Section 34: More Problems, More Plans
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"Shall we go visit Sam?" Jack turned to Daniel with an unhappy grimace as they walked down the hall. But Daniel shook his head.
"Teal'c is there with her. We need to let John and Aeryn know. I don't think they're going to take this very well." Jack gave him 'duh' look and didn't dignify it with an answer, but Daniel went on. "I'm serious, Jack. D'argo was going to go on a suicide mission into a prison filled with soldiers just to rescue his two friends. He blew a whole in the side of a building. What do you think the two of them will do?"
"Alright, alright, I get the point," said Jack stepping onto the elevator and hitting the button that would take them up to the VIP quarters as opposed to the infirmary. "You don't think they'd try to spring him while he's still wounded, do you?"
Daniel gave him a sideways glance. "You would."
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"How long do we have?" asked John. His insides felt like they had been doused with ice. He looked over at Aeryn, but her formerly smiling face was closed off and worried. Before them, Jack and Daniel exchanged a glance.
"The General's working on it," said Jack. "I don't know."
"That doesn't give us much time," said Aeryn quietly.
"Time for what?" asked Daniel with a quick worried glance at Jack. For some reason, the move annoyed John, like they were parents who knew their kids were up to something and were trying to weasel it out of them.
"Hey, we're not going to let them take him," he snapped. "You say you don't want these people to get their hands on him? Then help us get him out of here before they do."
"John, look, General Hammond is on the phone with the President," said Daniel. "We didn't let them take Teal'c, we're not going to let them take D'argo."
"And what if the President doesn't help?" demanded John. "What then? They take him and it's too late for us to get him back!"
"Hey, hey," Jack lifted a calming hand. "We didn't say we weren't going to help. We just can't do this with you two flying off the handle."
"So we just wait for you to talk them out of this?" asked Aeryn. "We've dealt with madmen like this before, and they're not going to stop just because you tell them to. We have to get out of here now, before the situation gets any worse."
"We need our weapons," said John. Daniel and Jack didn't protest; they didn't say anything. That in itself scared John more than their assurances that nothing would happen to D'argo. What chance did they really have of getting the President to order the dogs off?
"Daniel? Wasn't Sam really interested in getting a look at their guns and how they worked or something?" asked Jack never taking his eyes of John.
"What - "
"And weren't you just fascinated by the artwork on D'argo's sword thing?"
"Oh," said Daniel with a small grin. "Yeah, very interested,"
"Thank you," said John relieved.
"Don't thank us," said Jack innocently. "It's all in a day's research. If you're bored with your room, I'm sure Teal'c and Sam would enjoy showing you around the base. So if you'll excuse us, Danny has to get his toys and I have to go talk to the General about a phone call." Jack and Daniel both nodded and left.
"What do you think?" John asked Aeryn when they were alone again. The stalwart warrior let out a small smile of her own.
" 'If only we had a wheelbarrow, that would be something,'" she quoted the movie from the night before.
John snorted at the reference. "No holocaust cloak either." He reached out and took her hand pulling her into a close hug for a moment. Aeryn relaxed against him, tension flowing through every muscle. John closed his eyes. "Why does everything happen to us?" he murmured into her loose hair.
Aeryn shook her head, not bothering to answer. Instead she said quietly, "We need a back-up plan."
John couldn't stop the shudder that ran through him. "I hate the back-up plan," he whispered.
"Come on." Aeryn pulled back enough to kiss him lightly. "We need to get properly dressed." Letting go of each other, John's hands lingered on her waist as he followed her to the dresser where they exchanged their borrowed denim and cotton for black leather.
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Winona, Aeryn's pulse pistol, and D'argo's blade were waiting for them in Daniel's office when they were ostensibly getting a tour. "He's a civilian," Jack had told them when he met them to inform them of the plan. "He can get away with it."
When Daniel stepped out to get some coffee, their airman shadow waiting just outside the cracked door, John and Aeryn secreted their weapons away, all the while talking about the oddities lying about the room. John had never seen so much old junk in a room before, except on tv in some old movie. His own office at IASA had been just as cluttered at times, but this was truly amazing. Jool would drool over this room and the secrets it held. The thought brought John up short, reminding him just how far from home they really were. When Daniel returned they were more than ready to go.
"Jack's with the General?" Aeryn asked. "When will he have them out of the infirmary?"
"I'll call him when we get there," said Daniel. "Then they'll page General Forge and his doctors and you can kidnap your friend." He gave them a sardonic smile. "Teal'c will help you get to the gate room. No one will question you."
John didn't reply. He wasn't holding his breath. He wouldn't relax until they were safely in the wormhole. How desperate was that thought?
The infirmary wasn't much further and they continued on in tense silence. Only when they got there, there were too many soldiers in the hallway. And too many loud voices in the infirmary, one of them Dr. Frasier's, another one Jack's. Retreating to just out of sight, they stopped to listen.
"My patient is still in recovery!" The doctor's strident tones rang out through the corridor. "To take him now would set back his recovery. If he dies then where will your research be!"
Frell, John cursed, steaming from this new development. Hands braced on his hips, he looked at Aeryn who gazed back darkly, just as unhappy. "Back- up plan," she said flatly.
"Back-up plan," John sighed. They turned to Daniel. John drew Winona, Aeryn drew her gun. "We're not going to hurt you," he said. Then before Daniel could say anything, John grabbed him into a headlock and rounded the corner. Five startled soldiers turned looked up and after a brief hesitation, raised their guns.
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"Shall we go visit Sam?" Jack turned to Daniel with an unhappy grimace as they walked down the hall. But Daniel shook his head.
"Teal'c is there with her. We need to let John and Aeryn know. I don't think they're going to take this very well." Jack gave him 'duh' look and didn't dignify it with an answer, but Daniel went on. "I'm serious, Jack. D'argo was going to go on a suicide mission into a prison filled with soldiers just to rescue his two friends. He blew a whole in the side of a building. What do you think the two of them will do?"
"Alright, alright, I get the point," said Jack stepping onto the elevator and hitting the button that would take them up to the VIP quarters as opposed to the infirmary. "You don't think they'd try to spring him while he's still wounded, do you?"
Daniel gave him a sideways glance. "You would."
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"How long do we have?" asked John. His insides felt like they had been doused with ice. He looked over at Aeryn, but her formerly smiling face was closed off and worried. Before them, Jack and Daniel exchanged a glance.
"The General's working on it," said Jack. "I don't know."
"That doesn't give us much time," said Aeryn quietly.
"Time for what?" asked Daniel with a quick worried glance at Jack. For some reason, the move annoyed John, like they were parents who knew their kids were up to something and were trying to weasel it out of them.
"Hey, we're not going to let them take him," he snapped. "You say you don't want these people to get their hands on him? Then help us get him out of here before they do."
"John, look, General Hammond is on the phone with the President," said Daniel. "We didn't let them take Teal'c, we're not going to let them take D'argo."
"And what if the President doesn't help?" demanded John. "What then? They take him and it's too late for us to get him back!"
"Hey, hey," Jack lifted a calming hand. "We didn't say we weren't going to help. We just can't do this with you two flying off the handle."
"So we just wait for you to talk them out of this?" asked Aeryn. "We've dealt with madmen like this before, and they're not going to stop just because you tell them to. We have to get out of here now, before the situation gets any worse."
"We need our weapons," said John. Daniel and Jack didn't protest; they didn't say anything. That in itself scared John more than their assurances that nothing would happen to D'argo. What chance did they really have of getting the President to order the dogs off?
"Daniel? Wasn't Sam really interested in getting a look at their guns and how they worked or something?" asked Jack never taking his eyes of John.
"What - "
"And weren't you just fascinated by the artwork on D'argo's sword thing?"
"Oh," said Daniel with a small grin. "Yeah, very interested,"
"Thank you," said John relieved.
"Don't thank us," said Jack innocently. "It's all in a day's research. If you're bored with your room, I'm sure Teal'c and Sam would enjoy showing you around the base. So if you'll excuse us, Danny has to get his toys and I have to go talk to the General about a phone call." Jack and Daniel both nodded and left.
"What do you think?" John asked Aeryn when they were alone again. The stalwart warrior let out a small smile of her own.
" 'If only we had a wheelbarrow, that would be something,'" she quoted the movie from the night before.
John snorted at the reference. "No holocaust cloak either." He reached out and took her hand pulling her into a close hug for a moment. Aeryn relaxed against him, tension flowing through every muscle. John closed his eyes. "Why does everything happen to us?" he murmured into her loose hair.
Aeryn shook her head, not bothering to answer. Instead she said quietly, "We need a back-up plan."
John couldn't stop the shudder that ran through him. "I hate the back-up plan," he whispered.
"Come on." Aeryn pulled back enough to kiss him lightly. "We need to get properly dressed." Letting go of each other, John's hands lingered on her waist as he followed her to the dresser where they exchanged their borrowed denim and cotton for black leather.
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Winona, Aeryn's pulse pistol, and D'argo's blade were waiting for them in Daniel's office when they were ostensibly getting a tour. "He's a civilian," Jack had told them when he met them to inform them of the plan. "He can get away with it."
When Daniel stepped out to get some coffee, their airman shadow waiting just outside the cracked door, John and Aeryn secreted their weapons away, all the while talking about the oddities lying about the room. John had never seen so much old junk in a room before, except on tv in some old movie. His own office at IASA had been just as cluttered at times, but this was truly amazing. Jool would drool over this room and the secrets it held. The thought brought John up short, reminding him just how far from home they really were. When Daniel returned they were more than ready to go.
"Jack's with the General?" Aeryn asked. "When will he have them out of the infirmary?"
"I'll call him when we get there," said Daniel. "Then they'll page General Forge and his doctors and you can kidnap your friend." He gave them a sardonic smile. "Teal'c will help you get to the gate room. No one will question you."
John didn't reply. He wasn't holding his breath. He wouldn't relax until they were safely in the wormhole. How desperate was that thought?
The infirmary wasn't much further and they continued on in tense silence. Only when they got there, there were too many soldiers in the hallway. And too many loud voices in the infirmary, one of them Dr. Frasier's, another one Jack's. Retreating to just out of sight, they stopped to listen.
"My patient is still in recovery!" The doctor's strident tones rang out through the corridor. "To take him now would set back his recovery. If he dies then where will your research be!"
Frell, John cursed, steaming from this new development. Hands braced on his hips, he looked at Aeryn who gazed back darkly, just as unhappy. "Back- up plan," she said flatly.
"Back-up plan," John sighed. They turned to Daniel. John drew Winona, Aeryn drew her gun. "We're not going to hurt you," he said. Then before Daniel could say anything, John grabbed him into a headlock and rounded the corner. Five startled soldiers turned looked up and after a brief hesitation, raised their guns.
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