General George Hammond strode into the briefing room with a smile on his face. This was one debriefing he was actually looking forward to. SG1 were in their usual places around the table, and although there was an empty seat where Jonas would have normally sat, Hammond was relieved that the absence was to be temporary.

"All right, people, we'll just wait for Doctor Frasier…"

As if summoned by the sound of her name, Janet Frasier entered the room, high heels clicking on the cement floor as she took a seat at the table. Hammond noticed that the three teammates had stared at the woman as if desperate for news.

It was news he wanted as well. "Doctor, how is he?"

Frasier looked up from her notes and with a slight shrug, said, "He's resting comfortably, sir." She paused then got to the meat of her report. "As you might imagine, Jonas has a hairline skull fracture, and related concussion, although that is resolving. He has infected burns on his right wrist and both ankles. The infection on the right wrist is the most serious, and we won't know if there will be any loss of function in the hand until we get it under control. Aside from that, he's suffering from moderate dehydration, and exhaustion."

"What's the prognosis, Doc?" Colonel O'Neill asked when the doctor paused.

Janet looked over the teammates with compassion before replying. "Well, we've got him on antibiotics for the infection. We're using IV's to rehydrate him. I've given him some pain medication to give him a chance to get some proper rest. I'd be more worried about his right hand if he were anybody else. But, I think it's pretty safe to say that anybody who can survive a blow like the one Jonas took is a pretty tough cookie."

"Janet, he said he couldn't remember anything after P4X-131, and that was two months ago," Major Carter said worriedly.

"Yes, I know. But you all know that memories can be lost in the aftermath of concussion. He may eventually remember, or he may not."

"How long will he be sidelined, Doc?" Jack O'Neill asked.

"Well, I'll need to keep him at least for the next 48 hours. If everything goes as I expect, I'll release him to his quarters at that time. Barring issues with his right hand, I'll approve light duty within five days, and full duty within say, two weeks."

Hammond resisted the temptation to shake his head. From dead, to back on duty in two weeks. Incredible. He waited a moment to see if anyone had any more questions. When all remained quiet, he looked at his second in command. "All right, Colonel, perhaps you can explain what the hell happened. Where has he been for the past ten days?"

"He's been in the Pen, sir," O'Neill said in a facetious tone.

Hammond frowned. "The Pen, Colonel?"

"Yes sir. The Joint. The Big House. The Slammer."

Hammond raised a hand. "I get the picture, Colonel. How did he land up there?"

"Well, according to that cop, Badru, one of Kalfas' cronies was the warden at… Panasonic… Prison. Apparently they were stashing Jonas there until the heat was off, then they were going to use him to figure out how to use the gate."

"Colonel, if Commander Kalfas knew that Mr. Quinn wasn't dead, why would he confess to murdering him? I thought you said the penalty for murder was death?"

"Yes sir. But as luck would have it, executions are carried out at that same prison. And, also as luck would have it, this was the same prison that Kalfas escaped from."

"And nobody suspected that warden then, sir?" Major Carter asked in an irritated tone.

"According to Badass, there was an inquiry. It was headed up by none other than… you guessed it, Assistant Chief Protector Suckup. It's all politics. Tagrea is just like Earth in that respect."

Hammond waved aside the comment. "Colonel, did Protector Badass, I mean, Badru say why he wanted you there in the middle of the night?"

"Yes, sir. Two reasons," O'Neill explained. "First, he pulled a fast one to get Jonas transported out of that prison. He said that he'd come across paperwork for a prisoner transfer that made no sense. He spent all day piecing things together, and it kept adding up to Jonas being the prisoner. He put together a transfer of his own, and pulled in some markers to make it happen. But he had to do it at night, when the warden was off duty. He told me all hell was going to break loose in the morning."

O'Neill nodded sincerely. "He took a big chance for us, sir. Until he walked into that room, he wasn't even positive that the prisoner was actually Jonas."

Hammond allowed himself a small smile. It was something that he had seen over and over again. Jack O'Neill's team always left an indelible mark on the people they met. Protector Badru was not the first to go out on a limb because he believed in SG1. Nodding, he asked, "You said there were two reasons, Colonel?"

"Ah, yeah. Badru is a guy after my own heart, sir. He calls the media 'vultures.' He said if we waited until morning, the news crews would show up and Jonas would be splashed all over the front page of the Tagrean Times."

General Hammond smiled, well satisfied. "All right. Is there anything else?"

There was an expectant pause, but none seated at the table said anything. "Very well, then. You're all dismissed. SG1, I believe you were all on stand down. We'll extend that until Mr. Quinn is available for light duty. Good job, people."

Hammond sat back as his people murmured their thanks and headed for the door, Dr. Frasier telling Sam Carter that she wasn't allowing visitors until tomorrow as she wanted Jonas to rest. He sighed as he got up to head for his office.

SG1 had dodged yet another bullet. He could once again set aside Jack O'Neill's letter of resignation. The thought that it could all go south tomorrow was ruthlessly pushed away. For now, he'd just enjoy the fact that a lost sheep had been found and brought home safely.