Jay

"Are you and Daniel going alone?" Jay had walked into Jack's office without knocking and sat down in the guest chair. Jack had been sitting with his forehead resting on his palms, and now looked up in annoyance.

"Did I invite you in?" he demanded.

"Just think of me as the little voice of caution sitting on your shoulder," Jay said. "Are you going to take a team with you?"

"Did you hear him!? They're gonna make me into a desk jockey!"

"I heard him. And if anyone knows how much you hate that idea, it's me. Now, are you going to take a team with you to that ridiculous planet?"

"SG-9 is already there."

"You should have more backup."

"Barnhart said there's no threat."

"Something's twitching in the back of my head. I don't like it. If you stop and think, you'll feel it, too."

"Spidey senses?" Jack sneered.

"I figured you'd say that. Just think about it." Jay got up and started toward the door. With his hand on the knob he paused and turned back. "There's an upside to being sent to Washington, you know."

"And what would that be?"

"You won't be her commanding officer any more."

Jack came to his feet. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Remember me? I know everything you ever thought or felt until two years ago. And I doubt if those particular feelings have changed since then."

"That's none of your business!"

"Oh please! You're the one who says I am you!" Jay opened the door.

"Get out!"

"Going!" Jay shut the door firmly behind him.

Jack stared after him, feeling exactly as if he'd just had an argument with his bathroom mirror.

Jay walked over to the conference table where the rest of the team were staring at him, and paused beside Daniel. "Make him take backup to that planet."

"Why?"

"Just a feeling. I'm going to the cafeteria." He walked away.

It was ten minutes before O'Neill emerged from his office. By then he had himself under control. He glanced around the group, raised an eyebrow.

"He went to the cafeteria," Daniel said.

Jack nodded. "Okay, Daniel. Get your gear together. We'll leave for 998 in fifteen. That'll give us a couple of hours to meet the natives, and still be back here before Major Nash arrives. Carter, you're in charge of the base while I'm gone. Make arrangements to have Nash picked up. If I'm not back yet, meet him upstairs and have him sign the papers. You know the drill."

"Yes, sir," she acknowledged.

"What about seeing the ruins on the planet?" Daniel asked.

"Well, that might just have to wait a day or so. General Hammond's plan sort of cuts our time short."

Daniel decided not to push the issue. However… "Jay seemed to think we should take some extra men with us."

"Oh, he said that, did he?" Jack glared for a moment, then subsided. "Walter!" he called out. Harriman's head appeared in the stairway within seconds. "Which teams are on stand-by?"

"Two, three and eleven, sir."

"Eleven is coming with us. Tell Markus to have them in the gateroom in 10 minutes."

"Yes, sir." Harriman disappeared.

"Daniel. Ten minutes." Jack exited into his office.

Daniel, Carter and Teal'c exchanged looks.

"I wonder what they were arguing about," Daniel said.

"I don't know," Carter responded. "But neither one of them looked happy. You'd better get ready."

"Yep." Daniel turned and headed down to the locker room.

Standing at the observation window ten minutes later, Jay watched as Jack, Daniel and SG-11 assembled in the gate room below. Carter and Teal'c were there also, and Jack was talking to Sam, no doubt leaving instructions. Teal'c spoke to Jack briefly and Jack shook his head. Jay watched the gate revolve through the dialing sequence. The wormhole formed, and the six of them walked through the event horizon. The wormhole evaporated. Sam and Teal'c stood talking for a minute, then walked out of the gateroom.

Jay could hear computer sounds, and occasionally a voice, coming up the stairs from the control room below. He debated about what he should do now. He had not been invited into the control room, and knew that his technical lack of clearance could be a problem. He also did not want to wander around the corridors – that could be awkward. He couldn't go into the General's office without Jack there. Jack had given him a guest access card when he first arrived, so he could use the elevator and get food in the cafeteria, but that was pretty much the limit of what he could do.

Finally, he walked over to the conference table and took a seat. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. In the SGC, the place where he had been most at home for so many years, he now felt totally alien.