He should have been surprised, but somehow Jack had been expecting Thor to
beam him up. It was a confrontation that was going to take place,
eventually. Thor had just been the one to choose when that time was. Just
because he wasn't surprised, though, it didn't mean he wasn't angry.
He'd materialized facing away from the Command chair, and pivoted the moment he realized where he was. Turning, he saw Thor seated in the chair, his dark eyes looking at Jack expectantly. Jack opened his mouth but the Asgard spoke up before O'Neill could say anything.
"You found him."
"He found us," Jack corrected. "No thanks to-"
"It is fortunate, O'Neill. We are relieved to have him back safely."
"YOU don't have him back. WE do. I do." Jack had been building to this all weekend, and the fury was rising every moment he stood there. Thor was the one who'd allowed it to happen. He was the one who'd lost Shawn in the first place. Who'd allowed him to get into such a dangerous situation. "I don't know what you and your buddies have been doing with him, and what you're getting out of the deal, but you're done. I don't want you anywhere near him. I don't want-"
"He is our best hope, O'Neill." Thor said, cutting off Jack with his ever- calm voice.
"Your best hope for beating the Goa'uld?" Jack asked, still seething. "I expect to have the snakes beat long before Shawn is old enough-"
"No. Not the Goa'uld. We Asgard could deal with the Goa'uld on our own if not for other concerns that are more pressing."
"There's nothing more-"
"There is, O'Neill. We are fighting many battles. The Goa'uld are not the only enemy of the Asgard."
"They're-"
"Evil. Yes, I know. They are also the biggest threat to your planet. I know this, as well. However, there are bigger and greater threats out there. Threats you do not yet know about."
"What does this have to do with Shawn?"
"Nothing."
"But you-"
"You asked me about the Goa'uld. We do not require your young friend's help in defeating the Goa'uld. We hope to use him to help us with another matter. A far more serious one."
Jack took a deep breath. Then another. He was very aware of his anger, and well aware that the Asgard were his allies. They'd helped him when he'd needed it, and in return he wasn't going to strangle Thor like he wanted to. Unless of course, he didn't get a straight answer out of the little gray alien.
"You. Can. Not. USE. Him." Jack said, slowly, as if speaking to a child. "He's a little boy. Not your tool."
"We need him." Thor said, slowly, as if speaking to a child.
"You can't have him!" Jack yelled. He made a frustrated noise, aware that he wasn't getting anywhere, and tried another approach. "What do you want him for? What can he possibly do for you that you can't do yourself?"
"We do not wish to discuss that. It is... personal."
"You'll discuss it with a ten year old, but not with me?"
"He does not know, either."
"Then how is he supposed-"
"He will know when the time is right. There is much he needs to learn, first."
"Like flying Attackers, and getting los-"
"That was an accident," Thor said. "He insisted we teach him to fly. As part of our bargain."
"Yes, I've heard plenty about your bargain." Jack retorted. "See where your bargain has gotten you? You could have gotten him killed. Or worse, captured by the Goa'uld."
"It was an accident," Thor told him again.
"IT NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED!"
"Yes, this much is correct, O'Neill. We allowed the boy to manipulate us and it put him in danger that he should not have-"
"Why not just ask Carter?" Jack interrupted. "She's a lot smarter than Shawn is. Hell, she's pretty much smarter than the rest of the planet!"
"She is an adult, and her thought patterns are already set in certain paths. She is intelligent, yes, but we need a..." He paused, as if looking for the proper word. Or maybe a word that wouldn't make Jack angry again. "...a person who can think innovatively. Outside of the normal bounds. Someone who does not see what can and cannot be done, and will be able to find an answer where we cannot. If the Asgard teach Shawn everything he needs to know, then set him loose on the problem, we feel he will be the best hope we have to solving it."
"Let me get this straight..." Jack said, feeling the same headache forming that he always seemed to get when he was talking to Thor. "You want him to learn all your sciences?"
"Not all of them, Colonel O'Neill, but some. Yes."
"You don't want to teach him how to fight? Or how to fly? Or how to fight the Goa'uld, or any other creatures?"
"Correct. There is nothing he could learn from us about fighting the Goa'uld. You yourself would be a far better instructor in such matters."
"Don't flatter me," Jack warned. He wasn't in the mood. "All you want is to teach him safe stuff?"
"Safe?"
"Scientific stuff," Jack said, scowling. "Egg-head stuff. Nothing dangerous."
"Correct."
"Then why are you teaching him how to fly-"
"I have already told you, O'Neill." Thor sounded as frustrated as Jack, now. Almost. "We did not wish to teach him to fly Attackers. HE desired this. And refused to learn anything else unless we allowed it."
"You put him in a lot of danger, Thor. This little bargain could have killed him."
"He is uninjured, then?"
"No, he's not. He's got a wicked concussion and a broken ankle. Maybe." Jack realized that Thor was changing the subject, and he wasn't ready to let it go.
"Your bargain with him is over. I don't want him in any more attackers, and I don't want him in your simulator. I don't want you or your buddies following us around, either. I don't care what he says."
"We need-"
Jack held up his hand. "I know. You THINK you need him. Let me think about that a bit, and talk to him. I'm not promising you anything, but as long as there's nothing dangerous-"
"There is not."
"I'll think about it."
"That is more than I could have hoped for from you, O'Neill."
"Oh, I'm not done." Jack said, ominously. "We're going to make a bargain of our own."
~*~
Someone else was holding him, Shawn realized as he began to wake up. Jack wasn't that soft, and he didn't smell like that. He stirred, and opened his eyes, looking up to see who it was.
"Sam?"
Carter smiled down at him, running her fingers gently through his hair as she noted the confused look in his brown eyes. Eyes that were a lot like Jack's, even though the two weren't related. Maybe it was just the seriousness in them.
"Hi, sweetheart. How do you feel?"
"My foot hurts." He didn't move. "Where's Jack?"
"Oh, he's off talking to someone..."
'He's pretty angry, huh?"
Sam knew that Jack never lied to Shawn, and she wasn't going to, either.
"He's a bit mad, yes."
"At me?"
"You scared him." Sam said. "He was frantic when Thor came and told us you were missing."
"He gets angry when he's scared," Shawn said, nodding his head without lifting it from her shoulder. It hurt to move too much, and he was comfortable. "He probably hates me now." There was a hollowness in Shawn's voice that told Sam he wasn't going to cry, but only because the situation was so bad that he was beyond tears. It had progressed right into the realm of hopelessness.
"You know better than that." Sam told the boy, giving him a hug. "I don't think you have any idea how much Jack loves you. He'd do anything for you."
"He'd do anything for you, Sam..."
"I know." She gave a deep sigh, and hugged him even closer. "It's a huge responsibility to have someone care for you that much. That's why we have to be careful not to do things that are too dangerous, Shawn. We can't get into situations that force Jack to worry. Especially you. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
He'd materialized facing away from the Command chair, and pivoted the moment he realized where he was. Turning, he saw Thor seated in the chair, his dark eyes looking at Jack expectantly. Jack opened his mouth but the Asgard spoke up before O'Neill could say anything.
"You found him."
"He found us," Jack corrected. "No thanks to-"
"It is fortunate, O'Neill. We are relieved to have him back safely."
"YOU don't have him back. WE do. I do." Jack had been building to this all weekend, and the fury was rising every moment he stood there. Thor was the one who'd allowed it to happen. He was the one who'd lost Shawn in the first place. Who'd allowed him to get into such a dangerous situation. "I don't know what you and your buddies have been doing with him, and what you're getting out of the deal, but you're done. I don't want you anywhere near him. I don't want-"
"He is our best hope, O'Neill." Thor said, cutting off Jack with his ever- calm voice.
"Your best hope for beating the Goa'uld?" Jack asked, still seething. "I expect to have the snakes beat long before Shawn is old enough-"
"No. Not the Goa'uld. We Asgard could deal with the Goa'uld on our own if not for other concerns that are more pressing."
"There's nothing more-"
"There is, O'Neill. We are fighting many battles. The Goa'uld are not the only enemy of the Asgard."
"They're-"
"Evil. Yes, I know. They are also the biggest threat to your planet. I know this, as well. However, there are bigger and greater threats out there. Threats you do not yet know about."
"What does this have to do with Shawn?"
"Nothing."
"But you-"
"You asked me about the Goa'uld. We do not require your young friend's help in defeating the Goa'uld. We hope to use him to help us with another matter. A far more serious one."
Jack took a deep breath. Then another. He was very aware of his anger, and well aware that the Asgard were his allies. They'd helped him when he'd needed it, and in return he wasn't going to strangle Thor like he wanted to. Unless of course, he didn't get a straight answer out of the little gray alien.
"You. Can. Not. USE. Him." Jack said, slowly, as if speaking to a child. "He's a little boy. Not your tool."
"We need him." Thor said, slowly, as if speaking to a child.
"You can't have him!" Jack yelled. He made a frustrated noise, aware that he wasn't getting anywhere, and tried another approach. "What do you want him for? What can he possibly do for you that you can't do yourself?"
"We do not wish to discuss that. It is... personal."
"You'll discuss it with a ten year old, but not with me?"
"He does not know, either."
"Then how is he supposed-"
"He will know when the time is right. There is much he needs to learn, first."
"Like flying Attackers, and getting los-"
"That was an accident," Thor said. "He insisted we teach him to fly. As part of our bargain."
"Yes, I've heard plenty about your bargain." Jack retorted. "See where your bargain has gotten you? You could have gotten him killed. Or worse, captured by the Goa'uld."
"It was an accident," Thor told him again.
"IT NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED!"
"Yes, this much is correct, O'Neill. We allowed the boy to manipulate us and it put him in danger that he should not have-"
"Why not just ask Carter?" Jack interrupted. "She's a lot smarter than Shawn is. Hell, she's pretty much smarter than the rest of the planet!"
"She is an adult, and her thought patterns are already set in certain paths. She is intelligent, yes, but we need a..." He paused, as if looking for the proper word. Or maybe a word that wouldn't make Jack angry again. "...a person who can think innovatively. Outside of the normal bounds. Someone who does not see what can and cannot be done, and will be able to find an answer where we cannot. If the Asgard teach Shawn everything he needs to know, then set him loose on the problem, we feel he will be the best hope we have to solving it."
"Let me get this straight..." Jack said, feeling the same headache forming that he always seemed to get when he was talking to Thor. "You want him to learn all your sciences?"
"Not all of them, Colonel O'Neill, but some. Yes."
"You don't want to teach him how to fight? Or how to fly? Or how to fight the Goa'uld, or any other creatures?"
"Correct. There is nothing he could learn from us about fighting the Goa'uld. You yourself would be a far better instructor in such matters."
"Don't flatter me," Jack warned. He wasn't in the mood. "All you want is to teach him safe stuff?"
"Safe?"
"Scientific stuff," Jack said, scowling. "Egg-head stuff. Nothing dangerous."
"Correct."
"Then why are you teaching him how to fly-"
"I have already told you, O'Neill." Thor sounded as frustrated as Jack, now. Almost. "We did not wish to teach him to fly Attackers. HE desired this. And refused to learn anything else unless we allowed it."
"You put him in a lot of danger, Thor. This little bargain could have killed him."
"He is uninjured, then?"
"No, he's not. He's got a wicked concussion and a broken ankle. Maybe." Jack realized that Thor was changing the subject, and he wasn't ready to let it go.
"Your bargain with him is over. I don't want him in any more attackers, and I don't want him in your simulator. I don't want you or your buddies following us around, either. I don't care what he says."
"We need-"
Jack held up his hand. "I know. You THINK you need him. Let me think about that a bit, and talk to him. I'm not promising you anything, but as long as there's nothing dangerous-"
"There is not."
"I'll think about it."
"That is more than I could have hoped for from you, O'Neill."
"Oh, I'm not done." Jack said, ominously. "We're going to make a bargain of our own."
~*~
Someone else was holding him, Shawn realized as he began to wake up. Jack wasn't that soft, and he didn't smell like that. He stirred, and opened his eyes, looking up to see who it was.
"Sam?"
Carter smiled down at him, running her fingers gently through his hair as she noted the confused look in his brown eyes. Eyes that were a lot like Jack's, even though the two weren't related. Maybe it was just the seriousness in them.
"Hi, sweetheart. How do you feel?"
"My foot hurts." He didn't move. "Where's Jack?"
"Oh, he's off talking to someone..."
'He's pretty angry, huh?"
Sam knew that Jack never lied to Shawn, and she wasn't going to, either.
"He's a bit mad, yes."
"At me?"
"You scared him." Sam said. "He was frantic when Thor came and told us you were missing."
"He gets angry when he's scared," Shawn said, nodding his head without lifting it from her shoulder. It hurt to move too much, and he was comfortable. "He probably hates me now." There was a hollowness in Shawn's voice that told Sam he wasn't going to cry, but only because the situation was so bad that he was beyond tears. It had progressed right into the realm of hopelessness.
"You know better than that." Sam told the boy, giving him a hug. "I don't think you have any idea how much Jack loves you. He'd do anything for you."
"He'd do anything for you, Sam..."
"I know." She gave a deep sigh, and hugged him even closer. "It's a huge responsibility to have someone care for you that much. That's why we have to be careful not to do things that are too dangerous, Shawn. We can't get into situations that force Jack to worry. Especially you. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
