They sat and ate their ice cream for a while in silence, and then Shawn
asked Jack what SGC stood for.
"Where did you hear that?" Jack asked, curiously.
"Thor mentioned it." Shawn licked his spoon thing clean and set it aside. He'd had enough ice cream. He was getting brain freeze.
"It stands for Stargate Command," Jack said, carefully. "That's another term for Cheyenne Mountain, but usually one that only Thor and his buddies use." Yeah, that wasn't exactly true, but it was better than telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. There was no way in hell that Jack was going to tell Shawn about the Stargate. One thing to know about aliens flying around, quite another to know about easy access to all of them.
"What's a Gould?"
"A what?" Jack asked.
"A..." Shawn fell silent, trying to remember the exact way to say it. "Goa'uld."
"I can't tell you, Shawn." Jack shook his head. "You already know more than you should."
"But-"
"Not this time, buddy." He got to his feet, and watched as Shawn did, too. "Don't ask me to tell you. I would get into a lot of trouble, and so would Sam. You'll just have to trust me on this one. Okay?"
Shawn didn't look pleased, but he nodded.
"Okay, Jack."
"Good. Now, let's go see what Sam and Thor are doing."
~*~
Sam and Thor were still doing what they'd been doing when Jack and Shawn had left. Thor was sitting in his command chair, and Carter was reading the screen in front of her.
"Are we there, yet?" Jack asked when he and Shawn walked through the door.
Sam looked up and started to say something, but saw the gleam of good humor in his brown eyes and realized he was just kidding. Thor didn't catch on so quickly.
"It will take us many more hours to reach our destination, O'Neill."
Shawn walked over to stand next to Thor's chair once more, and Jack joined him.
"How-?"
"If you would like, I can show you some more holograms," Thor offered, cutting off whatever question was going to come from the boy's mouth next.
"Of what?" Shawn asked, curiously.
"What are you interested in?"
"Jack."
Sam grinned, and Jack gave her the 'hey, what can I say?' look.
"What else?" Thor persisted.
"Sam."
Thor sighed.
"What else, Shawn?" Sam asked, coming to Thor's rescue again. It was entertaining for her to see the Asgard so off balance, but she had to feel sorry for him. "Like volcanoes, or planets, or meteors, or something like that. Something you'd like to know more about."
"Like Daniel's Archeology?" Shawn asked. The boy had become more interested in the science since meeting Daniel, and had found it to be rather interesting. Dead people could be fascinating, if you could find out their stories.
"Yeah, like that." Sam looked over at Thor. "Can you show him some ancient ruins? Earth ruins," She added, making sure he didn't think she'd meant the Ancients. "Maybe show them one at a time?" She doubted he'd know what a slideshow was.
"Of course," Thor said, moving his finger over the control console. The hologram appeared once more in front of him, but this time, instead of a galaxy they didn't recognize, it was of ancient Rome.
"Wow..." Shawn was a little more prepared this time, and was able to appreciate just how cool the technology was, instead of being startled or frightened. He stepped up, right into the hologram, touching it. "That's awesome."
"That is Rome, as you see it today," Thor said in his soft voice. The hologram changed, and the ruins were suddenly brand new buildings, gleaming in the bright sun of what was a gorgeous afternoon. "This is how it looked when it was first built."
"Wow! How do you know?" Shawn turned and looked at Thor.
"We've been studying your people for a very long time," Thor said. "Off and on for centuries."
"Can you show me another one?" Shawn asked, eagerly.
"Of course." Thor almost seemed as eager to do it as Shawn was to have him do it. Sam hid a smile as she went back to reading her information. Probably the little Asgard didn't relish the thought of many more hours of questions about laser beams and x-ray vision.
"Where did you hear that?" Jack asked, curiously.
"Thor mentioned it." Shawn licked his spoon thing clean and set it aside. He'd had enough ice cream. He was getting brain freeze.
"It stands for Stargate Command," Jack said, carefully. "That's another term for Cheyenne Mountain, but usually one that only Thor and his buddies use." Yeah, that wasn't exactly true, but it was better than telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. There was no way in hell that Jack was going to tell Shawn about the Stargate. One thing to know about aliens flying around, quite another to know about easy access to all of them.
"What's a Gould?"
"A what?" Jack asked.
"A..." Shawn fell silent, trying to remember the exact way to say it. "Goa'uld."
"I can't tell you, Shawn." Jack shook his head. "You already know more than you should."
"But-"
"Not this time, buddy." He got to his feet, and watched as Shawn did, too. "Don't ask me to tell you. I would get into a lot of trouble, and so would Sam. You'll just have to trust me on this one. Okay?"
Shawn didn't look pleased, but he nodded.
"Okay, Jack."
"Good. Now, let's go see what Sam and Thor are doing."
~*~
Sam and Thor were still doing what they'd been doing when Jack and Shawn had left. Thor was sitting in his command chair, and Carter was reading the screen in front of her.
"Are we there, yet?" Jack asked when he and Shawn walked through the door.
Sam looked up and started to say something, but saw the gleam of good humor in his brown eyes and realized he was just kidding. Thor didn't catch on so quickly.
"It will take us many more hours to reach our destination, O'Neill."
Shawn walked over to stand next to Thor's chair once more, and Jack joined him.
"How-?"
"If you would like, I can show you some more holograms," Thor offered, cutting off whatever question was going to come from the boy's mouth next.
"Of what?" Shawn asked, curiously.
"What are you interested in?"
"Jack."
Sam grinned, and Jack gave her the 'hey, what can I say?' look.
"What else?" Thor persisted.
"Sam."
Thor sighed.
"What else, Shawn?" Sam asked, coming to Thor's rescue again. It was entertaining for her to see the Asgard so off balance, but she had to feel sorry for him. "Like volcanoes, or planets, or meteors, or something like that. Something you'd like to know more about."
"Like Daniel's Archeology?" Shawn asked. The boy had become more interested in the science since meeting Daniel, and had found it to be rather interesting. Dead people could be fascinating, if you could find out their stories.
"Yeah, like that." Sam looked over at Thor. "Can you show him some ancient ruins? Earth ruins," She added, making sure he didn't think she'd meant the Ancients. "Maybe show them one at a time?" She doubted he'd know what a slideshow was.
"Of course," Thor said, moving his finger over the control console. The hologram appeared once more in front of him, but this time, instead of a galaxy they didn't recognize, it was of ancient Rome.
"Wow..." Shawn was a little more prepared this time, and was able to appreciate just how cool the technology was, instead of being startled or frightened. He stepped up, right into the hologram, touching it. "That's awesome."
"That is Rome, as you see it today," Thor said in his soft voice. The hologram changed, and the ruins were suddenly brand new buildings, gleaming in the bright sun of what was a gorgeous afternoon. "This is how it looked when it was first built."
"Wow! How do you know?" Shawn turned and looked at Thor.
"We've been studying your people for a very long time," Thor said. "Off and on for centuries."
"Can you show me another one?" Shawn asked, eagerly.
"Of course." Thor almost seemed as eager to do it as Shawn was to have him do it. Sam hid a smile as she went back to reading her information. Probably the little Asgard didn't relish the thought of many more hours of questions about laser beams and x-ray vision.
