Chapter 3 –
"Unscheduled offworld activation!" Walter's voice rang through the SGC.
Jack, who had been on his way to the control room anyway, was the first one to arrive. "What is it Walter?" He asked as he bounded up the stairs.
"Receiving radio signal from the intergalactic station, General." Walter responded as he turned the klaxons off.
"Let's hear it."
"Stargate Command this is Major Johnson at the intergalactic station. I have a secure message from Atlantis to be passed directly to General O'Neill in Washington."
Walter glanced up at Jack. He was smiling mischievously. Returning the General's smile, Walter opened a radio channel.
"This is General O'Neill, what can I do for you Major?" Jack said, his eyes glinting at the humor.
"General! I thought you were in Washington."
"I was, up until yesterday. What is the message from Atlantis Major?" Jack finally got down to business.
"I don't know General. I was just told to forward the electronic file directly to you. Dr. Weir made sure to tell me that it is for your eyes only."
"Very well, Major, send it through."
"Yes sir."
A moment later the wormhole disengaged and Jack looked at Walter.
"We received the file, sir."
"Good. Lock it. I'll open it in Daniel's lab."
"Yes sir."
Λ
"Damn it!" Jack exclaimed as he sat in Daniel's lab.
Daniel hadn't been pleased about being interrupted, but since Jack had settled quietly in a corner with the borrowed laptop, he had continued with his own work. However, the outburst from the corner where Jack sat caught Daniel's attention.
"What's wrong Jack?" Daniel asked, worry lacing his voice.
Without saying a word, Jack picked up the laptop and placed it in front of Daniel. Daniel spent the next several minutes reading the report from Atlantis.
"What are you going to do?" Daniel asked as he finished and looked up.
"I'm going to Atlantis." Jack stated flatly.
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
"But what about…?"
"Daniel." Jack warned, interrupting Daniel mid-sentence.
Λ
Flashback:
"What?!" Daniel exclaimed at Jack's news. "So you're saying that not only is Jackie from the future, but she's your daughter from the future?" Jack simply nodded. Daniel sat down hard on his couch. "Who's her mother?"
"She wouldn't tell me." Jack stated matter-of-factly.
Daniel gave Jack a look. "But you know." It was a statement, not a question.
There was a long pause as Jack decided whether or not to say anything. Heaving a big sigh, he too stood up and began to pace. Pausing, he looked down at Daniel. "Yeah, I know."
"Well?" Daniel prompted when Jack didn't elaborate.
"She had Sam's eyes."
Λ
"She should know Jack." Daniel ignored the warning tone in Jack's voice.
"We've been over this Daniel." Jack growled.
Λ
"You're saying that…" Daniel paused; he just could not make the words come out of his mouth.
"Yeah."
"So…how are you going to share that bit of information?"
"I'm not."
"What? Jack, you can't be serious."
"I'm very serious Daniel."
"But Jack, she's her mother for crying out loud!"
"What am I going to do Daniel? Walk into Carter's lab and say 'Hey Sam, Jackie's our daughter, wanna get to it?'"
"Well, I wouldn't exactly go about it in that way." Daniel mumbled.
"There's too much going on in the galaxy, and too much history between us."
"Jack…"
"No Daniel! I've made my decision, now please, just respect my wishes."
Daniel nodded slowly. Jack could be a stubborn pain in the ass, but in his own twisted way he did have a point…
Λ
"So you're going back to Atlantis." Daniel said. "You're just going to keep ignoring this huge elephant in the room."
"There's no elephant Daniel, she doesn't know, so therefore there is no elephant. And yes, I'm going back to Atlantis. Whoop-de-doo."
Λ
"Damn if that isn't the weirdest sensation!" Jack exclaimed as he stepped out of the wormhole at the intergalactic station.
"Welcome to the IGC General." A young man, that Jack assumed to be Major Johnson, greeted. "How was your trip?"
"Longer than usual, and extremely strange."
"Yeah, get that a lot. It'll be a moment before the wormhole to Atlantis is established. I'd give you a tour of the IGS, but there really isn't much to it." Major Johnson finished by giving a wide sweep of his arms as emphasis.
"The IGS?" Jack questioned.
"Yes sir, intergalactic station, IGS."
"You guys need to get out a little more often." Jack chuckled.
"Yes sir!" Major Johnson heartily agreed.
Λ
"Doctor!"
Carson, who had been talking to John, spun around at the loud shout from one of his nurses. Hurrying over to the bed she was standing next to, he saw Jackie in what he could only guess was a catatonic state.
"What happened Lieutenant?" Carson demanded.
"I don't know Dr. Beckett. One minute she was talking to me, the next she was like this."
As Carson began to examine Jackie, a disturbing thought occurred to John. "You don't suppose…?"
Carson looked up and read the worry in John's eyes. "I really don't know Colonel Sheppard. This is all new territory for me."
Jackie chose that instant to launch out of the bed. When John attempted to stop her she ran into him, knocking him off balance, and bolted out the door.
"Sheppard to Ronon and Teyla."
"Ronon here."
"Ronon, our guest just went crazy on us and ran out of the infirmary. I'm attempting to follow her. You should be able to head her off at the gateroom."
"Understood."
Λ
Jackie ran into the gateroom and immediately found herself lying on her back with Ronon's gun aimed at her face. Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Becket entered from the direction of the infirmary, Teyla entered from the opposite end of the gateroom and Doctors Weir and McKay entered from the control room.
"What is going on?" Elizabeth demanded as she arrived at the base of the stairs.
"That's what I'd like to know." John responded.
"Unscheduled offworld activation."
Everyone in the gateroom looked at the stargate in apprehension. Had Jackie inadvertently alerted the Ori to the location of Atlantis? Their tension lowered only slightly as the shield came into place over the gate. Elizabeth dared a glance up at the control room, waiting to see if there would be an IDC sent through.
"IGS IDC."
Λ
"Atlantis has lowered their shield General; you're cleared to go through." Major Johnson announced.
"Thank you Major. I guess I'll see you on my way back through."
"Yes sir." Major Johnson saluted.
Jack returned his salute before stepping through the stargate and finishing his journey to Atlantis. The words that Jack had planned on saying upon arriving in Atlantis, died on his lips at the sight that greeted him. All of SGA1 plus Doctors Elizabeth Weir and Carson Becket were standing over someone, or something, aiming weapons at whatever it was. Every face registered shock and surprise at seeing Jack walk through the stargate.
"General O'Neill, what a surprise!" Elizabeth finally found her voice. "Welcome back to Atlantis."
"Thank you Dr. Weir. I thought the circumstances warranted my personal attention."
"Sir!" Colonel Sheppard came to attention and saluted.
"At ease, Colonel."
"Dad?"
In the moment when John moved to attention, a clear line of sight was opened up for both Jackie and Jack.
"Someone care to explain just what the hell is going on?"