see him here anymore" Jack reflected. "He is patching himself up so we would think everything is back to normal"
"But that's insane!" Janet protested.
"Yeah, something is definitely wrong" Daniel said.
"And he doesn't want us to know" Sam added.
"That is extremely regrettable Captain Carter" Teal'c concluded.
"Did Walter find anything Sir?" Sam asked.
"No. He was here earlier today. He said they went out for a beer yesterday but he didn't get anything new out of the guy" Jack informed. "However, his wife and Siler's wife are supposed to go shopping together next Saturday" Slowly to get the best effect, he added: "She will probe her mind".
"Well, in the meantime, we go to phase 3" Janet concluded. "Colonel, we are all depending on your charm now" she teased knowingly. Said Colonel sent her one of his best murderous glares.
"So" Jack said casually as he settled in Siler's car, holding his crutches on the door side. "How is the wife?"
"Fine Sir. Thank you for asking" Siler answered flatly. He winked to the guard, who lifted the gate of the mountain's parking lot to let them out. "Haven't been home since you came back from Antarctica, Sir?"
"Nope! T's been a while now... three... four weeks?" Jack tried to recall.
"Should we stop and get you some groceries Sir?" Siler thoughtfully offered.
"Oh, that's very nice of you Siler but Daniel has taken care of that already thanks. Should keep me alive for a few days"
"That's a good friend you have Sir" Siler noted.
"Oh yeah. All of them. I've been lucky there. But don't you dare tell Daniel I said that!" he warned. Siler chuckled.
"I won't Sir. Although I don't know why you insist on keeping that mask up"
"What mask?" Jack asked, acting hurt. Siler shook his head dismissively, controlling his side mirror as he overtook a car on the motorway. Sensing he wouldn't get an answer, Jack kept observing Siler for a while before he pointed:
"We all wear masks, don't we?" He kept a piercing gaze on his companion, who remained silent. However, Jack noticed that his jaw had tensed slightly. He chose to back up and joke the insinuation away.
"Not Daniel though. That's probably why he is so annoying!" The tension left Siler, who chuckled again.
"It's amazing that you two developed such strong bonds over so many... grudges.." he wondered.
"Oh, don't let it fool you. He annoys me most of the time, but I have a great amount of respect for him. As a matter of fact, he is right in what he says, most of the time. It's just that he always has so much to say!" Jack rolled his eyes and Siler chuckled again, letting him continue. "But you know, that's what makes a good team. When all the members contribute with what they are good at. I would have no use for a guy who would do what I do. I already have one. Daniel provokes me, but in a way, he makes all of us better"
"I understand Sir" Siler nodded. "SG-1 is a great team"
"SG-1 is good because it is part of a bigger team Siler" Jack pointed softly. "We depend on you guys, as do any other SG-team. We couldn't do what we do if Hammond was not there to run the base, Fraiser to patch us up, Walter to keep the light on, and you to fix everything around. We are all part of a team Sly. And you are a very valuable member of it" he added softly. To his surprise, he noticed tears filling his companion's eyes, who took a moment to pull himself together before he dared trust his voice to say: "Thank you Sir"
Thoughtfully, Jack patted the man's shoulder. "You're welcome Siler. Really"
As they arrived at Jack's house, Siler went to the trunk to fetch the Colonel's bag, then he hasted to help him out of the car until he found his balance on the crutches. Then, he followed the Colonel in and dropped the bag in the hallway.
"Come in Siler. Want a beer?" Jack invited.
"I have to drive home Sir, I can't drink" the dutiful man said.
"Not even one? Well, I'll make coffee then, OK?"
"Yes, thank you Sir" Siler accepted, closing the door behind him. He had been a couple of times at the Colonel's house, but never on his own. Last time was for Daniel's wake, it was crowded and he had spent most of the afternoon on the deck, chatting with Walter. Now he gauged the place with an appreciating eye. It was both comfortable and masculine, with a fine combination of stone and wood. Still standing in the hallway over the den, Siler noticed the jet model on the nearby chest, the pictures of planets and jets on the walls. On the mantel were pictures of SG-1, friends or family Siler didn't know, probably from the Colonel's time before the SGC as O'Neill was much younger on them. He also spotted a picture of the Colonel with his wife and son. He had of course heard all about the drama in the man's life. The kid had only been 8 or 10 when he shot himself about three years ago.
"You have kids Siler?" said Jack as he handed him two empty mugs.
"Yes Sir. Two boys" Siler answered, taking the cups from him and putting them on the coffee table. "My youngest is probably the same age as yours would be. Thirteen?"
Jack was surprised by the apparent facility Siler took the subject of Charlie up. Most people were tiptoeing around it, not knowing how to deal with it. He appreciated that the man didn't even try to pretend and walk on eggshells.
"Twelve actually" he smiled. "What's his name?" he said, dropping heavily on the sofa and laying his crutches down.
"Robin. He is a sweet boy"
Jack smiled warmly. "And you oldest?"
"Aaah... Luke is 16" Siler said, tensing suddenly. Jack tilted his head. There. Would that be the key? He pushed his luck: "And..?"
Siler sat cautiously on a chair, avoiding to look at him. Jack waited patiently, keeping his trained eye on the man in front of him. Yeah. Definitely there. Siler seemed uncomfortable, and Jack could see he was debating with himself if he should or should not speak out. With a hesitating glance, Siler's eyes gauged the Colonel, then, biting his lower lip, he seemed to decide to trust him.
"It's complicated" he posed. Jack remained prudently silent, letting the man choose his own tempo.
"I guess that's what they call the adolescent crisis" Siler chuckled nervously. A bip from the kitchen interrupted him, putting a questioning look on his face.
"Coffee's ready" Jack said softly, his piercing eyes on him.
"I'll get it" Siler said, jumping on his feet. In the kitchen, he found a thermos waiting by the coffee machine. He poured the steaming liquid inside, switched the machine off, walked back to the den and poured them coffee. He sat back on his seat, warming his hands on the mug. The Colonel was patiently waiting for him to continue and spill the beans.
"Luke has... changed quite much during the last months. He's... hanging out with the wrong people I'm afraid. School has phoned several times, we were called in, due to... disciplinary issues"
"That's why you left and took your afternoons" Jack deduced.
"Yes" Siler admitted bitterly. "Sir, I don't know what to do. I've tried to be a good father, despite my job I was there for them, we had a great relationship. We've played football together, watched games, we've been hiking, fishing, doing guys things. With my wife, we believed we had managed to give them values, a sense of morality, honesty, humanity..." Siler's voice broke. He sighted heavily and took his head in his hands in despair. Jack gave him a moment to pull himself together before he pushed a little further:
"What happened Sly?"
"He's turned to a rogue Sir. He's become violent, he won't listen to anything we say. He steals in his mother's purse. Starts fights at school. Sometimes he is out all the night and we keep waiting, afraid he could get himself into trouble. There's nothing we can do, he's totally lost respect for us. That's... a nightmare!" he sighted again, falling against the seat's back.
Jack waited some more time, in case he had something to add, but he had obviously spitted the whole story out. Then, like it was the natural consequence of what he had heard, he said softly: "We'll help you"
It took some time before the words reached and made sense in Siler's mind but Jack could tell exactly when that happened. The defeated father in front of him slowly lifted his eyes toward him, as to search for confirmation of what he didn't dare understand. The friendly but determined frame of the Colonel told him he had heard correctly. Then, hope bloomed all over the man. He straightened up, his face lighted and he whispered, like he was afraid to break the spell:
"Really Sir?"
Slowly, Jack leaned toward him, holding his gaze, and reaffirmed:
"I told you Siler. You are part of the team"
Again, Siler's eyes filled with tears, but this time, he was smiling.