It didn't take Thor long to gather the supplies Jack requested. Luckily,
Carter and O'Neill both kept extra clothing in their lockers on the base.
Shawn was a bit more of a challenge, until Thor zapped some clothes from
the dresser in Jack's guest room. In deference to the boy's reaction every
time something materialized out of nowhere, the Asgard sent everything into
one of the many storage holds on the ship. There were less screams that
way. Hammond was sent back down to the surface; since he wasn't needed and
there was absolutely no way he could leave the SCG for a weekend unless he
was.
"Good luck, Colonel. Major. Stay out of trouble, Shawn."
"Thank you, Sir," Jack said. Shawn didn't answer. He was slowly inching his way over to the forcefield window, and was peering down with an inscrutable look on his pale face.
"It's not too late to change your mind, Shawn," Jack told him. "General Hammond has a couple of grand daughters you could spend the weekend playing with."
"No," Shawn looked down once more, and then walked over to stand by Jack and Sam. "I'll come with you."
Sam shook her head, thinking Jack could have picked a different thing to coax the boy to stay with than little girls to play with. He had to have known that even if Shawn were wavering, he'd definitely choose to go if that was the only other option he had. Ah well. Sam was certain that if there were any danger, Thor wouldn't have allowed the boy to come. As it was, Carter was pretty sure Hammond was just trying to buy time to figure out what to do about Shawn knowing about the Asgards, period. A trip into space wasn't going to change what the boy knew.
Once Hammond was gone, Jack went off in search of aspirin in the medical kit he'd requested Thor send up, leaving Shawn alone on the bridge with Sam and the Asgard Commander. Thor called up all the information that the Asgard had compiled on the people they were going to visit, and Sam went to a control panel on the right wall of the bridge to study it.
Shawn went with her, but he didn't understand anything she was looking at, and he didn't want to get in her way or bother her with questions. He looked over at the door that Jack had left through, but didn't know if he would be allowed to go looking for him. Which left Thor.
The boy looked at the small alien speculatively. He wasn't all that much different in size than Shawn was, which made him a bit easier for Shawn's mind to accept than if Thor were 30 feet tall and had tentacles. He was about the same height, but there was an infinite knowledge in those big dark eyes that even Shawn, as young and inexperienced as he was in life, could recognize. But Shawn was also a nine-year-old boy, and they had other priorities than the meaning of life.
"So... uh... Mr. um... Thor?"
The alien turned his head to face the youngster.
"Can you shoot laser beams out of your eyes?"
Carter choked back her laughter with an effort, and turned her head just in time to see Thor's eyes widen in surprise at the question.
"No. I cannot."
"Out of your fingertips?"
"No."
"Do you have x-ray vision?"
"What is x-ray vision?"
"You know... can you see through stuff? Like Superman?"
"No." Thor didn't have a clue who Superman was.
"Oh." Shawn's voice held a little disappointment, and Sam smiled, and came to Thor's rescue.
"Thor's race saved Colonel O'Neill's life once."
"Really?"
"Yup." Sam went back to reading the information on the screen, and Shawn went back to studying the little gray alien, who was finding it to be a little uncomfortable to be on the opposite end of such scrutiny. Usually it was Thor who was doing the examining.
"Can you-"
"How is it you know Colonel O'Neill?" Thor asked, cutting off the next question before it could begin.
"He was my counselor. At summer camp."
"Summer camp? Is this an SGC program?"
"What's SGC?"
"Star-"
"Thor," Sam interrupted. "Summer camp is a place for youngsters like Shawn to go during the summer. They spend a week having fun. Swimming, hiking... stuff like that."
"Ah." The little alien was silent for a moment, and Shawn stepped a little closer to him to get a better look at him.
"How come you don't wear clothes?"
"What kind of things did you and Colonel O'Neill do at camp?" Thor asked.
"We went rock climbing, and sailing, and horseback riding. Daniel broke his arm riding Ole Smokey."
"What is an 'Ole Smokey'?"
"One of the camp horses." Shawn said, reaching out and touching Thor with a finger to see what his skin felt like. "Where's your nose? How do you smell stuff?"
Thor sighed.
"Good luck, Colonel. Major. Stay out of trouble, Shawn."
"Thank you, Sir," Jack said. Shawn didn't answer. He was slowly inching his way over to the forcefield window, and was peering down with an inscrutable look on his pale face.
"It's not too late to change your mind, Shawn," Jack told him. "General Hammond has a couple of grand daughters you could spend the weekend playing with."
"No," Shawn looked down once more, and then walked over to stand by Jack and Sam. "I'll come with you."
Sam shook her head, thinking Jack could have picked a different thing to coax the boy to stay with than little girls to play with. He had to have known that even if Shawn were wavering, he'd definitely choose to go if that was the only other option he had. Ah well. Sam was certain that if there were any danger, Thor wouldn't have allowed the boy to come. As it was, Carter was pretty sure Hammond was just trying to buy time to figure out what to do about Shawn knowing about the Asgards, period. A trip into space wasn't going to change what the boy knew.
Once Hammond was gone, Jack went off in search of aspirin in the medical kit he'd requested Thor send up, leaving Shawn alone on the bridge with Sam and the Asgard Commander. Thor called up all the information that the Asgard had compiled on the people they were going to visit, and Sam went to a control panel on the right wall of the bridge to study it.
Shawn went with her, but he didn't understand anything she was looking at, and he didn't want to get in her way or bother her with questions. He looked over at the door that Jack had left through, but didn't know if he would be allowed to go looking for him. Which left Thor.
The boy looked at the small alien speculatively. He wasn't all that much different in size than Shawn was, which made him a bit easier for Shawn's mind to accept than if Thor were 30 feet tall and had tentacles. He was about the same height, but there was an infinite knowledge in those big dark eyes that even Shawn, as young and inexperienced as he was in life, could recognize. But Shawn was also a nine-year-old boy, and they had other priorities than the meaning of life.
"So... uh... Mr. um... Thor?"
The alien turned his head to face the youngster.
"Can you shoot laser beams out of your eyes?"
Carter choked back her laughter with an effort, and turned her head just in time to see Thor's eyes widen in surprise at the question.
"No. I cannot."
"Out of your fingertips?"
"No."
"Do you have x-ray vision?"
"What is x-ray vision?"
"You know... can you see through stuff? Like Superman?"
"No." Thor didn't have a clue who Superman was.
"Oh." Shawn's voice held a little disappointment, and Sam smiled, and came to Thor's rescue.
"Thor's race saved Colonel O'Neill's life once."
"Really?"
"Yup." Sam went back to reading the information on the screen, and Shawn went back to studying the little gray alien, who was finding it to be a little uncomfortable to be on the opposite end of such scrutiny. Usually it was Thor who was doing the examining.
"Can you-"
"How is it you know Colonel O'Neill?" Thor asked, cutting off the next question before it could begin.
"He was my counselor. At summer camp."
"Summer camp? Is this an SGC program?"
"What's SGC?"
"Star-"
"Thor," Sam interrupted. "Summer camp is a place for youngsters like Shawn to go during the summer. They spend a week having fun. Swimming, hiking... stuff like that."
"Ah." The little alien was silent for a moment, and Shawn stepped a little closer to him to get a better look at him.
"How come you don't wear clothes?"
"What kind of things did you and Colonel O'Neill do at camp?" Thor asked.
"We went rock climbing, and sailing, and horseback riding. Daniel broke his arm riding Ole Smokey."
"What is an 'Ole Smokey'?"
"One of the camp horses." Shawn said, reaching out and touching Thor with a finger to see what his skin felt like. "Where's your nose? How do you smell stuff?"
Thor sighed.
