HAMMOND'S OFFICE
It was a sad day when one had to clean out one's office. Hammond carefully packed away almost five years worth of items into a box. Each one held memories, both good and bad. From the bottom of one desk drawer, he pulled out a series of pictures that no one knew he had. He had retrieved them from the surveillance photos. Each one was a testament to the perseverance of his flagship team.
The first picture was taken after the first mission to Chulak. It was the four members of SG-1 standing on the ramp; Major Kawalsky's image could just be seen in the background.
The second picture was the SG-1 on the ramp, this time all four returning from Oannes after they had gone to retrieve a once-believed dead Doctor Jackson. The picture showed a very exhausted, wet Doctor Jackson protectively surrounded by his team as they were standing on the ramp. Hammond was in this picture, welcoming the wayward archaeologist back.
The third picture was the team in the Gate Room after they had destroyed Apophis and Klorel's ships. The scene was often referred to as the Spacemonkey hug.
The fourth and fifth pictures were ones that no one else had seen. One was a picture of Jack holding Daniel in a storage room when the younger man was deep in the throes of withdrawal. They could have easily lost him then, but he fought hard to come back to them. The second was set in the infirmary, after Sha'uri had died. Daniel had been awake for several hours and had asked for everyone to leave him alone. They had, but Jack had returned later just to sit by the sleeping archaeologist. The colonel's hand was resting on Daniel's forearm, his own head leaning back against the uncomfortable, hard-backed chair.
Those two individuals had gone through all types of grief and pain, yet they remained friends. Strong friendships like that survived the twists and turns fate enjoyed throwing at them. It was this strength that helped fuel SG-1, helped keep the members together. And now…
A knock on the door drew Hammond's attention away from the pictures. He motioned Jack inside as he placed the pictures in another box. "Colonel, I'm glad you're okay."
"Thank you, sir," he answered. "Just another day at the office."
"You know, the President wants to see you in person?"
Jack picked up a lamp sticking out of the box. "We spoke on my way here. He was wondering about future plans, that sort of thing. He was wondering what kinds of jobs former interplanetary explorers would be hunting since we're all unemployed at the moment."
"You can have any assignment you want," Hammond reminded him.
"I've been thinking about that. I've always wanted to command my own boat."
Hammond looked confused. "For the Navy?"
"Something a little smaller. With oars."
"You deserve it, Jack. You did a great job out there."
"Daniel invited me to visit him on a dig…if he can get one. He's not certain how long it'll take him to re-establish himself in the scientific community, but he's got friends out there who've been connected with the SGC who've agreed to give him a job."
Hammond shook his head. "It's ironic, isn't it? He opens the universe for us only to be rejected by people who have no idea what the truth really is."
"Yeah." Jack looked at the bottom of the lamp. "At least this time he's got more than $23.42 and two suitcases with him. There are lots of people wanting to help him get the recognition he deserves. Carter's already got requests to be a professor at Yale, Harvard, Princeton. I think the Academy has made her an offer…sir, are you sure you want to take this with you?"
"We're closed for business, Jack. I was supposed to retire five years ago; you did retire six years ago. We don't know how long it's going to be before we can reestablish the Stargate Program, if we ever can. This facility is going to be shut down, so I have to pack up my office."
Jack showed him the lamp. "Actually, I just meant, it says 'Property of US Air Force ' on it."
Hammond took the lamp and put it in the box. "I've had this lamp for the last fifteen years. I'm rather fond of it…I still feel responsible for the teams stuck off-world, but there's nothing we can do about –"
The telephone rang. Hammond picked up the handset. "Hammond."
He was silent for a moment, then replaced the handset. "We're receiving a communication from an incoming ship."
CONTROL ROOM
If it wasn't one thing, it was another – that old cliché. There was a ship approaching…who was calling now?
As Hammond and Jack entered the Control Room, they saw that Daniel and Sam were already there, both with confused looks on their faces.
"What's happening?" Hammond's voice thundered over the alert klaxon.
Sergeant Davis, a mysterious smile on his face, spoke into the microphone. "Go ahead, sir. They're all here."
There was a moment of static, then a familiar voice said, "General Hammond – "
"Teal'c!" a quartet of voices called out in happy response.
"It is good to hear you as well, my friends," Teal'c's voice sounded back. They could almost hear the smile in his voice. "The weapon being used by Anubis has been destroyed. We feared it was too late for the Tau'ri."
Jack leaned forward toward the microphone. "Yeah, it was close there for a minute. Where are you?"
"We are approaching in a cargo ship, human," Brata'c's haughty but amused voice answered. "Hammond of Texas, do we have permission to land?"
Hammond looked toward Davis who answered, "NORAD's aware of their approach, sir. The landing field's been cleared."
"Permission granted, Master Brata'c. Welcome back, Teal'c."
"You did a good job, guys," Jack added
"It is Rya'c that deserves that honor, O'Neill," Teal'c explained. "He is the one who rescued myself and Master Brata'c as well as destroyed Anubis' weapon."
"Sounds like you've got an interesting story to tell us, Teal'c." Hammond looked forward to hearing this one.
AFTER THE CRISIS
The main crisis was over, much to the thanks of one brave young man who proved to his elders that even a young Jaffa could produce miracles. The second crisis, however, was rearing its ugly head.
The group from Area 51 had arrived with Jonas Quinn in tow. Murphy had been given a somewhat cold reception given the fact that the 302 hadn't worked quite the way it was designed to, but it was absolutely tropical in comparison to the non-existent welcome Jonas was given. No one wanted to talk to him, and when he spoke to anyone at the base, their answers were short and to the point. That didn't stop Jonas from asking questions and trying to impress every person he met.
The guards were under orders to keep the Area 51 people away from the Gate Room as they placed their new Stargate in position. It was a long, delicate task and no one wanted anyone to get in the way. That meant that some of the personnel had to keep Quinn busy…a task few were willing to do, even under the circumstances.
Yet, like all orders given in times of great need, the soldiers followed them without question.
However, the promise of a three-day pass to all who kept Quinn away from the Gate Room and out from underfoot was payment enough for even the angriest soldiers to keep the Kelownan occupied.
CONTROL ROOM
Siler was in charge of having the gate lowered through the retractable ceiling. He was continually barking out orders to the crane operators above and the engineers in the Gate Room. The Stargate had to be placed precisely on the field dampeners so the entire mountain wouldn't shake when they initiated a wormhole, and Siler was determined to get it positioned correctly in one try.
Daniel and Sam watched Siler work. Sam had every confidence in Siler's ability, but she wanted to be there to watch. Daniel had said something about feeling like a fifth wheel and joined her.
"I once worked as a crane operator," Daniel told Sam.
"You did? When?"
"When I was in college. I needed money and picked up a weekend job working at an auto salvage yard. It actually came in handy on a few digs when we had to bring in heavy equipment."
That surprised Sam. "I thought archaeologists used paintbrushes and toothpicks to excavate a site so they wouldn't damage any of the area."
"We do, but sometimes you have to bring in bulldozers and backhoes to clear away collected debris like dirt and boulders. I learned how to operate those, too. It saved money since we didn't have to hire anyone to come and drive them."
Well, well, well. Sam learned something new about her friend. She didn't know that Daniel could do all that. She briefly wondered if he knew how to ride a motorcycle…
Daniel looked at his watch. "Look at the time. I was supposed to be in the infirmary five minutes ago."
"This is supposed to be your last exam, right?"
"I hope so. I think I've had enough tests for a lifetime."
"Just don't jump into any labs filled with radiation…"
"Cute. Cute," he muttered as he walked out of the Gate Room.
Hammond passed by Daniel as he hurried toward the infirmary, the general smiling as he realized exactly what this visit to the good doctor meant and what it could mean to SG-1.
"Major," he called out a usual greeting. "How's it coming?"
"Just fine, sir. Sergeant Siler almost has the gate secured. If you don't mind my asking, what exactly did we give the Russians to get their Stargate?"
"Good ole' American dollars along with plans for the X-302 and X-303."
"Really? We're renting it?"
"So to speak. Also, we had to make a few more concessions, and I don't look forward to telling Colonel O'Neill."
SGC HALLWAY
Family visits always seemed to be shorter than anyone liked. Teal'c didn't get to see his son as often as he liked, and the time for Rya'c and Brata'c to leave was fast approaching.
Jack was walking toward the elevators when he met with Teal'c and Rya'c in the hallway. They were talking about nothing important, just passing the time of day.
"So, from that story you guys told, you're a pretty good pilot," Jack told Rya'c as they walked together.
"Master Brata'c taught me well. I hope to be as good as my father one day."
Oh? "Just to let you know, no one is that good…but…"
"But what?" Rya'c asked.
Jack looked around them to make certain that no one was nearby to overhear him. "But the day you can pilot a ship with Hammond sitting next to you and he yells out a yee-haa while you're flying through a Stargate, I'll say you've made it."
Rya'c laughed aloud at the remembrance of that story. "It also helps to be lucky."
"Don't I know that!" Jack agreed loudly. "Listen, are you sure you don't want to stick around for a little while? Maybe hang out and play some baseball?"
Teal'c greatly desired to have his son at the SGC for a while, but there were other things to be considered. "Rya'c has chosen to help Brata'c spread the word of our cause. They are to meet with some leaders of the Resistance movement in two days."
"Well," Jack took Rya'c's hand and shook it, "it's been good to see you again. Don't wait so long between visits next time, okay?"
Jack left Teal'c and Rya'c alone, but glanced back before he turned down the next hallway to see Teal'c pull his son into a strong bear hug.
It had been a hell of a day, no, change that, it had been a hell of a week. Jack just wanted to sit down, take off his shoes, put his feet up and have a beer. Not necessarily in that order, but that was what he was planning on doing as soon as he got to Daniel's office. After all, he'd promised to write that report for Daniel and –
"Colonel! Colonel O'Neill! Do you have a moment?"
There was that dreaded voice. Jack had gratefully forgotten that certain individuals were coming by for a visit. This was one individual he could have gone the rest of his life without seeing again.
He turned and saw Jonas Quinn running down the hallway toward him.
'Be civil,' he said to himself. 'You don't have to be anymore than that. Hell, you don't even have to be that.' Why let Jonas know that he irritated Jack? "Quinn, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir. Jonas Quinn. Sir, I was wondering if I could speak to you for a moment."
As much as Jack wanted to say no, he just stood there staring at Jonas, waiting for him to continue.
"Colonel, about Doctor Jackson, there's not a day that goes by when I don't think about what happened. I stood by and watched while he saved my people from disaster. It should have been me who jumped through the glass and disarmed the device."
"I agree. It should have been," Jack told him.
"Yes, sir. Doctor Jackson was injured because I didn't. You have to live with that, so do I."
"In case you didn't notice, Daniel almost didn't live with it. That radiation almost killed him. You and your people tried to frame him for something he didn't do."
Jonas took a deep breath, even his expression changed. "If I could go back and change what happened, I would, but I can't. All I can do is try to change what happens from now on. I don't want you to exonerate me. I just want to be given an opportunity to prove that I can make a difference."
Jack couldn't believe the sheer audacity and unmitigated gall of the… were they just supposed to sweep his actions under the rug and forget what happened? Was this man that stupid? Jack had had enough, but he was still supposed to be civil. "Look. Daniel doesn't blame you. Hell, he's the best person I've ever known and he's forgiven people for doing things…"
"I know about the Jaffa killing his wife."
Jonas said that with all the emotion of a man who wasn't hungry ordering breakfast.
"Good. Then you know that Daniel isn't the type to harbor a grudge against someone."
"I've read all of SG-1's mission reports, Colonel. I know the vast contributions Doctor Jackson has made, all the sacrifices. He's a vital part of the SGC, one that can't be replaced. There's no way I will ever be able to ask forgiveness for what I did. All I can do is ask for the chance to prove myself."
Jonas sounded more and more like a thief who stole a priceless painting asking to be released without being punished for the crime. Didn't this guy ever take responsibility for his own actions?
Jack sighed loudly. "What do you want, Quinn?"
"I don't feel that I can contribute anything doing research at Area 51. I might be able to help more if I were allowed to come here."
Ah. Jonas wanted the golden apple. The brass ring. The kewpie doll. So much for being civil. "Jonas, let me understand this. You hide like a coward behind a wall while Daniel jumps into a room filled with radiation to save your worthless lives. Since radiation doesn't stop at walls, you should have died too. Since you are apparently immune to radiation poisoning, you should have ran into that lab. It wouldn't have hurt you, but you let Daniel jump in there instead. You then lie about what Daniel did. You come here with an armload of naquadria; an act we're still wondering about since both the naquadria and the Stargate were well guarded on your planet. You hand us the naquadria hoping we'd welcome you with open arms after your actions nearly cost us my best friend.
"Do you have any idea what Daniel went through? Do you even care? He was in pain for hours, and then he was stuck in this mental fog for weeks. We couldn't do anything more than sit by and watch him try to pull himself together bit by bit, which he has. Every member of this base has seen how hard he's worked over the last three months, all of which we owe to your lack of bravery and complete self-centeredness, and you think you'd be welcome here now? Trust me, there's not a soul here that would cry if you fell off the damn mountain. No. No one wants you here. Area 51 stuck you in their library just to keep you out from underfoot, or don't Kelownans understand subtleties?"
Jack walked off down the corridor, leaving Jonas behind sputtering and muttering to himself.
"COLONEL O'NEILL, REPORT TO GENERAL HAMMOND'S OFFICE."
Now what?
HAMMOND'S OFFICE
Almost reluctantly, Jack knocked on Hammond's door. Just one bit of good news, that was all he was asking for. Just one tiny, small, miniscule bit…
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
Hammond stood up from behind a pile of file folders and tapped his fingers on his desk. Something was wrong. "Jack, I know this is not what you wanted to hear, but part of the deal to get the Stargate from the Russians involved agreeing to let one of their officers join SG-1."
Jack stood there for a moment, his disbelief apparent in his eyes. "This is the thanks I get for saving the world? Again? Sir, we don't need five people on SG-1."
"I'm sorry, Jack. You're going to have to learn to live with this. The President himself – did you say five?"
"Yes, sir. Five. Me, Daniel, Carter and Teal'c are SG-1. We function fairly well on our own. We don't need a fifth wheel. Can't we just throw them a bone? Give them their own unit? They'd be happy with that, wouldn't they?"
"Wait, are you saying that Doctor Jackson is ready to be reinstated on SG-1?"
Oh. Hammond hadn't heard the good news yet. Given the amount of paperwork on Hammond's desk, Fraiser's report was probably buried at the bottom. "Fraiser got the test results back. Daniel's good to go. He's back to 100%."
Hammond wasted no time. He picked up the red phone. "This is Hammond. Let me speak to the President…yes, sir…Doctor Jackson has been pronounced fit and able to return to active duty…yes, sir…I agree…I think the Russians should have their own unit…I have no doubt that Colonel O'Neill will be very happy to hear that…thank you, Mister President…yes, he's standing right here…no, sir, Doctor Jackson isn't…I agree, sir. SG-1 should be given some accommodations…thank you, sir…no, I think Colonel Chekov would be very impressed if you were to call him and tell him the news…thank you, sir."
SGC GATE ROOM
The SGC was up and running again.
The Stargate sat in its new place of honor at the top of the ramp, an active wormhole ready to transport the explorers to the furthest reaches of the galaxy. It dwarfed the individuals ready to depart through its portal, but these self-same individuals no longer stood in awe of the sight. They were too used to seeing a working Gate.
"For a while, we thought we wouldn't be able to do this again," Sam told
Teal'c. "It's good to know we're still in business."
"Indeed. There was a time when I also believed that I might never see SG-1 or Earth again. I would have found that to be a great hardship."
Sam smiled. That was as close to an emotional outburst from Teal'c she was likely to get. "We'd have missed you, too."
"When are we to depart?"
The answer to that question walked
into the Gate Room. Daniel, dressed in BDUs and backpack, tried to outdistance his living shadow. Jack was still being a bit of a mother hen.
"You sure you don't want the helmet?" Jack asked him as Daniel put on his signature boonie. "It should protect that hard head better than that thing would."
"I hate that thing, Jack. My glasses won't sit right and it's uncomfortable. We're just going to meet Jacob. I think the boonie will be fine."
"You never know. We always run into trouble when we go visiting the Tok'ra."
"Jack."
"Daniel."
"I'm not wearing the helmet." Daniel grabbed the helmet and threw it into the waiting arms of a nearby SF guard.
"Don't you think –" Jack stopped mid-sentence when he got the look from Daniel. When had he learned that? Jack was the only one who was supposed to be able to do the look that silenced hardened military personnel in a single second. "Okay. But if you get hit in the head and get a concussion, don't come complaining to me."
Hammond entered at that moment, his instincts telling him that maybe he should intervene before the two friends began World War III. "Colonel, I think you might want to concede this round. I believe Doctor Jackson has the upper hand."
"Can't do that, sir. You know the old saying. Never give up, never surrender."
Daniel and Teal'c looked confused, but Hammond explained. "That phrase was in a movie called Galaxy Quest." Upon seeing the surprised looks he received from the remaining two members of the team, he added, "My granddaughters rented the movie one weekend, and we watched it."
"Ah. Of course, sir," Jack almost agreed. His granddaughters rented the movie. Right. Jack wondered if Hammond knew that everyone was well aware that he was a closet science fiction fan. Maybe it was a hazard of commanding a base where the people assigned there went to other planets?
Jack motioned for the SF guard to toss him the helmet but he hooked it onto his own pack instead of placing it firmly on Daniel's head. He wasn't going to admit defeat.
"You have a go, Colonel. Good luck, SG-1," the general said his usual spiel as the team walked up on the ramp.
"Thank you, sir," Jack answered. Then, to his team, "Are we ready?"
No one had to say they were. The smiles alone spoke louder than they could have answered. For the first time in three months, SG-1 was going through the gate, all members intact, present and accounted for.
As one, they walked up the ramp and passed through the event horizon.
Hammond watched his premiere team disappear from view, and waited as the wormhole shut down. For the first time since the disastrous mission to Kelowna, Hammond felt like all was in its proper place. Although he knew it wouldn't last, he could take comfort in the fact that the Earth was in good hands. He allowed himself a small grin, turned and went back to the control room.
Time to go back to work.
*fin*