Painful Echoes
by Layton Colt
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The sounds of crying and trumpets melted together as Jack stood stiffly at attention. Kowalski was next to him, watching with the same troubled eyes as their friend David Meyers was lowered into the ground.
The mother was across from them, huddled in an embrace with David's inconsolable girlfriend. They were both crying. They both devastated.
Jack turned away as the ceremony ended. Wondering how it had completed so fast. He didn't even remember hearing the words spoken about his lost friend. What good would words do now, anyway?
Kowalski called after him as he walked across the cemetery but Jack didn't answer or slow his brisk pace. He couldn't be here now. He couldn't face all of the crying eyes and shattered souls. David had been under his command, his responsibility.
Jack couldn't face his family knowing the part he'd played in his death.
He pulled out his car keys and slipped into the front seat of his gray 57' Chevy. Kowalski had given up on trying to follow him, he stood despondently near a stone angel, halfway between the tearful crowd of mourners and Jack.
Jack met Kowalski's eyes briefly, the sun was illuminating his friend from behind and Jack thought that it seemed wrong somehow. Wasn't it supposed to rain at funerals? Jack ripped his eyes from Charlie's sympathetic gaze. He couldn't face him now, either.
He headed back to the base, trying to forget the look in David's mother's eyes. Trying not to remember how his renowned father, General Meyers had broken down in front of him. He just focused on fixing this. On making things right.
He didn't care that he'd been given two weeks leave. Or that his CO had wanted him to see a therapist. He didn't need therapy, or time alone with his thoughts. He needed to keep going. He needed revenge. He needed to destroy the one responsible for his friends' death.
Jack reached the base on auto pilot, returning the clipped nods of his comrades without conscious thought. "Jeffries," he said as he entered the briefing room.
Lieutenant Evan Jeffries looked up, startled at the abrupt appearance of the legendary Jack O'Neill. "Yes, sir," he asked meekly.
"Has Holton been looking into my theory?" he asked shortly.
Jeffries shook his head, "He doesn't believe we have a mole," he said. "He thinks that it was just a coincidence."
Jack clenched his fists. He didn't believe in coincidences.
"He isn't even going to consider the possibility?" Jack knew the answer of course. It was more of a statement than a question and Jeffries merely nodded in response.
Jack cursed and collapsed in the nearest chair. The mission had been a simple hit. Another faceless target his team had been ordered to kill. But this target had known they were coming, Jack was sure. They had been prepared for an attack, although certainly not prepared enough.
Jack had reacted quickly, taken the target out before the people he'd paid to protect him were able to react. Then the hidden sniper began shooting and Jack had watched David fall.
Jack placed his head in his hands. He could hear Jeffries nervous breathing to his right. The lieutenant probably didn't know how to react, seeing him lose his cool. It was something that happened rarely and that he never indulged in when around others.
But he needed to think. Apparently the target had been a danger to national security, and needed to be taken out. He'd been threatening to expose one of the militaries many secrets. So Jack had been told to find him, and to kill him. They'd warned him that the man was powerful, and that he had many followers.
It made since he'd have a contact in the military. But he wasn't surprised General Holton was too short sighted to see that. He'd have to call in a marker.
Jack lifted his head, the fire in his eyes had been ignited again. The smile that appeared on Jack's tired features scared the hell out of Jeffries.
General West, Jack thought with triumph. General West owed him, and he was about to pay up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack stalked down the halls of the SGC. He really didn't need these memories right now. He had enough on his mind as it was without having to remember all the old feelings of guilt and anger over David's death.
He'd always blamed himself, blamed himself almost as much as the man who had pulled the trigger, almost as much as the man who had warned the target they were coming.
Every time he had lost someone under his command it had been hard but it was different with David. David had been different.
Jack sighed as he reached General Hammond's office. David had been different the same way SG-1 was. He'd gotten too attached, seen David as more of a little brother than a soldier.
He'd sworn then he'd never do it again . . . but of course he had. He'd found another little brother in Daniel, a brother in Teal'c and a sister in Carter. Well . . . okay, maybe his feelings for Carter weren't exactly sisterly. But he cared too much for her, for all of his team.
And despite that he knew he was only setting himself up to get hurt again, he couldn't stop.
Jack tapped twice on the General's door, and entered when Hammond called for him to come in.
"Colonel O'Neill, have you learned anything more about the situation I informed you of?"
"The spy?" Jack asked plainly. "No, sir, I haven't. I just wanted ask if I could bring my team in on this."
"Jack--" the General started.
"I know what you said, General, but I'm asking you to reconsider."
"The less people that know, Colonel, the better."
"I respectfully disagree, sir," Jack said earnestly. "The more people we bring on this the more help we have."
"And if we unknowingly inform the spy?" Hammond asked shortly.
"Are you suggesting one of my team might be a spy, sir?" O'Neill's tone was incredulous.
Hammond sighed, "No, of course not. But I'm not even sure about this Jack. It's just a hunch I've got."
"I need Carter's help on this," Jack said quietly. "And Daniel and Teal'c could be a lot of help too. We're a team, sir. We work best when it's together."
Jack sat patiently waiting for the General to respond. Jack knew he could locate the spy without any help, he'd done this kind of thing single- handedly before, but he was a part of a team now.
And lying to Daniel about where his artifact probably was had been harder than he'd expected. He'd felt guilty about leaving them in the dark, and afraid that it put them at risk.
He'd been in this situation before, and his experience told him it was best if he informed his team.
"Alright, Colonel," Hammond said, "You can tell them. But just SG-1. No one else, understood?"
"Understood, sir," Jack said with a smile.
As Jack left the General's office the smile slowly faded from his face. He was glad he could tell his team, but he'd just realized what would happen when he did.
He'd already lied to Daniel. Daniel was smart, he'd realize that Jack had known this morning when Daniel had told him about the missing artifact.
Shit. Daniel would not be happy with him. He doubted Teal'c and Carter would be happy with being left in the dark for so long, either.
Jack continued on regardless. They deserved to know.
He went to Daniel's office first, and he wasn't sure if he should be grateful or worried when he found that Sam and Teal'c were there as well.
"Ah, hey guys," he said.
"Colonel," Sam smiled. "We were just talking about maybe going out for pizza. We were going to track you down and see if you wanted to go."
Jack shook his head and went over the to the couch. As he collapsed onto it he looked at them regretfully, "I'm afraid something's come up. It seems we have a spy in the SGC."
"A spy!" Daniel cried.
Three . . . two . . . one . . .
"Hey, you knew about this, didn't you?" Daniel accused. "That's why you were acting so weird in your office earlier."
"Daniel--" Jack started but Carter interrupted.
"What are you talking about, sir? What kind of a spy?"
"We're not sure," Jack said, relieved that Carter at least didn't seem angry with him. "NID, maybe,"
Carter nodded, "What are we going to do?"
Daniel leaned back in his chair, arms crossed as he glared defiantly at O'Neill. "It's this spy that took my artifact, isn't it Jack?"
"Probably," he admitted.
"We have to get it back!"
"Daniel, there's a little bit of a bigger picture to all of this. We need to stop this spy before they do any real damage."
"Yes, but Jack, we don't know what that thing does, it looked like Goa'uld technology. What if it's what they use to cause damage."
"The object did indeed resemble Goa'uld technology," Teal'c said. "Although I have never before seen such a device."
"Alright," Jack said. "So we find them and the device,"
Daniel nodded and focused on the task at hand. "So you think it's someone working here? Or someone from Washington or Nellis?"
"I think they're here," Jack said. "We haven't had that many outside visitors lately and things have been going missing."
Daniel shot up in his seat, "Things? What kind of things?"
Jack lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, "Things like the ribbon device and the healing device we brought back from Cimmeria."
Daniel's eyes narrowed, "What do they want with those? They should stay here, I mean Carter's the only who can use them."
Carter's eyes lit up and she started to pace, "That's it! I know how to catch them!"
Her team all turned to look at her, "How?" Daniel and Jack asked simultaneously.
Carter grinned, "We can use me as bait."
to be continued . . .
I know this part is short too, but I don't think this is going to be a very long story. I'm going to continue as I have been, the first half will be a flashback, and then it will skip forward to the present.
And in case anyone is wondering, this story takes place second season, sometime after 'Thor's Chariot'.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sounds of crying and trumpets melted together as Jack stood stiffly at attention. Kowalski was next to him, watching with the same troubled eyes as their friend David Meyers was lowered into the ground.
The mother was across from them, huddled in an embrace with David's inconsolable girlfriend. They were both crying. They both devastated.
Jack turned away as the ceremony ended. Wondering how it had completed so fast. He didn't even remember hearing the words spoken about his lost friend. What good would words do now, anyway?
Kowalski called after him as he walked across the cemetery but Jack didn't answer or slow his brisk pace. He couldn't be here now. He couldn't face all of the crying eyes and shattered souls. David had been under his command, his responsibility.
Jack couldn't face his family knowing the part he'd played in his death.
He pulled out his car keys and slipped into the front seat of his gray 57' Chevy. Kowalski had given up on trying to follow him, he stood despondently near a stone angel, halfway between the tearful crowd of mourners and Jack.
Jack met Kowalski's eyes briefly, the sun was illuminating his friend from behind and Jack thought that it seemed wrong somehow. Wasn't it supposed to rain at funerals? Jack ripped his eyes from Charlie's sympathetic gaze. He couldn't face him now, either.
He headed back to the base, trying to forget the look in David's mother's eyes. Trying not to remember how his renowned father, General Meyers had broken down in front of him. He just focused on fixing this. On making things right.
He didn't care that he'd been given two weeks leave. Or that his CO had wanted him to see a therapist. He didn't need therapy, or time alone with his thoughts. He needed to keep going. He needed revenge. He needed to destroy the one responsible for his friends' death.
Jack reached the base on auto pilot, returning the clipped nods of his comrades without conscious thought. "Jeffries," he said as he entered the briefing room.
Lieutenant Evan Jeffries looked up, startled at the abrupt appearance of the legendary Jack O'Neill. "Yes, sir," he asked meekly.
"Has Holton been looking into my theory?" he asked shortly.
Jeffries shook his head, "He doesn't believe we have a mole," he said. "He thinks that it was just a coincidence."
Jack clenched his fists. He didn't believe in coincidences.
"He isn't even going to consider the possibility?" Jack knew the answer of course. It was more of a statement than a question and Jeffries merely nodded in response.
Jack cursed and collapsed in the nearest chair. The mission had been a simple hit. Another faceless target his team had been ordered to kill. But this target had known they were coming, Jack was sure. They had been prepared for an attack, although certainly not prepared enough.
Jack had reacted quickly, taken the target out before the people he'd paid to protect him were able to react. Then the hidden sniper began shooting and Jack had watched David fall.
Jack placed his head in his hands. He could hear Jeffries nervous breathing to his right. The lieutenant probably didn't know how to react, seeing him lose his cool. It was something that happened rarely and that he never indulged in when around others.
But he needed to think. Apparently the target had been a danger to national security, and needed to be taken out. He'd been threatening to expose one of the militaries many secrets. So Jack had been told to find him, and to kill him. They'd warned him that the man was powerful, and that he had many followers.
It made since he'd have a contact in the military. But he wasn't surprised General Holton was too short sighted to see that. He'd have to call in a marker.
Jack lifted his head, the fire in his eyes had been ignited again. The smile that appeared on Jack's tired features scared the hell out of Jeffries.
General West, Jack thought with triumph. General West owed him, and he was about to pay up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack stalked down the halls of the SGC. He really didn't need these memories right now. He had enough on his mind as it was without having to remember all the old feelings of guilt and anger over David's death.
He'd always blamed himself, blamed himself almost as much as the man who had pulled the trigger, almost as much as the man who had warned the target they were coming.
Every time he had lost someone under his command it had been hard but it was different with David. David had been different.
Jack sighed as he reached General Hammond's office. David had been different the same way SG-1 was. He'd gotten too attached, seen David as more of a little brother than a soldier.
He'd sworn then he'd never do it again . . . but of course he had. He'd found another little brother in Daniel, a brother in Teal'c and a sister in Carter. Well . . . okay, maybe his feelings for Carter weren't exactly sisterly. But he cared too much for her, for all of his team.
And despite that he knew he was only setting himself up to get hurt again, he couldn't stop.
Jack tapped twice on the General's door, and entered when Hammond called for him to come in.
"Colonel O'Neill, have you learned anything more about the situation I informed you of?"
"The spy?" Jack asked plainly. "No, sir, I haven't. I just wanted ask if I could bring my team in on this."
"Jack--" the General started.
"I know what you said, General, but I'm asking you to reconsider."
"The less people that know, Colonel, the better."
"I respectfully disagree, sir," Jack said earnestly. "The more people we bring on this the more help we have."
"And if we unknowingly inform the spy?" Hammond asked shortly.
"Are you suggesting one of my team might be a spy, sir?" O'Neill's tone was incredulous.
Hammond sighed, "No, of course not. But I'm not even sure about this Jack. It's just a hunch I've got."
"I need Carter's help on this," Jack said quietly. "And Daniel and Teal'c could be a lot of help too. We're a team, sir. We work best when it's together."
Jack sat patiently waiting for the General to respond. Jack knew he could locate the spy without any help, he'd done this kind of thing single- handedly before, but he was a part of a team now.
And lying to Daniel about where his artifact probably was had been harder than he'd expected. He'd felt guilty about leaving them in the dark, and afraid that it put them at risk.
He'd been in this situation before, and his experience told him it was best if he informed his team.
"Alright, Colonel," Hammond said, "You can tell them. But just SG-1. No one else, understood?"
"Understood, sir," Jack said with a smile.
As Jack left the General's office the smile slowly faded from his face. He was glad he could tell his team, but he'd just realized what would happen when he did.
He'd already lied to Daniel. Daniel was smart, he'd realize that Jack had known this morning when Daniel had told him about the missing artifact.
Shit. Daniel would not be happy with him. He doubted Teal'c and Carter would be happy with being left in the dark for so long, either.
Jack continued on regardless. They deserved to know.
He went to Daniel's office first, and he wasn't sure if he should be grateful or worried when he found that Sam and Teal'c were there as well.
"Ah, hey guys," he said.
"Colonel," Sam smiled. "We were just talking about maybe going out for pizza. We were going to track you down and see if you wanted to go."
Jack shook his head and went over the to the couch. As he collapsed onto it he looked at them regretfully, "I'm afraid something's come up. It seems we have a spy in the SGC."
"A spy!" Daniel cried.
Three . . . two . . . one . . .
"Hey, you knew about this, didn't you?" Daniel accused. "That's why you were acting so weird in your office earlier."
"Daniel--" Jack started but Carter interrupted.
"What are you talking about, sir? What kind of a spy?"
"We're not sure," Jack said, relieved that Carter at least didn't seem angry with him. "NID, maybe,"
Carter nodded, "What are we going to do?"
Daniel leaned back in his chair, arms crossed as he glared defiantly at O'Neill. "It's this spy that took my artifact, isn't it Jack?"
"Probably," he admitted.
"We have to get it back!"
"Daniel, there's a little bit of a bigger picture to all of this. We need to stop this spy before they do any real damage."
"Yes, but Jack, we don't know what that thing does, it looked like Goa'uld technology. What if it's what they use to cause damage."
"The object did indeed resemble Goa'uld technology," Teal'c said. "Although I have never before seen such a device."
"Alright," Jack said. "So we find them and the device,"
Daniel nodded and focused on the task at hand. "So you think it's someone working here? Or someone from Washington or Nellis?"
"I think they're here," Jack said. "We haven't had that many outside visitors lately and things have been going missing."
Daniel shot up in his seat, "Things? What kind of things?"
Jack lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, "Things like the ribbon device and the healing device we brought back from Cimmeria."
Daniel's eyes narrowed, "What do they want with those? They should stay here, I mean Carter's the only who can use them."
Carter's eyes lit up and she started to pace, "That's it! I know how to catch them!"
Her team all turned to look at her, "How?" Daniel and Jack asked simultaneously.
Carter grinned, "We can use me as bait."
to be continued . . .
I know this part is short too, but I don't think this is going to be a very long story. I'm going to continue as I have been, the first half will be a flashback, and then it will skip forward to the present.
And in case anyone is wondering, this story takes place second season, sometime after 'Thor's Chariot'.