Chapter 3
Daniel was already on a plane when the co-pilot came out to tell him General O'Neill was on the line for him. "Tell him I'm sleeping."
The co-pilot shook his head. "I can't do that, Doctor."
"We're going to land in, what—" Daniel looked down to check his watch, "Twenty minutes? Tell him I'll call him when I get to the lobby. The conversation's going to be a long one. We don't have time." The co-pilot looked unconvinced. "Please?"
"Fine," he said, turning to return to his station.
Daniel's heart was racing. He knew that if he was going to enact his plan, it had to happen quickly. He knew where the jumper was being kept, how to operate it to go where he needed it to go, it was just missing one thing—
The ancient gene. The one thing he forgot about until just now.
Can I rope Jack into this? was his first thought, then, Just get a tech to do it.
Why, when they were giving the gene to Atlantis personnel, hadn't he also signed up to get it? Then again, he could always test a hypothesis he's had for years but never really gave anything further thought to…
Was his ascension enough to account for the gene? Daniel decided it was worth the risk. Besides, the jumper had already been activated numerous times by Jack. Hopefully that would be enough.
Secretly, though, Daniel hoped that it wasn't. The rational side of his brain was still not happy with this plan. If he couldn't use the jumper by himself and if he couldn't get a tech to activate it or Jack to do it, then maybe it really was never meant to be. Then he wouldn't have to try. Then he wouldn't have to live with it if the worst case scenario played out: he saved her but she died at a later point anyway.
No wonder the Ancients have a strict non-interference law. The possibilities were endless… but so was the sense of responsibility.
When the plane landed, Daniel went straight for the door. When it opened, Jack greeted him at the bottom of the stairs. "Going somewhere?"
Daniel smiled sarcastically. "I told you I was coming here."
"Yes… well, you're not."
"Just hear me out, Jack, please," he said. Then he had an idea. "Just come in with me so I can explain."
Jack nodded slowly. "I think Carter explained enough to me."
"She didn't."
"Oh yes. And I kind of agree with her."
"Hear me out? Please?" Daniel asked him.
"Five minutes?" Jack asked, reluctant to even bother. He could rarely change Daniel's mind when they worked together every day, so why bother now?
"That's fine," agreed. That's all he would need. If he could just get Jack in the jumper, near the console... Maybe the rest would all work out. Yes. He could do this. He just hoped Jack was as dumb as his brain wanted him to be.
Yeah right.