"So what did you have in mind, Major?" Hammond asked. The five of them were
sitting around the briefing table, and Sam had just told the General what
she'd already told Jack. That in her opinion, the Asgard were going to
continue with their agenda for Shawn, and Shawn was going to be all for it,
because he wanted to be part of what Jack was doing and the Asgard were
Shawn's ticket to doing just that. In a way, Sam said, the boy had been
using the Asgard far more than they'd been using him. He just had been less
obvious about it.
"We need to discuss this with Thor," Sam said.
"I was going-"
"Oh, no. YOU were going to yell at him." Sam corrected, when Jack spoke up. "And probably tell him to stay away."
"Well-"
"If you do that, they're going to go back to doing what they were doing. Hiding it. That's when it gets dangerous."
"It's dangerous because they're letting him do things that-"
"That he shouldn't be doing." Hammond finished. "I agree." Hammond had had just as rough a last couple days as Jack, and he was just as furious about the hidden activities of the Asgard. He was no more ready to forgive them - or allow it to continue – than Jack was.
"Yes, Sir. But he's probably going to keep doing it."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Jack said.
"You have everything to say about it, Jack," Daniel told him, breaking in for the first time. "That little boy idolizes and loves you. If you tell him to stop, he might. But he'll be miserable, and it'll be your fault."
"Miserable?" Jack's temper flared. "He'll be safe, Daniel! He'll have a chance to grow up to be a normal person, not some Asgard experiment!"
"He'll be miserable. Do you know how hard it would be for him to know all that he knows, and not be able to use that knowledge? How much it probably hurts to be left out now? When he knows what you do, and you won't let him do anything to be a part of that? Won't let him help?"
"He's a kid," Jack said. "He should be allowed to be a kid."
"He can still be a kid," Daniel said. "He's done a fair job of mixing the Asgard and his home life so far. It'd just make things easier on him if he didn't have to hide it behind our backs as well."
"You're not listening, Daniel. I don't want him to have anything to do with the Asgard. I don't know what they want with him, but I'm going to find out. Then I'm going to put a stop to it. He's a child, and he's going to be a child a while longer."
"Are you saying that because you don't want him to be used by the Asgard, or are you saying that because you're angry that Thor and he hid something from you and you want to punish him for it?"
Jack's hand came down on the surface of the table. Hard. His temper was beyond gone.
"We don't use our kids, Daniel! Goddamn it, why don't you understand? I told that to Thor months ago, and I'll tell you the same thing. I'll even use that fucking dictionary and write it in Goa'uld on your forehead if you want me to!" Jack pushed his chair back and stood up. "Am I mad that Thor hid this? You better believe it. I'm furious. I'm beyond furious. He's a little boy. He's not ready for this, yet, and he might never be ready for it."
"He thinks he is."
"He's wrong."
Jack turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, leaving a very quiet group in his wake.
"Well... that could have gone better..." Daniel said softly.
"It is my opinion that O'Neill is correct," Teal'c said, standing up as well. "The Goa'uld use children for their own purposes. The Tau'ri should not. Nor should their allies."
The Jaffa left the room as well. He'd said all that he had to say.
~*~
"How's he doing, Doc?"
Fraiser looked up from her chart and smiled. Another one of those 'everything's okay' smiles. "I'm glad you're here, Colonel. We've replaced the fluids he's lost and removed the IV. He should be waking up soon. I definitely think it'd be a good idea if you were here when he wakes up."
"Me, too."
Jack looked around the infirmary, noting the starkness of the room, and hesitated.
"Does he have to be here? Can we move him to a regular room? One of the VIP rooms? Someplace a little... um..."
"Someplace that doesn't quite look so much like a hospital, you mean?" Janet asked, smiling.
"Yeah."
"Sure. That's probably a good idea."
She waved over a couple of corpsmen, and asked them to transfer Shawn to one of the empty VIP rooms.
"Be careful with him," Jack told them, unnecessarily.
"You get to order your people around," Fraiser told him, tapping his chest with her chart to let him know she was only half serious. "Don't tell mine how to do their jobs."
"None of mine ever listen, anyways," Jack said absently. "Sorry, Doc." He didn't wait for her reply, though. They'd already put the sleeping boy on a gurney and were rolling him out of the room, and Jack was quick to follow.
"We need to discuss this with Thor," Sam said.
"I was going-"
"Oh, no. YOU were going to yell at him." Sam corrected, when Jack spoke up. "And probably tell him to stay away."
"Well-"
"If you do that, they're going to go back to doing what they were doing. Hiding it. That's when it gets dangerous."
"It's dangerous because they're letting him do things that-"
"That he shouldn't be doing." Hammond finished. "I agree." Hammond had had just as rough a last couple days as Jack, and he was just as furious about the hidden activities of the Asgard. He was no more ready to forgive them - or allow it to continue – than Jack was.
"Yes, Sir. But he's probably going to keep doing it."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Jack said.
"You have everything to say about it, Jack," Daniel told him, breaking in for the first time. "That little boy idolizes and loves you. If you tell him to stop, he might. But he'll be miserable, and it'll be your fault."
"Miserable?" Jack's temper flared. "He'll be safe, Daniel! He'll have a chance to grow up to be a normal person, not some Asgard experiment!"
"He'll be miserable. Do you know how hard it would be for him to know all that he knows, and not be able to use that knowledge? How much it probably hurts to be left out now? When he knows what you do, and you won't let him do anything to be a part of that? Won't let him help?"
"He's a kid," Jack said. "He should be allowed to be a kid."
"He can still be a kid," Daniel said. "He's done a fair job of mixing the Asgard and his home life so far. It'd just make things easier on him if he didn't have to hide it behind our backs as well."
"You're not listening, Daniel. I don't want him to have anything to do with the Asgard. I don't know what they want with him, but I'm going to find out. Then I'm going to put a stop to it. He's a child, and he's going to be a child a while longer."
"Are you saying that because you don't want him to be used by the Asgard, or are you saying that because you're angry that Thor and he hid something from you and you want to punish him for it?"
Jack's hand came down on the surface of the table. Hard. His temper was beyond gone.
"We don't use our kids, Daniel! Goddamn it, why don't you understand? I told that to Thor months ago, and I'll tell you the same thing. I'll even use that fucking dictionary and write it in Goa'uld on your forehead if you want me to!" Jack pushed his chair back and stood up. "Am I mad that Thor hid this? You better believe it. I'm furious. I'm beyond furious. He's a little boy. He's not ready for this, yet, and he might never be ready for it."
"He thinks he is."
"He's wrong."
Jack turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, leaving a very quiet group in his wake.
"Well... that could have gone better..." Daniel said softly.
"It is my opinion that O'Neill is correct," Teal'c said, standing up as well. "The Goa'uld use children for their own purposes. The Tau'ri should not. Nor should their allies."
The Jaffa left the room as well. He'd said all that he had to say.
~*~
"How's he doing, Doc?"
Fraiser looked up from her chart and smiled. Another one of those 'everything's okay' smiles. "I'm glad you're here, Colonel. We've replaced the fluids he's lost and removed the IV. He should be waking up soon. I definitely think it'd be a good idea if you were here when he wakes up."
"Me, too."
Jack looked around the infirmary, noting the starkness of the room, and hesitated.
"Does he have to be here? Can we move him to a regular room? One of the VIP rooms? Someplace a little... um..."
"Someplace that doesn't quite look so much like a hospital, you mean?" Janet asked, smiling.
"Yeah."
"Sure. That's probably a good idea."
She waved over a couple of corpsmen, and asked them to transfer Shawn to one of the empty VIP rooms.
"Be careful with him," Jack told them, unnecessarily.
"You get to order your people around," Fraiser told him, tapping his chest with her chart to let him know she was only half serious. "Don't tell mine how to do their jobs."
"None of mine ever listen, anyways," Jack said absently. "Sorry, Doc." He didn't wait for her reply, though. They'd already put the sleeping boy on a gurney and were rolling him out of the room, and Jack was quick to follow.
