Sequel/series info: 4th in series after "Iraq- hounds of love sequence"," Blackbeard," "Caught in the monkey jar-Blackbeard interludes"
Summary: Things are a little 'hinky' after recent missions….Author's notes: idea 11/11/2004. some notes july august 05, begun writing more in Nov 2005. stalled. More in Feb 06. stalled. July 2006. sept 06, revised Nov 06.
Lost in Translation by Roo
PROLOGUE (current day – a week after Need…)
General Hammond was worried about his elite SGC team. The Doctor was cautiously optimistic and Mackenzie probably had his doubts too.
It had been one hell of a ride lately and he wondered if Dr Jackson's recent addiction and the whole incident with the mines on Shayla's planet would be the preverbal straw to break their backs.
It wasn't that SG1 had abandoned Daniel in his recovery although the Colonel certainly must have 'issues'. Having a team mate turn on you with a gun while not exactly of sound mind wasn't in O'Neill's orders of the day. No, the Colonel had been there every step of the way for Daniel.
Things had not been 'quite' right for some time, now that he thought hard about it. Cracks had been expertly papered over by none other than his 2IC. He recognised the sticky fingerprints and the nonchalant 'everything's fine General'. But he noticed, hell he 'was' the General around here. He caught O'Neill's expression in unguarded moments and knew something was going on inside that head of his.
He thought back to the beginning of the recent run of 'bad luck'…
SIX MONTHS EARLIER….
Jack- "I'm just going to assume you've never been in prison before?"
Daniel- "Oh right….and you have?"
Jack-"Oh, yeah. Any place like this has its own set of rules. They don't have to make sense. Linea's obviously done what she needed to do to survive. Just like we are…"
They witnessed prisoners killing themselves in front of the Gate kawoosh. Only smoking boots were left, before someone grabbed them as prized possessions, something to barter with…
"That's terrible," muttered Daniel sickened.
"No, Daniel that's survival," said Jack bluntly.
"But to kill yourself like that…."
"At least it was quick," retorted Jack
"What! How can you say that?"
"That's reality here, the idea of escape gives them hope, that's all I'm saying."
Jack kept them safe, on track. Nothing happened to Carter or Daniel and nothing happened to anybody else either. So that was alright. He and Teal'c stayed alert and watched out for the other two. Daniel railing a bit because he didn't feel like a damsel in distress, but Jack knew he could be…so they didn't let their guard down. He sicced Teal'c on Carter. Figured his brawn would help deter any would be molesters to stay away. He kept Daniel sharp. Had to take his glasses off and thereby remove a source of weakness. Daniel still didn't get it, and he really didn't want to explain in detail…
The food was gross- but he expected that. God -the look on Daniel's face when the food chute opened. He told them to eat, they didn't want to. But he told them "We don't know if more is coming despite what the locals say."
The food did fill a hole but was pretty tasteless.
The whole situation made Jack jittery, prodding at shadows and demons best left undisturbed. Old habits raised their ugly little heads above the parapet…
Linea helped them to escape by powering the Gate and then back on base, used the SGC computer for her own ends. Jeez, what had they done setting her loose upon the world or worlds?
Nothing 'nasty' happened to Carter or Daniel apart from Daniel getting choked by that hulk Vishnoor. Carter held her own, but had still looked a bit mad at him for protecting her as well as Linea declaring her 'off limits'. What else was he supposed to do?! And he had a nice red ring round his own throat from being throttled with a thong, thank you very much, as a souvenir. Not that he would forget the place, you understand…
"Jack! Hey, you awake over there?" Daniel's slightly drunk yell reminded him that the gang were all here at his house. Post mission briefing, post mission infirmary tests and everything…just post…after.
Their resident archaeologist had had a beer or three, and now he was rummaging in the cupboards. What the heck is he doing now? Jack wondered.
"Gotta be something we can all play, not just chess….." Before Jack realised Daniel pulled out boxes from the cupboard- Scrabble, Chutes and ladders, Risk, Othello…
"Chutes and ladders, Jack?"
"What?"
"Found this in your cupboard with the other games. Oh." Daniel realised it looked several years old and battered. Charlie's…
Carter and Teal'c looked over in the silence that followed.
"Can play it if you want, Daniel." Jack said quietly trying not to abuse his sore throat.
Carter raised her eyebrows. 'Okaaay.' Something was going on but she couldn't figure out what it was. But if Jack agreed then it was okay.
So she and Daniel explained the rules to Teal'c and the evening passed and despite themselves they had fun playing the game. They didn't seem to notice that Jack wasn't interacting very much.
"I'd better be going, you too guys," said Carter, offering Teal'c and Daniel a lift.
Daniel began to put the board and pieces away.
"Leave it Daniel- I'll do it later," said Jack tiredly
"Sure, unlike you to leave things lying around. Mr Spic and span…"
"I said let it go, leave it."
"Huh?"
"Never mind it's late, Daniel. Go on home, shoo."
"Doesn't it bother you that we let the Destroyer of Worlds loose?"
"Sure it does, Daniel. Let's hope she doesn't come and bite us in the ass in the future," replied Jack grimly as he escorted them to the door and watched them drive off; watching long after the tail-lights disappeared.
He went back to the lounge but made no move to pack up the board game. Jeez, Chutes and ladders. Who'd have thought it? Snakes in the grass, snakes in the head- thoughts of Kawalsky and Carter although hers turned out to be a 'good' kind.
Prisoners….trapped, caught but innocent. Unlike the last time he'd been a prisoner. That damn board game. Life was like the ups and down of the board game, so his shrink had said. Take it one day at a time. Doc Marwood- hadn't thought about him or those four months of hell for quite a while. He had successfully come through his ordeal. He didn't want to dwell on it now for fk's sake. Back then he had Sara and Charlie to think about and they'd helped him.
This time he didn't have them. Okay, he had his team and they were good but they didn't know and he wasn't going to tell them. Over his god- damned very dead body he would. Bad enough that Doc Fraiser and the General knew.
Current day - now
General Hammond looked through the log books and knew that, that was when Colonel O'Neill's patterns began to change. Now that he was looking for it, a big hand waved 'hello, officer in trouble here…'. O'Neill coming on duty station earlier and earlier, leaving late. Lots of time in the gym and on the ranges… He flipped through the regular medicals, nothing that leapt out at you. Some weight loss, nothing wrong with blood or other levels or else Doctor Fraiser would have flagged them at the time. SG1 had seemed fine. He had put down O'Neill's occasional terse, snappy comments to being fooled by Linea, although Captain Carter blamed herself for that more than any of them as she had showed her the computers. And while O'Neill had a charming irreverent side, he could also be very intense and broody. Something was eating away at the Colonel. He remembered that the Colonel had put in for leave but had been turned down because of the Linea situation, training, paperwork and any number of logistical routine things that kept the SGC running….
The pattern wobbled then slowly returned to normal.