There was a silence in the Gate room for one short moment that seemed an
eternity to those who were there watching the Asgard standing in front of
SG-1 and Hammond.
"Please tell me that Shawn is the name of a ship you've misplaced." Jack said, finally, every muscle in his body tense, and a sudden dangerous gleam in his brown eyes.
"It is not."
"Our Shawn?" Carter asked, stepping up beside Jack.
"Our Shawn who is ten years old and should be home sleeping in his bed right now?" Daniel asked, also stepping forward to stand on the other side of Jack.
"Correct."
"WHAT?" The calm didn't last long. Everyone in the room but Thor and Teal'c jumped at the sound of O'Neill's voice. Not so much because it had startled them, but because there was only fury and disbelief in it. "What do you mean YOU LOST HIM? What were you doing with him in the first-"
"Colonel!" Hammond cut him off, but the anger that was in the General's voice was directed at Thor as well. "Thor? Maybe you'd better explain this from the beginning."
He looked at the assembled military personnel and saw a tenseness in all of them that he didn't like. Not just from the members of SG-1, either. Most of the people in the room knew who Shawn was, after all. There weren't a lot of little kids running around the SGC, so he was fairly easy to notice. It was obvious that the Asgard's statement wasn't well received by these folks, either, and they were holding weapons.
"In the briefing room."
Thor nodded, and Hammond turned and led the way out of the room. Thor followed, but SG-1 didn't. Not right away. Jack was so angry he wasn't even sure he could move. He just stared as the door closed behind Thor.
"I'm sure there's a logical-"
"Oh, there'd better be, Daniel."
"What on Earth were-"
"This is not good."
"Colonel!"
"Coming, Sir."
~*~
They were seated at the briefing table. Well, most of them were. Carter was flanked by Teal'c and Daniel, and the three were seated completely on the opposite end of the table, which was fine with Hammond, since it placed a fair amount of space between the Asgard and the serious looking group. Jack hadn't even bothered to pretend to want to sit. He was pacing already, and Thor hadn't even started explaining. Hammond didn't try to order him to be seated. As agitated as O'Neill was, it was better to keep him on his feet.
"What happened, Thor?" Hammond asked.
"From the beginning," Jack interjected. "I want to know exactly what the he- "
"Colonel!"
Jack quieted, but he didn't back down.
Thor sighed.
"Soon after our return from transplanting the Pe'aoli, I contacted the boy."
"For what purpose?" Teal'c asked. His voice was calm, but those that knew him well knew it was calmest when he was at his most serious. Which was also when he was at his most dangerous.
"The boy could very well be the key to ultimately winning the war with the Goa'uld." Thor said. "If given enough training at an early-"
"I TOLD YOU WE DON'T USE OUR CHILDREN LIKE THAT!" Jack had heard enough. Had already heard this, as a mater of fact. And had told Thor to butt out. "We-"
"Colonel!" Hammond was tired of having Jack shouting in his ear, and needed more information from the Asgard about the boy. "Another word and you'll be gone. Understand?"
Jack fumed, but visibly clamped his jaws shut, although if looks could kill Thor would have long been fried.
Hammond waited just long enough to make sure O'Neill wasn't going to say anything further, then turned back to the Asgard.
"What were you doing?"
"We were teaching him. Languages, Sciences, Math, History, for the most part. He wanted more. In exchange for learning what we wanted him to learn, he made requests of his own."
"Such as?" Carter asked.
"Such as learning to fly on our simulators. And he required the Asgard keep an eye on Colonel O'Neill and SG-1."
"You're kidding."
"No, Doctor Jackson." Thor's voice was very calm as the little alien turned to Daniel. "In exchange for what we wanted, Shawn insisted that we learn in advance where SG-1 was going on their missions, and keep you safe."
"How exactly did you do that?" Hammond asked, as Carter turned to see what O'Neill's reaction was to that little bit of information. Jack's face was a stony mask, but his eyes were telling another story completely.
"Your computer is hardly complicated. We merely found the location you were going, and sent a ship there to watch the proceedings. If nothing endangered you, you were left alone. If trouble ensued, the Asgard watching would take care of it without you noticing."
"That's crazy!" Daniel said. "That's the dumbes-"
"Where's Shawn?" Hammond asked.
"We do not know. He was in one of the Attack Ships, attempting his first flight away from the simulator, and somehow activated the hyper drives. Before we realized what had happened and could lock onto him, he was gone."
"He couldn't have went that far-"
"Incorrect, Major." Thor said. "Our Attack Ships have long range capabilities. The Asgard cover a lot of space, and one of the best and most preferred methods are in the Attack Ships due to their long-range abilities. We've searched for him for hours with sensors, scanners and ships, and have not found him."
"He could be anywhere, then?" Jack asked.
"Correct."
"What about life support?" Teal'c asked.
"As long as nothing has been damaged, he has enough life support and power to last him weeks. The life support is an automated system, so he would not need to know how to use it. Which is good, since we are certain he does not."
"Navigation?" Asked Daniel.
"Don't you have an automatic pilot?" Jack asked, frustrated.
"The ship can be automated, yes. However, in order to bring you back to a position using the feature, you must input the coordinates, and we do not believe the boy knows how to do this."
"So, he's lost. Somewhere in space. With no food. No water, and no way to get himself back?"
"What can we do?" Hammond asked.
"There is little you can do," Thor said. "We are still searching for him. For obvious reasons, you needed to be informed."
"Oh, my God." Carter realized. "What about his parents?"
"Do they know about this?" Jack asked, his voice still furious, but other emotions vying to escape as well.
"They do not."
"And they can't," Hammond said, turning to O'Neill. "Jack. You know them best. Go talk to them."
"And tell them what, Sir?" Jack asked, his anger overriding his good senses. "Sorry Dotty and James, but we let some aliens mess around with your son and they've managed to LOSE HIM? Don't worry, though, we'll just keep searching the universe and hope that we find him before he starves to death? Or worse, is captured by the Goa'uld?"
"Please tell me that Shawn is the name of a ship you've misplaced." Jack said, finally, every muscle in his body tense, and a sudden dangerous gleam in his brown eyes.
"It is not."
"Our Shawn?" Carter asked, stepping up beside Jack.
"Our Shawn who is ten years old and should be home sleeping in his bed right now?" Daniel asked, also stepping forward to stand on the other side of Jack.
"Correct."
"WHAT?" The calm didn't last long. Everyone in the room but Thor and Teal'c jumped at the sound of O'Neill's voice. Not so much because it had startled them, but because there was only fury and disbelief in it. "What do you mean YOU LOST HIM? What were you doing with him in the first-"
"Colonel!" Hammond cut him off, but the anger that was in the General's voice was directed at Thor as well. "Thor? Maybe you'd better explain this from the beginning."
He looked at the assembled military personnel and saw a tenseness in all of them that he didn't like. Not just from the members of SG-1, either. Most of the people in the room knew who Shawn was, after all. There weren't a lot of little kids running around the SGC, so he was fairly easy to notice. It was obvious that the Asgard's statement wasn't well received by these folks, either, and they were holding weapons.
"In the briefing room."
Thor nodded, and Hammond turned and led the way out of the room. Thor followed, but SG-1 didn't. Not right away. Jack was so angry he wasn't even sure he could move. He just stared as the door closed behind Thor.
"I'm sure there's a logical-"
"Oh, there'd better be, Daniel."
"What on Earth were-"
"This is not good."
"Colonel!"
"Coming, Sir."
~*~
They were seated at the briefing table. Well, most of them were. Carter was flanked by Teal'c and Daniel, and the three were seated completely on the opposite end of the table, which was fine with Hammond, since it placed a fair amount of space between the Asgard and the serious looking group. Jack hadn't even bothered to pretend to want to sit. He was pacing already, and Thor hadn't even started explaining. Hammond didn't try to order him to be seated. As agitated as O'Neill was, it was better to keep him on his feet.
"What happened, Thor?" Hammond asked.
"From the beginning," Jack interjected. "I want to know exactly what the he- "
"Colonel!"
Jack quieted, but he didn't back down.
Thor sighed.
"Soon after our return from transplanting the Pe'aoli, I contacted the boy."
"For what purpose?" Teal'c asked. His voice was calm, but those that knew him well knew it was calmest when he was at his most serious. Which was also when he was at his most dangerous.
"The boy could very well be the key to ultimately winning the war with the Goa'uld." Thor said. "If given enough training at an early-"
"I TOLD YOU WE DON'T USE OUR CHILDREN LIKE THAT!" Jack had heard enough. Had already heard this, as a mater of fact. And had told Thor to butt out. "We-"
"Colonel!" Hammond was tired of having Jack shouting in his ear, and needed more information from the Asgard about the boy. "Another word and you'll be gone. Understand?"
Jack fumed, but visibly clamped his jaws shut, although if looks could kill Thor would have long been fried.
Hammond waited just long enough to make sure O'Neill wasn't going to say anything further, then turned back to the Asgard.
"What were you doing?"
"We were teaching him. Languages, Sciences, Math, History, for the most part. He wanted more. In exchange for learning what we wanted him to learn, he made requests of his own."
"Such as?" Carter asked.
"Such as learning to fly on our simulators. And he required the Asgard keep an eye on Colonel O'Neill and SG-1."
"You're kidding."
"No, Doctor Jackson." Thor's voice was very calm as the little alien turned to Daniel. "In exchange for what we wanted, Shawn insisted that we learn in advance where SG-1 was going on their missions, and keep you safe."
"How exactly did you do that?" Hammond asked, as Carter turned to see what O'Neill's reaction was to that little bit of information. Jack's face was a stony mask, but his eyes were telling another story completely.
"Your computer is hardly complicated. We merely found the location you were going, and sent a ship there to watch the proceedings. If nothing endangered you, you were left alone. If trouble ensued, the Asgard watching would take care of it without you noticing."
"That's crazy!" Daniel said. "That's the dumbes-"
"Where's Shawn?" Hammond asked.
"We do not know. He was in one of the Attack Ships, attempting his first flight away from the simulator, and somehow activated the hyper drives. Before we realized what had happened and could lock onto him, he was gone."
"He couldn't have went that far-"
"Incorrect, Major." Thor said. "Our Attack Ships have long range capabilities. The Asgard cover a lot of space, and one of the best and most preferred methods are in the Attack Ships due to their long-range abilities. We've searched for him for hours with sensors, scanners and ships, and have not found him."
"He could be anywhere, then?" Jack asked.
"Correct."
"What about life support?" Teal'c asked.
"As long as nothing has been damaged, he has enough life support and power to last him weeks. The life support is an automated system, so he would not need to know how to use it. Which is good, since we are certain he does not."
"Navigation?" Asked Daniel.
"Don't you have an automatic pilot?" Jack asked, frustrated.
"The ship can be automated, yes. However, in order to bring you back to a position using the feature, you must input the coordinates, and we do not believe the boy knows how to do this."
"So, he's lost. Somewhere in space. With no food. No water, and no way to get himself back?"
"What can we do?" Hammond asked.
"There is little you can do," Thor said. "We are still searching for him. For obvious reasons, you needed to be informed."
"Oh, my God." Carter realized. "What about his parents?"
"Do they know about this?" Jack asked, his voice still furious, but other emotions vying to escape as well.
"They do not."
"And they can't," Hammond said, turning to O'Neill. "Jack. You know them best. Go talk to them."
"And tell them what, Sir?" Jack asked, his anger overriding his good senses. "Sorry Dotty and James, but we let some aliens mess around with your son and they've managed to LOSE HIM? Don't worry, though, we'll just keep searching the universe and hope that we find him before he starves to death? Or worse, is captured by the Goa'uld?"
