A/N: THIS CHAPTER WILL TAKE PLACE IN A 3RD PERSON'S P.O.V.

NON REALIZED DRIVE
CH8
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Jack stared at the same crack in the plain grey ceiling of his temporary on-base quarters from where he lay on the bed, still clothed and booted, the same intensity in his brown eyes just like his at-attention-stare from when he was a-fresh-out-of-the-box-Private in the Air Force. He'd held it so long, gone without blinking so long that it blurred at the edges before the crack slip into two, a mirror image of itself, it held for a moment, before they collapsed into each other.

He finally blinked, giving his head a small shake. He turned his gaze away, trying to find something else to focus on, and they seemed to find the clock ticking away on the wall. Probably not the best thing, or productive thing for him to do. But Jack knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep a wink so long as the shit kept spraying around the SGC- or more accurately, Nick.

It was better than sitting there all night and watching Nick transform into something that wasn't himself, but at least he'd been distracted. He hoped that the radio by his hip would stay silent for the night, but knew that he just jinxed it.

He cursed as someone knocked on his door. "Come in." he called as he sat up, throwing his legs over the edge.

"Hey, Jack." Daniel walked in and closed the door behind him, his journal in his hand.

"Oh, it's just you." Jack didn't even try and sound like a happy camper because he wasn't one.

"Thanks." Daniel smiled but his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Jack waved him off as he ran a hand through his hair. "You know what I mean."

"I guess." he sighed and sank down onto the bed next to Jack.

"So, what's up?" Jack looked at him, his elbows on his knees, his chin in his hand.

"I talked to Nick a couple of hours ago," Daniel told him.

"He finally let someone visit him?"

"Yep."

"Sooo... how is he?"

"How do you think, Jack?"

Jack raised a brow at the sharp tone, but said nothing. It was a stupid question.

Daniel sighed again. "He came up with a plausible theory." he shrugged his shoulder.

That got Jack's attention, because as of late, they hadn't even been able to come up with diddle. He got to his feet and looked down at the doctor. "And?" Jack encouraged when he didn't continue, his hand moving in a hurrying motion.

Daniel raised his brows, but spoke. "He believes that it's Sebastian that's taking over his body, and is trying to escape through the stargate back to his home planet."

Jack stared at Daniel blankly for a moment. "Who the hell is Sebastian?!"

"Jack!" Daniel jumped to his feet in his astonishment. "Don't you ever listen? Sebastian is Nick's tiger subconscious."

"I knew that." Jack crossed his arms.

Daniel raised that brow.

"Fine." he groaned, making a face. "His 'Tiger Guardian', right?" Daniel looked at him in surprise, and Jack looked back a little smugly. "I'm not totally oblivious to peoples ramblings, you know." Daniel shook his head, and Jack dropped his arms back to his side. "So, if Nick's theory is true, then why would he want to take Nick back to that place after everything that's happened there?"

Daniel had had the same thought, and he was sure that Nick had too, but he had no clue. And his shrug gave Jack his answer.

"Did you tell Fraiser?" Jack asked, sitting back down on the bed next to him.

"Yes. But she's not sure if it'll do any good, all of this is happening on a subconscious level. She'd decided that waiting it out, and trying to communicate is the best action for now." Daniel explained.

Jack nodded. He supposed that was all they could really do, short of sticking Nick with a couple of Goa'uld memory probes.

They sat in silence after that, 'cause there was nothing to say, but that didn't last long before static, followed by Fraiser voice came from the radio.

"General, Summers has escaped isolation!" She yelled urgently.

Jack grabbed his radio as he shot to his feet, Daniel following him. "Teal'c, status!" he barked back, through the door with Daniel close on his heals.

"Nickolas has dispatched two of Dr. Fraier's techs, and the two SFs outside of his room. He has secured a weapon and has escaped through the hatch on this level." Teal'c reported in, sounding on the move.

"Daniel," Jack called over his shoulder, "Get Walter and tell him to lock the base down, all unneeded personal are to stay out of the hall. Get Mitchell; I want an SF at every hatch and elevator. If Nick's spotted, report in, do not approach and non-lethal weaponry only!"

Daniel skidded to a halt at the elevator as Jack jumped in, and picked up the phone next to the I.D. scanner.

Jack gave him a grim nod as the door slid closed and he held the radio to his lips, speaking as he pressed level 28. "Teal'c, head to the gate room. That's where he was trying to get to, so I'm betting now is the same."

"Indeed, O'Neill." Teal'c agreed.

When Jack got off on level 28, he didn't like what he saw. Downed soldiers. He cursed as he knelt beside the two SFs checking for signs of life. "Fraiser, I got two down at the elevator on level 28." he reported, and took a 'zat from one of the soldier's before he was on the move again. "Teal'c, Mitchell; talk to me!"

Mitchell reported in first, sounding breathless. "I'm in the escape hatch General, and he got out on the 28th; I got a knocked-out SF on my hands!"

"Teal'c?"

"I am approaching the control now, O'Neill." Teal'c came over the radio.

"Mitchell, get you ass down there!" Jack ordered. "And lock it down!"

"On my way!"

Jack had no idea how this had gotten out of control so fast. The restraints that had been containing Nick, had been enough to hold a Goa'uld, so he didn't know how that happened. Let alone the slip up that Fraiser's people made for him to be able to escape containment.

He was just rounding the corner when the shouting reached his ears; Teal'c's deep baritone, Mitchell's drawl not so casual, and Nick's- or more Sebastian's guttural alien tones. There was a crash, a shot was fired, and the sound of the event horizon completing.

Jack threw open the door to the control room and jumped up the steps. Walter was knocked from his chair unconscious. Teal'c was standing over his body, but looking out the window down at the stargate. Jack skidded to halt and looked down into the gate room. Mitchell was quickly jumping to his feet where it looked like he had dove out of the way of a gunshot. And Nick was running up the gate ramp on all fours.

"Mitchell, stop him!" Jack yelled through the gate room speaker.

Mitchell primed his zat gun and fired as Nick leapt through the air to the blue event horizon. Blue leapt from the zat, striking out in multiple directions, and played around the confines of the metal ramp as the tip of Nick's tail disappeared through the gate.

Jack cursed audibly, and Teal'c raised a brow in his direction. Jack ignored him as he barked through the speaker once more. "Mitchell, gear-up; you're leaving in 5!"

Mitchell nodded and loped from the gate room as the event horizon snapped shut.

"You too, Teal'c." Jack said to the bigger man as he scrubbed a hand through his hair. Teal'c nodded and with big strides, left for the locker room. Jack glanced at Walter, who looked to be coming around; good, they didn't have time to waste. "Fraiser, send one of your people to the control room, we got a possible concussion."

Jack groaned, heavily and weighted as he waited for Walter to come around. He wondered how the hell Nick had been able to make this far with what might as well be a squad of soldiers pursuing him- not to mention Teal'c- he didn't think it possible. But it appears like they underestimated the man completely utterly. This whole situation went FUBAR far quickly than Teal'c's brow could reach his 'hair-line'.

They needed to get Nick back yesterday; this breach was unacceptable and he dreaded the conversation that he was going to have with the higher-ups when he reported this disaster.

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