After calling Janet and her medical team to the Gate room, SG-1 had stepped through, minus Major Carter. George had watched as Jack glanced down at the strange man and quipped something sarcastic about the food on Elysium, before reaching past Walter to the microphone and ordering SG-1 into the debriefing room.
Ajax hadn't been out for long much to Janet's surprise. She had given him something for a headache and had checked him over just like she had done a thousand times. When Ajax had protested enough she decided to let him join SG-1 in the debriefing and had had one of her medical staff escort him there. The poor bedraggled man still had the faint impressions of the Gate room ramp stamped into his cheek.
"General, with respect, don't you think we should be out there getting Carter back instead of sitting around conversing?" Jack tapped a pen against the desk in a frustrated tempo. He was in no mood to even entertain the idea of recounting the past week's events when he had Carter to think of. He knew that the General only wanted enough information as to help him ascertain what to do, but the more information he told the General, the more the questions popped up. All he wanted was to commandeer the help of the Asgard or the Tok'ra and go kick some Goa'uld ass.
"Jack's right, we need to do something… yesterday." Daniel bit his lip and wiggled in his chair. His butt was killing him.
The General had been listening to SG-1 for only ten minutes, but he knew these people well enough to know that if they were eager to get going time was of the essence. He was glad that they had finally made it home, but nothing was going to sit right until Ptah was reduced to dust. Hammond could see the look in Jack's eyes. It meant business. Casting a quick look over the entire room he sighed inwardly; he'd only just gotten them all back home and now he was about to send them off again.
"Dr Jackson, Teal'c, why don't you get cleaned up. Be back here in thirty minutes. Ajax, I believe Dr Fraser would like to have a word with you."
Daniel stood slowly. The thought of taking a shower and getting himself a change of clothes suddenly felt very selfish of him. Sam was out there, waiting for them to help her and he was going to take a shower? Guilt rippled through him and his mind wandered to the conversation with Jack that was stuck in his head.
"Don't shake hands."
This was his fault, his responsibility. He felt like dying. His stomach was twisted in a cruel knot. Sam, with a Goa'uld… a Goa'uld they knew nothing about who had been searching for her. If only he hadn't mentioned that Elysian might be worth checking out. Suddenly, something else was tugging at his consciousness.
"Ah, do you remember me showing you an artefact resembling an eagle?"
"Oh God… I could have prevented it all."
"Daniel?"
Jack was holding the door open for him. Daniel hadn't even noticed Jack get up from his chair. The archaeologist risked a glance at his friend. Jack was staring at him, a worried look on his tired face. Daniel suddenly figured out that he had said something out loud.
"Jack… I, uh…"
"Daniel, I need you with me here." Opting to ignore the fact that he'd heard Daniel's confession, Jack tried to get him out the door by motioning with his head. He had enough to think about for now.
Silently, Daniel pushed the chair away from himself and made his way out the door, his eyes trained at the floor. Jack watched him move past and sighed heavily. He knew exactly what the younger man was thinking, but a shower was going to do him good.
"Daniel…"
"Jack."
"Take a shower. That's an order."
Daniel hadn't even stopped nor turned around at the sound of his name. He knew that Jack couldn't order him to do anything he didn't want to, but the tone of his friend's voice was enough to convince him to head for the showers. Maybe it would wake him up enough to give him the strength he needed to get back out there. But now, he realised he was hiding a secret that he really didn't want to tell, and trying to conceal it until it had to be heard was going to make him feel a lot worse.
Jack watched as Teal'c and Daniel walked silently down the hall. Ajax had been taken to the infirmary for a few things Janet wanted to clear up. For a long few minutes Jack just stood in the doorway. The only thing that finally made him turn around was the presence of General Hammond in the room behind him.
"Jack. Close the door Son."
Jack shut the door with the palm of both hands, and grunted into the wood, screwing his face up in anger.
"I'm going to kill him General."
"Dr. Jackson?" The General's surprise was genuine.
"No Sir, not Daniel…" Jack turned around and lent against the door, crossing his arms over his chest and locking eyes with his CO. "I'm going to kill that no good, son of a bitch, Rhadamanthus. And so help me, if I can find him I'll just as well kill his conniving offspring as well. His gene pool needs a lot of chlorine…"
George let him vent for a moment before replying.
"I know how much Major Carter means to you and your team Colonel…" Hammond would have included himself in the list too under different circumstances, "So I'll leave the decision up to you this time. What do you want to do?"
"Besides shooting the members of the Elysian Government in the knee caps Sir?"
A chuckle was his answer.
"Call the Asgard Sir, or the Tok'ra. We need someone with transportation rings."
"Colonel, are you one hundred precent certain that Ptah's mother ship is still over Elysium?"
"Not one hundred percent, but as far as I know this Ptah's got nothing better to do than prey off Elysium. If Daniel's right, General, Ptah likes to kiss the other System Lords' butts, and is too chicken shit to do anything bar giving them what they want."
"Hosts…"
"Yeah."
Hammond set his brow in thought.
"Alright Colonel, hit the showers. I'll get into contact with someone with a ship to spare."
"Thank you Sir." Jack gave himself forward momentum and eased himself off the door. "Oh, and if it's alright with you General, I'd appreciate it if you'd let Ajax come with. I have a feeling we're going to need him."
"Done."
Jack had nothing more to say. Turning the handle on the door, he slipped out. The first thing he was going to do was to make sure Daniel had followed orders. In other words, he was off to convince him to take a shower.
General Hammond gathered up his notes and headed for the Gate room. He had a feeling who to call first, and who would help. He hadn't spoken to Jacob in a long time; he was just sorry that it had to be under these conditions. Never-the-less, he couldn't think of anyone better.
"Daniel?" Jack was pleased to see that his friend had taken a shower, but he now realised that he was going to have to convince him to get dressed.
Daniel was sitting on a bench in the locker room, a towel wrapped around his waist. His head hung low, water dripping from the ends of his dishevelled fringe. Jack sighed and gingerly sat at the very edge of the bench. Daniel didn't move for a long time. His hands were clasped over his knees in an odd way; Jack didn't really know what to make of it.
"Hey, Danny…you uh… you wanna get dressed or am I going to have to drag you off-world in a towel?"
"I'm fine Jack." It was barely audible.
"Really? 'Cause it doesn't look that way from where I'm sitting."
Daniel lifted his head and ran a hand through his wet hair.
"I'm just thinking."
"No, you're wallowing. I know that look, it's your wallowing look."
"I don't wallow, Jack."
"Do too… and are too."
"Jack…this is-"
"Ut! Don't say it Daniel, I don't want to hear it."
Daniel sent Jack a cold, serious stare.
"It's my fault Sam's in this mess Jack, there's no point in denying it."
"Daniel, you blame everything on yourself."
"I mean it."
Jack stood up and made for Daniel's locker. Rummaging through it, he plucked out some clean clothes and slapped them on the bench.
"Look Daniel, I'll humour you. I don't care if this is your fault or not, all I care about is getting on that Goa'uld's ship, getting Sam the hell outta there and then blowing the whole thing into a million tiny, burning pieces. Now, I need your help. Do you think you can suck it up for just one more day and stick it out there?" Jack winced at how harsh he sounded, but right now he needed Daniel to be strong. He knew Daniel; he knew that if he let the archaeologist judge himself so severely it was going to run him into the ground.
Daniel glanced up. Jack had used Sam's first name, not something he made a habit out of. He knew this wasn't just drawing guilty circles in his mind; it was scribbling madly in Jack's as well. After all, Jack was always the one who was first to bring up the whole 'nobody gets behind' rule that they'd sworn by. It was something not written in any handbook or guideline, nor was it military protocol, but it was still the one 'rule' SG-1 swore to follow.
Suddenly thankful that Jack had been up front with him, Daniel forced a sheepish smile.
"You're right."
Jack shut Daniel's locker, "You better believe it!"
Daniel wiped the water from his forehead as Jack placed a hand on his shoulder briefly and headed for the door.
"Jack."
"Yup."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Jack left Daniel to get dressed and headed for the infirmary. Normally he wouldn't voluntarily place himself anywhere near Janet while she was working, but he really needed something for a migraine. He was surprised that Janet had agreed to let them go back off-world without the standard medical check up that was normally required, but something told him that the Doctor wanted her best friend back ASAP. He hoped that asking for pain killers wasn't going to change her mind.
Rounding the last corner, Jack almost tip-toed towards the sound of Janet's voice behind a curtain in the infirmary. Little good it did him. Janet's uncanny ability to detect anyone walking in, and who they were, never ceased to amaze him.
"Colonel, I'll be right out."
Jack stopped and stuffed his hands into his pockets as he watched the Doctor's silhouette as she finished up with her patient. Shifting his weight from foot to foot, Jack risked another step closer.
"Hey Doc, almost done? I need a shower."
Janet drew the curtain back and smiled at him, "We're all done her Colonel. I was just checking up on our friend here. I'm afraid he's got a mild concussion."
"I am most embarrassed." Ajax slid off the bed and straightened his clothes.
Jack recalled the image of walking through the Gate only to find the man sprawled out on the ground in a pool of his own vomit.
"Hey, no sweat. I remember my first time…" Jack trailed off as the lightning in his head struck again. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and pain.
"Headache?"
"Migraine"
Jack heard a faint sigh escape from Janet. She clearly hated the idea of not being able to give them a full medical before they headed out again.
"I'll give you both some pain killers. Just go easy on them."
Jack accepted the small bottle gratefully, "Thanks Doc." He turned to leave but was stopped by Janet's gaze.
"Colonel… I-" She stopped mid sentence. Janet missed her friend, and Cassie had been nagging her for nights now about her whereabouts.
"Just another day at the office Doc." Jack tried to give the small woman a reassuring smile, but it was hard when he doubted the words even before they left his mouth.
"Good luck."
The Colonel tipped the bottle of pills in Janet's direction, "We'll be fine."
Janet smiled half-heartedly and turned back to Ajax. Jack left the infirmary and headed back towards the showers. Popping a pill without any water, he choked at the foul taste and glared at a clock on the wall.
Why the hell did time always seem to go so damn slow when he had important things to do? Cursing about having to take a ten minute shower to kill time, Jack couldn't help but mutter to himself as he tucked the bottle into his pocket.
"Hang in there Carter."