VII
"Sometimes we can't change the way things are," Jack said later, after all the tears had been cried and Danny had taken a nap. He'd probably be awake most of the night now, but Jack didn't mind entertaining his little fella. He was way to relieved to be back in his good book.
"I thought you could."
There was no defense mechanism to shield him from those quietly spoken words. It brought back a memory Jack could have done without. When Daniel had been presumed dead while trapped on Nem's planet they had gone to sort out his apartment and Carter had found his journal and read from it.
'Sha're is gone, Jack says we'll find her. If anyone can, he can.'
He knew Daniel had never believed or felt that Sha're's death was Jack's fault. He had struggled with Teal'c for a while, but he'd overcome that, too. Yet, Jack had felt similar to now back then when he had seen Daniel in the infirmary after Teal'c had killed her. When he had to look him in the eye and see that bottomless grief there. And anger.
Jack knew this was a very different situation, but still...
They sat, side by side, on the bed in Jack's quarters with pillows propped up against the headboard. "I'm sorry I disappointed you. Do you believe me when I say I did what I could? That we gave Mania's family a way to help themselves. Hopefully."
"I know you did," Danny murmured after a moment of silence. Jack hated to see him like this. There was almost nothing left of the happy, energetic and curious child Danny used to be. He was like a deflated balloon.
"I'm sorry we couldn't take Mania with us," Jack said softly.
Danny shrugged. "She wouldn't have liked it here anyway."
Jack looked around the windowless room with its nice but functional furniture. There was a carpet and the bed had a pretty navy-blue comforter and several fluffy pillows. Jonas had stopped by with some stuff from Jack's place last night. The playstation, some DVDs, clothes. The boxes were still sitting on the desk, unopened.
He looked at his small sidekick who had his head down and his arms tightly wrapped around himself. A miniature version of the self hug Jack knew so well from the early days of SG-1. A habit he didn't want to see resurfacing in this little one.
"You don't like it here much either, huh?"
Danny shook his head.
"No," Jack said quietly, "neither do I."
The kid tilted his head to peer up at him. "Really?"
"Hey, I'm the one who didn't want to go home in the first place, remember?"
"But you had to. 'Cause Teal'c is sick and 'cause you have to save the world and stuff."
"I know."
"I forgot what it's like here," Danny said after another moment of quiet. "I didn't know it was so... dark. There are no colors and no windows and there are lots of people with guns and the food tastes yucky." He bit his lip and ducked his head again.
"It's just until we are cleared to leave, kiddo. You'll like my place. I have a yard and we can drive up into the woods and go camping. Do you remember the Springs at all?"
"No," Danny said, then corrected that statement. "I remember places. Like Starbucks. I used to love Starbucks. And I remember the library. I used to go there sometimes. But not much else of the city. Is it big? Is it like Ba'th Town?"
"Not... exactly like Ba'th Town. There's no beach, for starters. And it's bigger." His eye caught the laptop sitting on his desk. "I could show you pictures. On the internet."
"Daniel showed me the internet," Danny said halfheartedly. "He showed me pictures and videos of Egypt and the camels. And pictures of what it looks like outside the mountain. I watched a movie, too. Aladdin." He perked up at that and let go of the self hug. Holding his arms wide apart to indicate something huge, he went on, "There was a blue genie in it that was THIS BIG. I liked the genie. He was funny. And he lived in a lamp. Daniel says that Aladdin is a fairy tale of the Arabian Nights. He's going to read the original story to me soon."
"In Arabic?" Jack asked.
"His book is in Arabic, but he'll translate it for me. Daniel knows LOTS of languages. I used to know all of them, too, but I forgot when the Oma-angel changed me."
"You could re-learn some of them," Jack suggested.
"First I wanna learn how to read and write again. Then I can read all the books in Daniel-Jonas office."
Fraiser and Daniel had kept Jack in the loop about the tests they had done with Danny so far. Oma had saved the little guy and Jack would be forever grateful for that. Temporarily losing the ability to read and write was a small price to pay for being alive, but to Jack it still felt like punishment. He was glad that Danny himself didn't seem to mind having to re-learn. And according to Fraiser his IQ was still through the roof so he'd soak up knowledge like a sponge.
"Jack?"
"Danny?"
"When can we go outside? Is it my fault they won't let us leave? Because I fell from the sky?" Danny leaned against him. His thumb crept to his mouth, but just before it wandered in he suddenly withdrew his hand and quickly shoved it under his butt. "Doc Janet says I'll get crooked teeth from sucking my thumb. And no one wants crooked teeth."
"Yeah," Jack sighed, "Doc Janet sure knows how to spoil all the fun, huh? She means well, though. And she's usually right about all things medical." Even though he was sure Danny would grow out of it on his own long before his teeth turned into Unas teeth. He pulled the 'offending' hand out from under Danny and took it in both of his. "It's not your fault we're still stuck here. SG-1 has been missing for a very long time and it's complicated. There are a lot of boring things that need to be done and it'll take a while, that's all."
"How long is a while?"
"Uh... I don't know. Couple of days, maybe."
Danny heaved a deep sigh. "I thought going home meant we'd all be happy, but no one's happy. Teal'c is still sick and it's all dull and gray and boring here. I don't wanna watch any more movies or look at pictures. I don't want any more games and color books. I want to go outside and play. And I want Teal'c to be better so he can come and play with us."
Oy. And they had just returned three days ago.
Jack peered at his watch. "The Tok'ra are working on making Teal'c better. Give it some time and maybe they'll have good news for us soon."
"Sam's dad is a Tok'ra," Danny said thoughtfully. "Are they doctors?"
"They're scientists," Jack replied vaguely. "They're very smart."
"And sometimes their eyes glow."
"Ye-ah."
"How do they make their eyes glow, Jack?"
Was there some place he could file a complaint about Oma? If she had to mess with the kid's brain, why couldn't she make a clean sweep? This muddiness of fragmental knowledge was so going to give Jack lots of headaches in the future. He was glad to have Daniel on board for this particular part of parenting. Daniel, however, wasn't here right now.
"The Tok'ra are from another planet. That means they are a bit different," Jack said carefully.
"How come Sam can't make her eyes glow if her dad's a Tok'ra?"
"Jacob became a Tok'ra by choice. He wasn't always one."
"Oh! And they made it so that he can make his eyes glow, too. So he won't feel left out. That's nice of them, isn't it?"
"Yeah. You got it." As much as Jack was glad to see a bit of Danny's curiosity return, he'd rather not continue down this road. He needed a diversion plan, and fast. "Tell you what, buddy? I'm going to make a couple of phone calls and we'll go out to play tomorrow."
Danny flipped over on his knees and bounced on the bed. "We will?!"
"Yep. We can run around the woods and get some fresh air. There's a catch, though. You need a lot of energy to run around in the woods... so you have to eat at least one decent meal between now and tomorrow morning."
Danny considered this for about a second, then jumped off the bed, pulling at Jack's hand. "Doc Janet said she'll get me anything I want 'cause the commissary food is so yucky. I remember pizza! I love pizza!"
Jack stood and made Danny ride piggyback. "I have a better idea. Let's find Walter. I bet you can charm him into getting pizza for all of us."
ooo
"You don't have clearance to leave the mountain," Daniel repeated patiently.
"Yeah, and when has something insignificant like that ever stopped us from doing anything?" Jack rummaged through the box of clothes. He pulled out his black leather jacket. "Here you are," he muttered and put it on the bed.
Danny who was sitting at the head of the bed, tugged at the sleeve and pulled it over to him. "Is this your jacket, Jack?"
"Yep. Jonas brought it from home."
"Is it cold outside?"
"Not cold, but not as hot as it was on Ba'th. You need a jacket, too. Or a sweatshirt." Jack turned to Daniel. "Where's that bag of clothes Walter..." The bag was dropped on the bed before he had finished the sentence. "Thank you."
Jack had no clue where the tiny t-shirts, jackets and pants Walter had left on his desk this morning had come from. He assumed Harriman had kids or nephews Danny's age. Whoever the original owner of the clothes was, Jack was grateful they had agreed to part with them. While his credit card and bank account were finally back in order, they hadn't had time to do online shopping yet.
"So how are you going to do this, Jack? Climb out the access tube?"
"Now, that would be fun, but no. We'll take one of the other emergency exits. That's going to take us right where we want to be."
"There are guards," Daniel cautioned.
"I know that."
"Then, how..."
"Daniel, have a little faith. Hey, Danny, you want to go through this stuff and choose a jacket or a hoodie?" Jack pushed the bag over to the kid who dove into it immediately.
"You're counting on those guards not knowing you are supposed to stay on base for the time being. Because you used to be 2IC and no one dares to question your word," Daniel assumed.
Jack slipped into his jacket, pulled at the lapels and shrugged a couple of times until it felt familiar again. Yep, his. Nice. "Not exactly, nope," he said in regard to Daniel's nagging.
"Good. Because I'm pretty sure Hammond has given word to everyone about not letting us out. So unless you have those speed-me-up armbands hidden somewhere..."
Danny wrestled with a dark blue hoodie. He got stuck somewhere with his head and Daniel had to rescue him. Once the kid was free and wearing the hoodie the proper way, he climbed off the bed and started bouncing around the room like Tigger on his pogo stick.
"I get your point about having to go out," Daniel said with a glance at mini-him. "But you could take him to the gym and let him roll around on the mats or something."
"Daniel, being allowed to go out and play is the reason he's finally acting more like himself. If I was just desperate I'd make him run laps in the hallways."
"Yes. Allowed being the crucial point here. Because you're not. Unless you got clearances the rest of us didn't?"
Jack caught Danny in mid bounce and settled him on his desk chair to help with his boots. "Let's just say I have connections and allies."
"Oh?" Daniel's eyebrows wandered above the rim of his glasses. The glasses Jack had kept, tucked away in his own desk all those months. They had been like a connection to Daniel. Or a reminder that Daniel was just gone, not dead. Maybe they had been a shred of hope that some day Daniel would come back and need his glasses.
Which, all things considered, was exactly what had happened.
"Yeah, oh. You coming along or what?" Jack finished tying Danny's boots.
"Actually, yes. I want to see how you're going to pull this off. You got another jacket in your box of miracles?" Daniel didn't wait for an answer and started digging through the box, coming up with a gray fleece jacket. It was a jacket from Jack's favorite hockey team, the logo embroidered on the back.
He slipped into it and, taking the kid in their middle, they left Jack's quarters.
Jack had used his strategy skills to time everything precisely.
Jonas waited by the elevator. He greeted them with a grin and handed Jack a huge brown paper bag. "Everything as ordered, sir."
He peered into the bag, found everything to his satisfaction, and nodded. "Thank you, Jonas. Let's go."
"Can I do the swiping?" Danny asked and was delighted when Jonas handed him his card. He whipped it through the scanner like a pro and a moment later they were in the elevator, going up.
"What's in the bag?" Daniel asked.
"Radio and provisions," Jonas provided readily. "Sam is on guard. If anyone is looking for you she'll contact me immediately. Hopefully that'll give us enough time to return. Of course if anyone questions my authority in the first place, we're all screwed."
"You're doing fine," Jack assured him brightly.
"Yeah. Right. I'm not sure why exactly I let you talk me into this in the first place. I must have lost my mind."
"C'mon, Jonas, be a little adventurous. You're a brave man. Hey, when you wash my truck, do you remember to wax it twice?"
Jonas blinked. "Uh, I usually take it to a car-wash..."
Jack was speechless upon this abuse of his truck. He used to spend hours washing and waxing it, polishing all the chrome parts and cleaning it out. His truck was his baby, his precious. Well, okay, mostly he just found it relaxing to lose himself in the mindless task of cleaning. It cleared his head and grounded him.
"Ouch," Daniel winced. "Bad, very bad."
Jonas threw up his hands. "It's a CAR. Well, a truck. I don't see any reason to spend my time washing and waxing it by hand."
"You're dead now," Daniel said gloomily.
Jack took a deep breath and patted Jonas' shoulder. "That's fine. Toldya we'd be even and I'd stop pestering you. IF you manage to get us to the surface and back again."
Jonas cringed, then straightened up and gave him a grim look. "I'll take you up there, even if it's the last thing I ever do. As long as it'll get you off my case about your truck and your house. In fact, I can't wait to give you back your keys, Colonel."
Jack grinned. "That's the spirit."
They switched elevators, but when they got off, instead of taking the hallway to one of the blast doors and tunnels leading to the main exit, they entered another section. The two SF on duty took one look at Jonas' ID card and let them pass without questioning when he told them he was authorized to escort Colonel O'Neill, Danny and Doctor Jackson on a short walk topside.
They continued through another dark corridor and a stairwell until they reached the heavy door to the surface. It was one of the three emergency exits of Cheyenne Mountain. Jack, being 2IC of Stargate Command – at least he had used to be until he'd gone MIA on Ba'th - knew all the ins and outs of the base. This particular exit was close to the access tube and would take them to a clearing in the wilderness of Cheyenne Mountain. From the outside it appeared to be a transformer building; gray brick building with blue steel door.
Jonas let Danny do the 'swiping' again and Daniel pushed the door open. "I'd love to see the brass in DC faint if they found out a four year old opens the doors of the USA's most highly secured military base."
They stepped outside and into a mild fall day. Jonas had checked the weather channel for them to make sure it wasn't raining.
They were greeted by blue skies and trees that had just started to change colors. A paved road led away from their exit, but they chose to go the other direction on a small well-trodden path.
Jack and Daniel took Danny's hands and swung him up between them as they walked deeper into the woods. Danny pulled at their arms to make them go faster. With every up-swing he chortled, which was the best sound in the world. Jack had missed hearing it over the last couple of days.
They entered a small clearing enclosed by a mix of aspen trees, firs, and scrubs.
Danny skipped away to peek under a bush. Daniel followed him and together they discovered a ladybug on a leaf, a woodpecker's hole up in a tree and a patch of wild flowers. Jack and Jonas were informed of every new find very loudly and in detail.
Once they had found a nice spot Jack pulled a blanket from the brown bag and spread it on the forest ground. Next he retrieved a ball not unlike the one he'd had on Ba'th. However, this one was red and brand new. Jonas had just bought it last night.
"Ball! We get to play ball!" Danny hadn't participated in any of the games with the older kids on Ba'th, but he had loved watching from the sidelines so Jack assumed he'd be happy to play in a less rough and competitive manner.
This place wasn't ideal for playing for real; the ground was uneven and small scrub grew everywhere. But Danny didn't care about goals or rules anyway. He just ran after the ball and kicked it, then wanted Jack to kick it "real hard, Jack!" so he could run after it again to kick or throw it back. The little guy insisted Daniel and Jonas join in and, of course, neither of them could resist those sparkling baby blues. Soon the clearing was ringing with laughter and cheers.
At least for the moment the sad and subdued kid was gone and the star child was back in full force, totally enjoying the moment and the freedom of just being outside and seeing the sun.
Jack loved it.
Danny picked up the ball and ran with it, yelling at the top of his lungs, "You can't catch me, you can't!" as Daniel chased after him, pretending to be a roaring Unas with an appetite for little kids.
"Jaaack, Jaaack, rescue me, rescue me!" Danny squealed and threw the ball. Jack caught it and, with a well aimed shot, hit Daniel square in the chest. "Take that, Chaka!"
"I'm dooown," Daniel moaned and fell like a tree.
Danny stopped in mid-run, almost toppled over, spun around and attacked mercilessly. He climbed on top of Daniel and raised his arms in a victory pose. "I won!"
"You had help," Daniel groaned. "That's not fair."
"Is too. I'm smaller. I need help." Danny leaned forward and patted Daniel's cheeks. "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone that you lost."
"Ow, thank you." Daniel played the wounded Unas for another second, then he grabbed the kid and started tickling until Danny was begging for mercy.
Jack loved that, too. If he could just stand here and watch them for the rest of the day, he'd be a happy man.
"He's a fun kid," Jonas said.
"Yeah, he is."
"Are you getting permanent custody?"
"It's what I applied for." It was one of the first things he had requested. The most pressing matter on his mind ever since they'd returned home. He was still waiting for the approval and with every day that passed he was getting a little more anxious.
Danny didn't have any legal parents or family that would want to claim him. He wasn't an alien threat either. He was a little boy who had fallen from the sky and needed a home. Jack had taken care of Danny from the start. He had everything the kid needed. It was as simple as that in his book.
And, thanks to Jonas, he even had a home for himself and Danny once everything was sorted out.
Apparently it wasn't quite that simple for his superiors.
Jonas nodded. "Good luck. If you want me to prepare the spare room... it could use some paint and new furniture if you are going to turn it into Danny's room."
"I'm hoping we won't be stuck at the mountain much longer," Jack replied. "And I'd like him to choose the colors and all that."
"We could show him stuff on the internet. Ikea or whatever."
"Yeah, I think he'd like to help set up his room. Meaning, he's gonna make a fine mess in his attempt to 'help'."
"But it'll help him to settle in. From what I heard about your life on Ba'th things were a lot different there," Jonas said.
"Yeah. Listen..." Jack decided it was time to stop being a jerk. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're most likely the reason I actually still have a house. So... thanks for taking care of it. I appreciate that."
"You're welcome," Jonas smirked. "It's a great place. I kinda hate having to move out again."
"I'm sure Hammond won't make you move back to base. You'll find a new place. One where you can plant all the mulberries you like."
"Jack!" A Danny-sized limpet attached himself to his legs.
"Hey, buddy. How'd you escape the hideous monster?"
"We negotiated peace. And we're hungry," Danny giggled and tugged at Jack's pants. "What else is in your bag?"
"Hmmm... who knows. Go, find out."
"Coffee?" Daniel asked hopefully when they all settled on the blanket and watched Danny unpacking. He retrieved a thermos, three plastic cups, a straw, several wrapped sandwiches and a bottle of orange juice.
"Nice!" Jack opened the juice for Danny and put the straw in it.
Daniel poured coffee for the rest of them and everyone grabbed a sandwich.
"Can we 'splore the forest, Jack?" Danny asked when he was done wolfing down half of his bread.
"I think we have to go back in a bit," Jack said, receiving an affirmative nod from Jonas. "But maybe we can come up here again tomorrow and take a longer walk."
Danny's face fell instantly, as if the sun was covered by a sudden dark cloud. "Do we haveta go back inside? Can't we stay here? We could tell them where to find us if they need you?"
Jack sighed. "I wish we could, kiddo, but we have to follow the rules. Nothing I can do about that, sorry."
"We never had to follow so many rules on Ba'th," Danny pointed out with a pout.
"You'll get used to it," Daniel said. "It's just very different, that's all."
"It's boring," Danny insisted. "Being inside is boring. It feels like being buried."
"Under a ton of rocks," Jack agreed, but added, "For now we don't have a choice, though. And all the arguing in the world won't change that."
"I wasn't gonna argue."
"Sure you were. You were just warming up for the big big argument."
"Was not."
"Were, too."
"No-oh-oh," Danny huffed and crossed his arms.
Daniel held up a small paper bag. "Cookies anyone?"
At least for the moment it saved the day.
Before Danny could start into round two about going back inside, the radio crackled. "Jonas, this is Sam, do you read?"
Jonas quickly picked it up. "Yep, What's up?"
"I'm on my way to Hammond. He just called... he's looking for the colonel. I'll try stalling him, but you should get down here ASAP."
"Understood. We're on our way, Jonas out."
They quickly stuffed everything into the bag and Daniel went to collect the ball. Danny looked from Jack to Jonas with wide eyes. "Are we in trouble now?"
"Not you," Jonas reassured him. "You haven't done anything wrong."
"And if we hurry and are down there before Hammond goes to check the security cams neither will we," Jack said.
The folded blanket was placed on top of everything else. Jonas carried the bag and Jack let Danny ride piggy-back.
They had just left the path and were trudging down the paved road when the radio sprang to life again. Only this time it wasn't Sam. Instead Hammond's voice spoke to them, loud and clear, and he didn't sound happy. "Mister Quinn, where are you?"
Jack cringed and Jonas looked spooked, but replied, "Uh, sir, we're just..."
"Are you still on the surface?"
"Yes, sir. Sir, I can explain... or, rather, Colonel O'Neill can explain..."
"Stay where you are. I am headed your way. Hammond out."
Into the following silence, Danny piped up, "Uh-oh."
That pretty much covered it.
ooo
General Hammond exited the blue door five minutes later, followed by a flustered looking Sam. The general appeared grim faced and not at all forgiving.
Daniel and Jonas exchanged a worried look. Jack just stood at attention, ready to have the riot act read to him. But instead of dressing down his former 2IC, Hammond turned to Jonas first. "Mister Quinn, you're dismissed for now. Please take the boy with you."
Danny shook his head and sought refuge behind Jack's legs.
"Sir..." Jack started and, at a curt nod from Hammond to be at ease, he crouched down and took Danny's hands in his. "I need you to go with Jonas, okay?"
"No."
"Danny..."
"You got into trouble 'cause of me." Danny twisted around and looked all the way up into General Hammond's stern face and Daniel couldn't help but admire the little guy for his courage. "Jack wanted me to have fun. If you haveta throw him in jail, I'll go with him."
The effect wasn't wasted on Hammond either. His face softened, his mouth twitched and he shook his head. "Don't you worry, son. No one is going to throw Jack in jail. He'll be just fine. But we have to talk about some very boring grown up things."
Danny looked thoughtful. "Like in the very looooong briefing on Ba'th?"
"Something like that, yes. I'm sure you'd rather do something more fun than sit through that again. Jonas could take you to the commissary for some ice cream."
"I have a better idea," Jonas said quickly. "I'll show you the gym. You could climb the wall bars and we can take the ball."
Danny looked indecisively at Jack who gave him an encouraging nod and a slightly forced smile. "Go, have fun. I'll pick you up when I'm done here."
Finally Danny took Jonas' hand and they disappeared through the blue door.
Daniel cleared his throat and, forestalling any reprimand coming from the general, he started talking very fast. He had learned over the years that sometimes this was a great tactic to a) get his point across or b) get his way because Jack or Hammond just wanted him to shut up. Granted, the latter was probably not true, it just felt that way sometimes.
"General, we know we weren't supposed to leave the SGC and we're very sorry, but Danny was depressed to the point where he refused to eat and we were desperate. We just wanted the kid to have some fun and we should have asked or, at least have Doctor Fraiser make Danny's well being a medical issue to get permission to go out, but we weren't going anywhere and Jonas – who isn't to blame, by the way, because he just followed Jack's orders – watched us like a hawk, so..."
"Walk with me, people," Hammond cut him off and strode down the path they had just come from.
Jack's eyebrows shot upwards and Sam bit her lip and shrugged. They trudged after the general who didn't stop until they were back in the clearing they had just left.
When Hammond faced them he still seemed angry, but Daniel had a sudden inkling that his anger was directed elsewhere. The next words out of the general's mouth confirmed that hunch. "Colonel, we will talk about your insubordination later. Actually, as things are, it's good you're up here. It makes talking off the record much easier."
Somehow he knows about Jack and me, Daniel thought with sudden clarity. Someone must have noticed something... but he and Jack hadn't even seen each other much over the last couple of days. It made no sense...
Jack's eyes flickered over briefly and there was a head shake so subtle that most likely no one but Daniel noticed it. It could mean; relax, this can't be about us. Could also mean; we're so totally screwed.
Hammond took a deep breath."The NID, in agreement with the Joint Chiefs and the President, has just informed me that SG-1 – with exception of Doctor Jackson, but even his sudden return from ascension isn't off the table yet – is under suspicion of being compromised or at the very least susceptible to alien influences and suggestions due to a piece of unknown technology in your heads."
After a moment of stunned silence Daniel realized his jaw had hit the floor. He blurted out, "What?!" and quickly closed his mouth.
"General, Doctor Fraiser has confirmed in all her reports that the nanites in our brains are inactive," Sam said.
"Wellll," Daniel cautioned reluctantly, "of course there's always the question about whether or not they will stay inactive forever or if they could be re-activated... but obviously they malfunctioned in the first place and their only purpose was to alter your memories..."
"According to the NID we can't be sure that's their only purpose, Doctor Jackson. So until the research regarding the stamping device and all its connecting technologies is completed you will not be allowed to go back to active duty and you will not get permission to leave the SGC." Hammond gave Jack a meaningful look. "Not even to take a walk on the surface, Colonel."
Daniel said, "Okay, but isn't that a bit counterproductive? Sam is supposed to be part of the team doing that research. And what about negotiations with Ba'th authorities? I thought she was going back there to explain the results of our research to them."
Hammond nodded. "Those were my orders, yes. Unfortunately my superiors have other ideas. Apparently the implants in your heads have everyone in DC spooked. You were the SGC's flagship team which gives you certain privileges, but it also makes you very vulnerable. Basically they are afraid those nanites could be used to extract further classified information from your minds. Or that you are – consciously or not – being used as spies."
"Sir, Ba'th authorities have already extracted any knowledge and data from our minds they needed when we arrived there. It's part of the stamping process," Sam said.
"They suspect that it could be done again in the future. That the Ba'th government could somehow still download any information about future missions and whatever input you gather on other worlds," Hammond said.
"Of all the stupid things..." Jack started, but Hammond held up a hand to silence him.
"This new development does not bode well for our relationship with Ba'th authorities either."
Sam shook her head. "Sir, we will prove to them that we're in no way a threat to Earth or the SGC. And once the stamping device is dismantled there's no way..."
"Not you, Major. They want us to send Doctor Lee instead to continue your work on the stamping device."
"Oh. Okay. That's..." Sam trailed off and bit her lip, then continued hurriedly, "But... with all due respect, sir, we need that treaty with Ba'th. There is much more at stake than naquadah mining rights. Teal'c needs this symbiote replacement drug. And not just him. We're making good progress on refining it. If we can make it work we should go into mass production. We need to set up a lab on Ba'th and start growing fields of plants."
"I agree. And I was able to convince the Joint Chiefs that we shouldn't voice their concerns regarding your implants to Ba'th authorities unless there is a definite proof that those nanites are not what they appear to be."
"And how is anyone going to prove that? Or the opposite of that?" Daniel asked sharply.
Hammond shook his head. "I have no idea. And I'm not supposed to tell you this, but they wanted me to pull you off the drug project, Major. However, Doctor Fraiser insisted that your extensive knowledge of Ba'th's vegetation is essential to their work. Everyone is well aware of the magnificence this drug would have in the Jaffa's quest for freedom. It would be a powerful tool in changing the balance of power in this galaxy long term."
"Thank you, sir," Sam said.
"That still leaves SG-1 in limbo for... how long exactly?" Daniel asked.
"As long as there are nanites in our heads," Jack said flatly. "And they can't confine us to the SGC indefinitely. Where are we going, General? Area 51? Comfortable VIP suits with a grand view of the desert and bars in front of our windows?"
Hammond gave Jack a grim smile. "They haven't said, yet. But I'm not going to just sit here and let them arrest you. To that end I talked to the Tok'ra this morning and they have agreed to look into your problem. There's a chance they might find a way to remove those implants. If that happens all restrictions will be lifted and SG-1 is back in the game."
"Sweet. What are we going to do? Have our heads x-rayed again?" Jack asked.
"Not x-rayed and no MRI. Sina will return to the Tok'ra home world to get advanced equipment to scan your brains. They assured me it will have no side effects of any kind. Doctor Fraiser will be present and monitoring the examination."
"As long as Anise doesn't have any part in this." Jack shuddered visibly and despite the seriousness of the situation Daniel had to bite back a smile. Anise had once come on to Jack – Jack had told him later he'd been traumatized by the size of her boobs.
"Don't worry, she won't be involved. However," the general lowered his voice and Daniel saw how the Texas-sky blue eyes zeroed in on Jack alone, "there's more."
"More, sir?" Jack echoed.
"Oh, boy," Sam murmured.
"If the Tok'ra successfully remove the nanites from your brains and SG-1 goes back to active duty there is no way you'll get custody of the boy, Jack. This is coming straight from the higher ups. They believe that having a child to worry about will interfere with your job as leader of the SGC's premier team. Of course what they said was that it's more beneficial for Danny's well being if he grows up in a real family where at least one parent isn't at risk of getting killed out in the field."
"And if they aren't able to remove the nanites and we go to Nevada or elsewhere, I won't get custody either," Jack said slowly.
"I'm afraid that's right," Hammond replied darkly. "As a matter of fact the Air Force is already looking for a suitable placement for Danny. This is totally off the record. They weren't going to let you know until they found someone, made it legal and took the boy away."
Daniel felt like someone was pulling the rug out from under his feet. This couldn't be happening. Suddenly he was eight years old again and sitting in a social worker's office with his only suitcase at his feet and his stuffed camel clutched in both hands. The bitter salty taste of his grandfather's rejection at the back of his throat and the burn of tears stinging his eyes was like poison. The social worker promised him a family would come to adopt him, to take him home and give him everything he needed.
The family that took him home that day couldn't keep him. Neither could the family after that or the family after that...
"They can't put him through that," he ground out, barely swallowing the 'again' he wanted to add. "And there's no need either. He already has a family. Us."
Hammond sighed. "I am open for suggestions, Doctor Jackson. This is why I told you. If you can work out a solution I will do anything to make it happen. The only upside to this is that they are not considering Danny a threat or a security risk so he can live a normal life here on Earth. Of course, seeing that he has certain scattered memories from being Doctor Jackson, he still needs parents with clearance. Which may give us time to think up a solution for this mess."
Daniel shook off the image of himself in that office. No one had been there to fight for him back then. No one cared. Danny, however, had SG-1 to cover his back. "I have no nanites in my head. If I have to, I'll resign from going off world and work at the SGC."
"That's a noble thought, Doctor Jackson, but you have returned from the higher planes of existence and they are still trying to digest that, too, in Washington. Your case is even more complicated since they are not sure if you have any lingering ascended powers."
"What powers? Like controlling the elements? Going through walls? Oma took away all the knowledge, all the memories from when I was ascended. I spent months on a higher plane and have no knowledge of it at all. That's frustrating enough, isn't it? I told Simmons everything he wanted to know over and over again when he interrogated me. And even if I had any glowy magic in me I wouldn't be allowed to use it. None interference."
"Which is actually why he was sent back to the lower planes – because he broke that rule to help us. We'd probably not even be here without Daniel. He gave up his life as an ascended being for us," Sam threw in.
"Who knows, maybe I had an evil agenda by doing so," Daniel snapped.
"Daniel..." Hammond's rare use of his first name shut him up for the moment, but didn't deflate his anger. "You don't have to convince me. I'm not the enemy here."
"We know that, sir," Jack said into the ensuing silence. "And I appreciate you telling us what's going on. That said I have to inform you that whether or not the Tok'ra can remove that implant from my head, I'm going to let them take Danny away from me over my dead body. Sir."
"Somehow I knew you'd said that," Hammond replied with just the hint of a smile.
"That goes for me, too," Daniel said quietly.
"Very well. There are two scenarios I'd consider if I were you," Hammond said slowly. "If the Tok'ra are able to remove those implants you could hand in your resignation, Colonel. I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I'll be to let you go, but chances are good that once you're officially retired they'll give you custody."
"Or find another stupid reason to deny it to you just because they're mad you quit, sir," Sam pointed out.
"I don't know, Sam. If they are going to lose him anyway, they probably don't care anymore one way or the other. And they can't force Jack to stay," Daniel said.
"Unless they are going to make me an offer that'll make me change my mind," Jack added.
"Custody," Sam said.
"That would be something to consider."
"And have you stopped for a moment to consider that – despite their real reasons for denying you custody for Danny – there's some truth in the reasons they use as a smokescreen? We never know if we'll return from a mission alive. In fact, every time we step through that gate, there's a high chance we won't come home," she said, her voice clipped.
"It doesn't matter," Daniel said gently. "Danny belongs to us. Even if he is forced to grow up elsewhere, deep down inside he'll always know he is in the wrong place. And if something happens to us – to any of us – he'll be heartbroken, no matter if he lives with Jack or not. But at least he'll be happy as long as he can be with us. Because it's what he wants. If we give him away – even to protect him – he's going to feel betrayed and rejected for a very long time."
Sam stared at him and Daniel saw something cross her eyes he couldn't define. Anger? Regret? Sadness? It was dark and painful and as if she realized he sensed it she closed up, guarding herself. Turning to Hammond she asked, "What's the other option, General?"
"I will deny I ever said this and I will only say it this once. If the Tok'ra can't remove those implants... you all will have to submit to whatever the NID and the Joint Chiefs decide to do with you. Unless you somehow manage to take the kid and leave through the gate. If you do that, I have to inform you that your IDC's will be locked out of the computer permanently and there will be no turning back."
"Yes, sir," Jack said simply.