"So?" Dotty asked slightly nervously. Jack realized there was always a
chance that she was under a mistaken impression of why they were there.
Maybe she just thought that Jack knew that James wasn't Shawn's father and
wanted to know about it? That would explain why she would have sent James
and Shawn both away. "Where would you like to start?"
"Shawn."
"I figured that much out on my own, Jack," Dotty said with a tight smile. "What do you want to know?"
"Who is he?" Carter asked.
"He's Shawn Adams, Sam." She said. "Just a little boy, who has no idea of the potential he holds." She looked at Jack. "And I intend for it to stay that way. Before we go much further, I'll ask for your word that what we discuss is between us, and whatever authority you report to, but no one else. Including Shawn and the Asgard."
Jack's eyes widened slightly. So much for thinking she didn't know what was going on. If she knew about the Asgard, then there was more to her than just a mother who was worried about who was finding out that her husband wasn't the true blood relation to her son that everyone thought he was.
"The Asgard are our allies," Sam said. "We have-"
"Done." Jack interrupted. "I won't tell the Asgard anything, and I'll make sure no one else does, either." He looked at Sam, who hesitated, then nodded her agreement.
"And Shawn?" Dotty pressed.
"Not a word." Jack wouldn't have, anyways.
"I'm going to tell him, myself," Dotty said, softly. "But he's not old enough yet. He's a little boy and I want him to have a childhood. A regular childhood, with a father and a mother, and camping trips, fishing trips, and all the things that human children do when they're young."
Since Jack agreed with that completely, there was nothing he could say. How many times had he said just that to the people around him? How many times had he pissed them off? More than he cared to think about.
"What is he?" Carter asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.
"He's the answer to a very serious problem." Dotty told them.
"Then he's a tool?" Jack asked, feeling the beginnings of anger starting to burn inside him. She wasn't sounding any different from everyone else who wanted to use the boy.
"Everyone is a tool, Jack," Dotty replied. "Humans have children because they want to pass on their genes to the next generation. Wouldn't that make them tools?"
"That's not the same thing."
"In this case it is." She started to say something else, but then paused, as if gathering her thoughts before continuing. "What do you know of the Ancients?"
Jack's eyebrows went up again, but he answered the question. It wasn't like the answer was going to be all that long, anyways.
"They're a race of aliens that were allies with the Asgard way back when." He thought through what else he knew, and continued. "They made a machine of some sort that I had a bit of a run in with a while back and I ended up talking crazy until the Asgard got the knowledge out of my head. From what I understand, they're gone now. Moved on to bigger and better things, I suppose."
"What if not all of them moved on?"
"Excuse me?"
"The Ancients, Jack." Dotty said. "What if they're not all gone?"
"Well... then... I suppose that would mean the Asgard were wrong when they said they were gone..." Jack replied warily, wondering what that was supposed to mean.
"Have they all moved on?" Sam asked.
"Of course not."
"What does this have to do with anything?" Jack asked. Hypotheticals were so annoying to him.
"Let me tell you a story," Dotty said. "Can I get either of you anything to drink?"
They both shook their heads, silently, far too interested in the conversation than they were in refreshments.
"When the Asgard first met the Ancients, they weren't much more advanced than you and your people are, Jack. Oh, they had space travel and more advanced technology, but they weren't the serious thinkers they are now. They weren't as learned, and were no where near as mature as they've become."
"How long ago was that?" Carter asked.
"The numbers wouldn't mean anything to you, Sam," Dotty told her. "A very long time, that's all." She waited to see if Carter was going to argue, and when there was no response, she continued.
"The Asgard had so much potential when they first met the Ancients. They were curious, and intelligent, and better yet, they had a clear definition of what is right and what is wrong. They had much in common with the Ancients. But they also had their obsessions."
"Obsessions?" Jack asked.
"They wanted to live forever," Dotty said, nodding. "Or at least longer than their normal lifespan."
"Well, who doesn't?" Jack asked, innocently.
Dotty smiled, but turned serious again almost immediately. "The Asgard were advanced, yes. But they weren't above making mistakes, and in their quest for longevity they made a serious one. One with far reaching consequences, although they didn't realize it at the time. Or perhaps they thought they'd be able to deal with it by the time it became a true problem. I'm not sure."
"What mistake was that?" Jack asked, curious despite himself.
"What consequences?" Sam asked, almost at the same time.
"If the Asgard have not discussed their problems with you – their allies – then it is not my place to tell you. When the time comes, they will, I'm sure."
"I wouldn't bet on it," Jack said.
"Nonetheless, I can't tell you."
"Can't? Or won't?"
"Won't."
Jack nodded. Fair enough. He was curious, but not enough to allow himself to be sidetracked.
"We were discussing Shawn." He reminded her.
"Yes, but it's all related, Jack. Things often are." It was almost a rebuke, but not quite. She gathered her thoughts once more, and continued. "The Ancients saw the mistake for what it was, and tried to warn the Asgard, but they didn't listen. They were too proud to believe they could make a mistake. The Ancients couldn't make them see what was happening, and since they had no intention of forcing the Asgard – or any of their allies to do anything they didn't want to, there was little the Ancients could do about it directly."
Sam and Jack both caught the qualifier.
"Directly?" Jack asked.
"What about indirectly?" Sam asked at the same time.
"The Ancients decided to lay the foundation of a solution to the Asgard problem. A solution that might or might not be needed, depending on the Asgard themselves." She looked at Jack. "That's where you came in."
"Shawn."
"I figured that much out on my own, Jack," Dotty said with a tight smile. "What do you want to know?"
"Who is he?" Carter asked.
"He's Shawn Adams, Sam." She said. "Just a little boy, who has no idea of the potential he holds." She looked at Jack. "And I intend for it to stay that way. Before we go much further, I'll ask for your word that what we discuss is between us, and whatever authority you report to, but no one else. Including Shawn and the Asgard."
Jack's eyes widened slightly. So much for thinking she didn't know what was going on. If she knew about the Asgard, then there was more to her than just a mother who was worried about who was finding out that her husband wasn't the true blood relation to her son that everyone thought he was.
"The Asgard are our allies," Sam said. "We have-"
"Done." Jack interrupted. "I won't tell the Asgard anything, and I'll make sure no one else does, either." He looked at Sam, who hesitated, then nodded her agreement.
"And Shawn?" Dotty pressed.
"Not a word." Jack wouldn't have, anyways.
"I'm going to tell him, myself," Dotty said, softly. "But he's not old enough yet. He's a little boy and I want him to have a childhood. A regular childhood, with a father and a mother, and camping trips, fishing trips, and all the things that human children do when they're young."
Since Jack agreed with that completely, there was nothing he could say. How many times had he said just that to the people around him? How many times had he pissed them off? More than he cared to think about.
"What is he?" Carter asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.
"He's the answer to a very serious problem." Dotty told them.
"Then he's a tool?" Jack asked, feeling the beginnings of anger starting to burn inside him. She wasn't sounding any different from everyone else who wanted to use the boy.
"Everyone is a tool, Jack," Dotty replied. "Humans have children because they want to pass on their genes to the next generation. Wouldn't that make them tools?"
"That's not the same thing."
"In this case it is." She started to say something else, but then paused, as if gathering her thoughts before continuing. "What do you know of the Ancients?"
Jack's eyebrows went up again, but he answered the question. It wasn't like the answer was going to be all that long, anyways.
"They're a race of aliens that were allies with the Asgard way back when." He thought through what else he knew, and continued. "They made a machine of some sort that I had a bit of a run in with a while back and I ended up talking crazy until the Asgard got the knowledge out of my head. From what I understand, they're gone now. Moved on to bigger and better things, I suppose."
"What if not all of them moved on?"
"Excuse me?"
"The Ancients, Jack." Dotty said. "What if they're not all gone?"
"Well... then... I suppose that would mean the Asgard were wrong when they said they were gone..." Jack replied warily, wondering what that was supposed to mean.
"Have they all moved on?" Sam asked.
"Of course not."
"What does this have to do with anything?" Jack asked. Hypotheticals were so annoying to him.
"Let me tell you a story," Dotty said. "Can I get either of you anything to drink?"
They both shook their heads, silently, far too interested in the conversation than they were in refreshments.
"When the Asgard first met the Ancients, they weren't much more advanced than you and your people are, Jack. Oh, they had space travel and more advanced technology, but they weren't the serious thinkers they are now. They weren't as learned, and were no where near as mature as they've become."
"How long ago was that?" Carter asked.
"The numbers wouldn't mean anything to you, Sam," Dotty told her. "A very long time, that's all." She waited to see if Carter was going to argue, and when there was no response, she continued.
"The Asgard had so much potential when they first met the Ancients. They were curious, and intelligent, and better yet, they had a clear definition of what is right and what is wrong. They had much in common with the Ancients. But they also had their obsessions."
"Obsessions?" Jack asked.
"They wanted to live forever," Dotty said, nodding. "Or at least longer than their normal lifespan."
"Well, who doesn't?" Jack asked, innocently.
Dotty smiled, but turned serious again almost immediately. "The Asgard were advanced, yes. But they weren't above making mistakes, and in their quest for longevity they made a serious one. One with far reaching consequences, although they didn't realize it at the time. Or perhaps they thought they'd be able to deal with it by the time it became a true problem. I'm not sure."
"What mistake was that?" Jack asked, curious despite himself.
"What consequences?" Sam asked, almost at the same time.
"If the Asgard have not discussed their problems with you – their allies – then it is not my place to tell you. When the time comes, they will, I'm sure."
"I wouldn't bet on it," Jack said.
"Nonetheless, I can't tell you."
"Can't? Or won't?"
"Won't."
Jack nodded. Fair enough. He was curious, but not enough to allow himself to be sidetracked.
"We were discussing Shawn." He reminded her.
"Yes, but it's all related, Jack. Things often are." It was almost a rebuke, but not quite. She gathered her thoughts once more, and continued. "The Ancients saw the mistake for what it was, and tried to warn the Asgard, but they didn't listen. They were too proud to believe they could make a mistake. The Ancients couldn't make them see what was happening, and since they had no intention of forcing the Asgard – or any of their allies to do anything they didn't want to, there was little the Ancients could do about it directly."
Sam and Jack both caught the qualifier.
"Directly?" Jack asked.
"What about indirectly?" Sam asked at the same time.
"The Ancients decided to lay the foundation of a solution to the Asgard problem. A solution that might or might not be needed, depending on the Asgard themselves." She looked at Jack. "That's where you came in."