Last Time, on The Fifth Member:

He focused on the energy enveloping and shielding the window from causing any 'bad' effects in the atmosphere just as it formed, without blocking it from forming. It was so taxing, Harry had to close his eyes. To Jack, He saw the window with a red transparent bubble around dit.

"Entering Hyperspace." Jack said far more calmer than he felt.

--

The Fifth Member of SG-1
Paths – Part 8

"Are you Nuts?!"

X-302

With the inertial dampeners as they where, the entry into hyperspace was a lot more jarring than either had anticipated, even for Jack, who had been on Goa'uld ships that didn't have all that great inertial dampeners to begin with.

"Ouch…" Jack muttered, before they were jarred forward from exiting hyperspace.

"Ouch…" Harry grumbled, but not from the physical jarring, but rather from the mental jarring of suddenly being far away from the shield.

"Stargate is disengaging." Jack told him a little loudly.

Harry looked and monitored.

"OH… crap." He muttered. "releasing Stargate… Jack, aim us and move us to earth NOW! Releasing mid-maneuver."

Jack pulled sharply on the joystick, spinning the 302 without altering it's trajectory. As he soon as Harry released the gate, he activated Aerospikes, forcibly separating the 302 and the Stargate.

"Stargate exploding in 5 seconds!" Jack shouted.

Harry focused as his hands altered the shield energy output.

"Activating shield." He mumbled, as his mind settled into control of the force emanating from underneath his buttox – the location of the 'shield generator'.

Jack barely noticed the earth could be blotted out by his thumb at full extension from his face, when the 302 shook heavily, and a similar red-hued bubble appeared to form-fit the hull.

"What the…"

He noticed the read-out of the shield. He spoke, "Shield Generator at 1,000 percent output!"

--

Stargate Command, Briefing room

Sam closed her eyes, in tears.

Larry informed them, "NASA reports the explosion took place approximately 1 million Km's from Earth."

He paused, and added, "We also have video footage…" he frowned, he hadn't expected that.

He patched it through, and in slow-motion, they saw the window form, the 302 exit, and seconds later, turn, release the gate and head towards earth…

The 302 took on a red tinge, just as the explosion happened, then the image blanked out.

They took a few seconds before Larry added, "Deep Space has got video of the area… They have, located the 302."

Sam looked up in hope. "They survived?"

Larry nodded. "They were barely 50 metres away… I can't believe…" he paused.

McKay looked at them incredulously. "They couldn't have survived that."

Larry replied by bringing up video, showing a black-and-white-streaked 302 hull. An enhancement showed that the shield was rippling across the hull back and forth.

"The shield is still up." McKay muttered.

"Do you know what that means?"

McKay just commented, "The shield generator is better than Harry thought?"

Sam grabbed his shoulders, and said directly to his face, "Harry controls the shield. Without Harry, the shield isn't even a shield… and since the shield is there…"

"He survived… wow…" McKay mumbled.

Larry spoke up. "We're getting telemetry from onboard… oh no…"

"What?" Sam asked hurredly.

"Onboard sensors show extensive hull damage. Engines are non-functional, Life-support, well, only what is in the oxygen tank, 2 days at most… and they're unconscious. External sensors show large amounts of radiation, but inside… none."

McKay asked, "If Harry is integral to the whole, control thing, but he's unconscious, howcome the shield is still up?"

Sam replied, "He's done quite a few things instinctively, like the first time we entered Hyperspace. His subconscious could be holding it up, keeping the radiation out."

Larry inserted, "Well he can't do it for long. The energy generator went to 1000 percent of capacity."

"What?"

"Its currently at 200 percent… and it's falling at a slow rate, but still falling. He has…. A day, maybe 2 before it falls enough for radiation to get through."

Hammond added, "And we don't have a way to get tot hem in time…"

Larry shook his head. "The 2nd prototype is just the spaceframe."

"And we can't contact our allies to see if they can give them a tow back." Hammond finished.

--

Cargo Ship

Teal'c smiled at Sam as he communicated with her from within the solar system.

"I am most curious as to how you accomplished that feat."

"Teal'c… Harry did it. He used the shield to protect them from the Stargate exploding. But the 302 was still heavily damaged, and they're unconscious…"

"I shall do what I can to find and bring them home, Major Carter."

"Find is easy – we're relaying co-ordinates. Good luck."

Teal'c nodded, and took the cargo ship into a short hyperspace jump across the system, a measly little 10 million kilometres was easy for the cargo ship.

Bra'tac was curious, "A glider-sized hyperspace capable fighter, you say?"

Teal'c nodded. "indeed."

Rya'c smiled and commented, "Not even the Goa'uld can do that… wow…."

Teal'c added to Sam, "You will be pleased to know that the Weapon used by Anubis has been destroyed."

"Really?" she asked.

"Indeed."

"Thanks Teal'c." Sam replied.

Hammond added, "Good job, Teal'c."

"It is infact, Rya'c who deserves the honor."

"Really?" Sam asked. "He's same age as Harry, right?"

"Indeed." Teal'c affirmed.

"Earth, saved by 2 18 year olds…" Sam muttered, before she asked, "Bring them all back safe and sound please, Teal'c."

--

Stargate Command, Infirmary

"Oy… what a headache." Jack muttered as he woke.

He looked around and saw Harry wide-awake on the next bed over, but looked like death warmed over, pale except where he had purple bruises.

"What happened to you?"

Harry chuckled humourlessly. "Smacked my head on the HUD."

"Howcome you woke first?"

"Increased natural healing rate. Well, slight increase. Woke up 5 minutes ago."

"Increased, ya say."

O'Neill looked down at himself, then at Harry. "How come I don't look like that?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess you didn't get beat up as the Stargate exploded."

O'Neill looked straight across the room as the memory surfaced completely.

"We couldn't have been more than a mile from the 'gate…" O'Neill muttered.

"Only 50 metres, actually." Sam called from the door.

Harry chuckled, still humourlessly.

"50 metres? Wow." O'Neill muttered, then asked, "Radiation?"

Sam glanced at Harry, and said, "Whatever Harry did with the shield, it protected you during the blast, and then reduced to shield against just the radiation once the blast disappated, and held long enough for Teal'c to tow you back to earth, where an Orbiter picked you up."

"Excuse me?" O'Neill asked.

Sam explained. "Teal'c… pushed the 302 you were in, back to Earth, and kept nudging you into an orbit. Shuttle Endeavor was launched, picked you up, and manually released the cockpit module from the 302. They had to dismantle the 302 to store it within the cargo area, and once that had been done, they sealed the bay, pressurized it, got you out of the cockpit module and put you in their medical area. From there, they landed in Arizona so you could be brought here as quickly as possible."

"I got that, what do you mean Teal'c pushed us around?"

Sam smiled. "Teal'c learned we were under attack, and along with Bra'tac and Rya'c, discovered it's location and tried to destroy it. From what I understand, Rya'c was left behind, so wasn't captured by Anubis' Jaffa with them. He took a glider, and destroyed the weapon shortly after you got the Stargate away from earth. We're still installing the Giza' 'gate."

Harry Frowned. "Don't the Russians have that one?"

Sam shook her head. "We made a deal to get it."

O'Neill sarcastically asked, "And what did we have to do to get it?"

Hammond called from the doorway. "good ole American Dollars… and the plans for the X-302 and 303, along with one other thing, which we can talk about when you're cleared by Doctor Frasier."

With that, Hammond walked over to stand near Harry's bed. "I just got off the phone with the president. He wants to thank you both for what you did, at personal risk."

"It was nothin'." Harry mumbled as he settled down to try to sleep some.

"On the contrary, you both saved the planet, and you Harry, saved Colonel O'Neill as well. You accomplished something thought impossible."

Sam added at Hammonds' pause, "You survived the destruction of a Stargate."

Hammond said, "When you're fully recovered, we, SG-1, I and yourself, will be flown to Washington to meet the president in person."

Harry sighed and nodded, "If you don't mind… sir… I've got more healing to do… and…" Harry yawned. "It works best when I sleep…"

Hammond nodded. "Get some rest. You've earned it."

--

It was 2 weeks after his first flight in the X-302 when he had fully recovered and they flew over to Washington.

--

The White House, Oval Office

Jack and Harry looked around the room slowly as they entered the room after they realised it was empty. They took the time to really see the room.

When the door they entered through opened a few minutes later, it revealed someone familiar to Jack.

He immediately saluted.

"At Ease, Colonel." The man said.

Harry glanced at Jack, who got the message, and introduced. "Harry, this is General Ryan, Chief of Staff of the Air Force. General, this is Harry Potter."

The General approached and held out a hand. Harry firmly shook it, and seemed to surprise the man with his strength.

"I've heard much about you in the last week, Mr Potter. Imagine my surprise when I learned that one of the most powerful men on this planet wasn't even from this planet."

Harry chuckled slightly, and said, "Powerful? Not really. If you had been given all the reports, you would know that my power has been diminishing the more I use it…" he lost his smile, and sighed. "I could only do what I did because the 302' could generate this… power, on it's own, although it couldn't control it."

"Indeed." The General commented.

The door opened again, this time revealing the rest of the joint Chiefs, and after them, the president walked in. Harry stiffened up slightly, and took on a more formal posture. Jack stayed at ease, glancing amusedly at Harry.

The president approached, and shook Jack's hand. "Colonel O'Neill." He released and turned to Harry, and shook his. He too, seemed somewhat surprised at Harry's grip, and smiled pleasantly. "Mr Potter."

With that, he moved back and leant against his desk, quite informally. "You can stand at ease, Mr Potter." He added after realising Harry's posture.

Harry relaxed and smiled slightly, nervous.

"I understand that it is to you 2 whom we owe our thanks."

Jack nodded but modestly answered, "It wasn't possible without support sir. I know nothing of Hyperspace stuff, while Harry didn't even know Major Carter had been building a shield generator based on Harry's… magic until a few weeks ago."

Harry nodded too, but the president tutted. "Yes, And I wouldn't have gotten where I am had I not been supported to the point of campaigning for president, and then being voted into office by the voters. But where we differ, is that I had no… definite, threat of death to go through with campaigning, while you two… well, the odds of you surviving through your plan… against the one I'm told was being put together as well…"

Jack grinned at Harry, but answered the president, "Point."

Harry just sighed and said, "I'm sure many others would have done the same, even if they didn't have magic."

The president raised an eyebrow, and Jack sighed, and pointed his thumb at Harry, and told the president, "He's been like this everytime he does something extraordinary, sir."

"Such as render one of our enemy goa'ulds incapable of using her stealth technology again?" The President commented. "Or how about the time when a store was being robbed and the thieves were dealt with swiftly?"

Jack raised eyebrows at that, and asked, "Sir?"

The President smiled again, and Harry shifted. "Ah, it appears he never told you. It was from a few months ago, I believe. A group of 6 masked men entered the convenience store where Harry was doing some shopping. They had assault weapons. According to CCTV footage we had to… doctor, he was shot in the chest multiple times before he knocked them out with the butts of the guns."

Jack looked at Harry in surprise. He simply replied, "So assault rifles don't work against me. Surely some Kevlar vests do the same?"

The President just shook his head at Harry. "At point-blank range? Definitely not. Anyway, for why we're here."

The President stood up as the side door opened, and Sam, Jonas and Teal'c walked in, followed by Hammond. They all wore formal clothes – in Sam and Hammonds' case, their formal uniform, like Jack.

"Colonel Jonathan O'Neill, front and centre." The President ordered.

Harry watched as Jack walked up to the man. A secretary came in carrying 2 open boxes. The President turned and opened the first, and spoke the formal words that were said when the Medal of Honor was bestowed.

Jack proudly stepped back to the side, as the President opened the second, and ordered. "Harry Potter, Front and centre."

Harry strode over, and mimicked Jack.

This time, the President spoke, "For actions that saved our entire planet from annihilation, and then action that personally saved the life of a Senior Officer of the United States Air Force, and doing these actions under unimaginable personal risk, with the powers invested in me, I award you the Presidential Medal of Freedom." With that, the President put the medal around his neck.

As Harry stepped back, everyone present clapped.

Harry dipped his head, took a deep breathe, and looked back up with pride. "Thank you sir." He told the man quietly.

After that, they all had a bit of a talk. The President had wanted to meet Teal'c aswell, since Teal'c played a part.

Harry talked with General Ryan a little, and generally they all got to know one another a little.

--

Stargate Command

Harry grinned at Jonas. "So Jack finally decided to get you on the team, then?"

Jonas nodded. "You thought about a field to enter?"

Harry hummed, but said, "Still stuck though."

"Why not engineering? I mean, you understood it all better than we thought you would have, considering your current education level…" Jonas suggested.

Harry thought about it for a second, before he nodded. "Thanks Jonas. I think that sounds nice."

"Plus, you could work a little here. Siler sometimes could do with a hand, and I'm sure Sam would help teach you some things, get a bit of a leg-up if you will…"

Harry smiled more and agreed.

"So How's Life on SG-1 treating you?" he asked. "I understand you went on a short recon earlier today…"

--