General Hammond stared incredulously down at the infirmary cot that
contained Daniel Jackson. As usual. "Doctor Jackson. Please enlighten us
on how you reached this predicament."
Daniel sighed as the rest of SG-1 (yes, even Teal'c) looked more interested- Daniel hadn't actually told them HOW he had come by his injuries. "I lost my balance in the marsh and fell into some alien hornets nest. That accounts for the numerous red marks. Also during that time I broke my finger. When investigating what may have been an artifact, I triggered some sort of trap door and fell into a Goa'uld tunnel and I sprained my ankle."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Trust Daniel to hurt himself while looking at rocks."
Daniel ignored him. "The tunnels, by the way, are nothing remotely similar to the Tok'ra's, if you wanted to know. A group of Horuses were coming my way, so I had to run in front of them as there was no place to hide. I discovered a ladder, and as I tried to use it to escape the Horuses came and I was shot in the shoulder. However, I did not fall, but I continued climbing. When I got to the surface I ran as best I could as the Horuses were still right behind me, but I slipped on some algae and collided with nice mister tree. See forehead. I landed in some plant similar to poison ivy, where I broke my arm and received my rash- and hypothermia, I'm sure- and my back injury."
"Gee, is that all?" Jack asked sarcastically.
"Janet says you'll be able to walk again- you just pinched a nerve in your back," Sam told Daniel.
"How did you avoid capture after that, when you couldn't move?" The general asked.
"Well, Um. . . Hey, I think I may have amnesia!"
"Doctor Jackson," Hammond warned.
"Uh, well, Sir," Daniel blushed, "They, um, found me and said- they said that I was 'cursed' and I would only damn the Larvae; they called me an, um, Kretcha-Ordo, but I don't know what it means," he finished in a rush.
"In your terms, it is an equivalent of 'bloody idiot,'" Teal'c supplied.
The General dropped all formal pretenses and all but shouted at Daniel, "So they basically said you're too damn pathetic and they LEFT YOU?!?!"
"Pretty much," Daniel said meekly.
"His circumstance also prevented Teal'c, the colonel, and I from getting captured as well," Sam broke in, hoping that Daniel might avoid certain death by boredom because he had assisted in their escape.
"How?" Hammond demanded.
"The Guards present said that those who associated with one as 'cursed' as Daniel Jackson could never become worthy hosts," Teal'c supplied.
Story completed, Daniel looked anxiously up at General Hammond like a criminal waiting for his sentence.
"He DID keep us from getting captured," Sam repeated.
"How many guards were there?"
"Well, only two at the time, Sir, but-"
"Would you have been able to fight them off if they HAD attacked, meaning Daniel was actually no assistance?"
"Well, possibly sir, but-"
"I've made my decision," General Hammond announced, effectively ending all argument. "Doctor Jackson, as of right now you are re-assigned. You are not to travel off-world except in the highly unlikely event that I say so. Dismissed."
"Sir!" Jack started angrily, "Daniel's our linguist! What are we supposed to do without him?"
"Sir," Carter pleaded, "Daniel is often able to connect with native cultures better than any of us! How-"
"By adapting!" The general thundered. "All those are secondary when it comes to Doctor Jackson's health! He's proven to be a bomb with a time loop so it can explode all over again!"
"Doctor Jackson is human, general, not a bomb, and has proven himself to be a warrior when necessary," Teal'c said in Daniel's defense.
"NO!" the Hammond yelled. "He's off the team, and that's final! Dismissed!" And he stalked from the infirmary.
"He'll just die of paper cuts!" Jack yelled after him, and slammed the door shut in a foul mood.
"Well, at least I get to brood about it in MY bed, here in the infirmary, until I can walk- as I can't very well use crutches with my arm, now can I?" Daniel said bitterly, not really caring about the guilt trip he was springing on his friends.
"We're really sorry, Daniel," Sam said sympathetically. "We tried."
"Yeah, I know," Daniel said no less bitterly. "You had all better go; I need to prepare myself for my new very demanding job."
Not really having much else to say, they filed out one by one.
Daniel sighed as the rest of SG-1 (yes, even Teal'c) looked more interested- Daniel hadn't actually told them HOW he had come by his injuries. "I lost my balance in the marsh and fell into some alien hornets nest. That accounts for the numerous red marks. Also during that time I broke my finger. When investigating what may have been an artifact, I triggered some sort of trap door and fell into a Goa'uld tunnel and I sprained my ankle."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Trust Daniel to hurt himself while looking at rocks."
Daniel ignored him. "The tunnels, by the way, are nothing remotely similar to the Tok'ra's, if you wanted to know. A group of Horuses were coming my way, so I had to run in front of them as there was no place to hide. I discovered a ladder, and as I tried to use it to escape the Horuses came and I was shot in the shoulder. However, I did not fall, but I continued climbing. When I got to the surface I ran as best I could as the Horuses were still right behind me, but I slipped on some algae and collided with nice mister tree. See forehead. I landed in some plant similar to poison ivy, where I broke my arm and received my rash- and hypothermia, I'm sure- and my back injury."
"Gee, is that all?" Jack asked sarcastically.
"Janet says you'll be able to walk again- you just pinched a nerve in your back," Sam told Daniel.
"How did you avoid capture after that, when you couldn't move?" The general asked.
"Well, Um. . . Hey, I think I may have amnesia!"
"Doctor Jackson," Hammond warned.
"Uh, well, Sir," Daniel blushed, "They, um, found me and said- they said that I was 'cursed' and I would only damn the Larvae; they called me an, um, Kretcha-Ordo, but I don't know what it means," he finished in a rush.
"In your terms, it is an equivalent of 'bloody idiot,'" Teal'c supplied.
The General dropped all formal pretenses and all but shouted at Daniel, "So they basically said you're too damn pathetic and they LEFT YOU?!?!"
"Pretty much," Daniel said meekly.
"His circumstance also prevented Teal'c, the colonel, and I from getting captured as well," Sam broke in, hoping that Daniel might avoid certain death by boredom because he had assisted in their escape.
"How?" Hammond demanded.
"The Guards present said that those who associated with one as 'cursed' as Daniel Jackson could never become worthy hosts," Teal'c supplied.
Story completed, Daniel looked anxiously up at General Hammond like a criminal waiting for his sentence.
"He DID keep us from getting captured," Sam repeated.
"How many guards were there?"
"Well, only two at the time, Sir, but-"
"Would you have been able to fight them off if they HAD attacked, meaning Daniel was actually no assistance?"
"Well, possibly sir, but-"
"I've made my decision," General Hammond announced, effectively ending all argument. "Doctor Jackson, as of right now you are re-assigned. You are not to travel off-world except in the highly unlikely event that I say so. Dismissed."
"Sir!" Jack started angrily, "Daniel's our linguist! What are we supposed to do without him?"
"Sir," Carter pleaded, "Daniel is often able to connect with native cultures better than any of us! How-"
"By adapting!" The general thundered. "All those are secondary when it comes to Doctor Jackson's health! He's proven to be a bomb with a time loop so it can explode all over again!"
"Doctor Jackson is human, general, not a bomb, and has proven himself to be a warrior when necessary," Teal'c said in Daniel's defense.
"NO!" the Hammond yelled. "He's off the team, and that's final! Dismissed!" And he stalked from the infirmary.
"He'll just die of paper cuts!" Jack yelled after him, and slammed the door shut in a foul mood.
"Well, at least I get to brood about it in MY bed, here in the infirmary, until I can walk- as I can't very well use crutches with my arm, now can I?" Daniel said bitterly, not really caring about the guilt trip he was springing on his friends.
"We're really sorry, Daniel," Sam said sympathetically. "We tried."
"Yeah, I know," Daniel said no less bitterly. "You had all better go; I need to prepare myself for my new very demanding job."
Not really having much else to say, they filed out one by one.
