"Jack..." The voice was soft, hardly more than a whisper, but in the silence
of the infirmary Daniel heard it quite plainly. He looked up from the
necklace he'd been studying – more like obsessing over - and over at the
form sleeping on the bed. Only to find that he'd woken up.
Daniel stood up and stepped a bit closer, looking down at the young man, who was looking around with a slightly glazed look in his brown eyes.
"Hey, I see you've finally decided to rejoin us..." He said, softly, and slowly. He'd had that confused glazed look before, and knew that this version of Shawn wasn't going to be ready for anything too complicated just then.
The brown eyes looked back at Daniel, and he could tell they were trying to focus a little more.
"Daniel?"
"Yeah." He couldn't help himself. Daniel reached out and touched the man's cheek. "Shawn?"
"What?"
"Nothing... how do you feel?"
"Awful. What happened?"
"We're not... exactly sure. What do you remember?"
Shawn looked around and shook his head, then winced. And he looked exactly like Jack in that motion. There was no mistake, Daniel might have had his doubts, but there hadn't been many before, and there were none, now.
"Nothing."
He saw the necklace in Daniel's hand.
"Where'd you get that?"
"We took it off you, with your dog tags." Daniel couldn't help himself, even though he knew it was hardly the time to ask. "Where did you get it?"
"What?"
"The necklace, Shawn," Daniel said, still being careful not to speak too quickly. "Where did you get it?"
"Jacob gave it to me."
"Jacob Carter?" Then it HAD come from off-world. Sam was right, again.
"Jacob O'Neill, Daniel." Shawn corrected, absently. He was still having trouble focusing, and Daniel could tell he was losing his battle with his exhaustion once more. "He made it for me... at camp..." The eyes closed. "You were... there..."
Daniel didn't press. He looked down at the necklace once more, and realized it was far more precious than anyone would ever know. He sat back down, continuing his vigil, a slight smile on his face that was out of place in the seriousness of the infirmary.
~*~
"When is where I came in?" Jack asked, confused. "You're talking about something that was way before I was born."
"Yes, I know." Dotty reached out and put her hand gently on Jack's. "I'm not trying to make this complicated, Jack, but it is a little, so bear with me, okay?"
He nodded, and Dotty leaned back in her chair, gathering her thoughts once more.
"So the Ancients saw a problem coming with the Asgard, and set out to make a way to help them fix it, in case they couldn't do it themselves. They knew what would be needed, and set up a way to find it. On a few chosen planets in various star systems, they set up certain devices. These devices were designed to study anyone who tried to use it, but would only react to certain people. Human stock, and healthy, and intelligent. They would grasp the person, and implant knowledge into their brains, then-"
"The device on P3R-272," Sam said. "The repository of knowledge."
Jack looked over at her, and then back at Dotty, who nodded.
"The Ancients were looking for a person who was able to access the memories and information. This person would be crucial in their plans to help the Asgard."
"That damned thing almost killed me," Jack said, scowling. "If the Asgard-"
"It did many things, Jack," Dotty interrupted. "It made you aware of the Ancients in a way you'd never been aware before, and it served as a way to introduce you to the Asgard."
"We'd already met the Asgard."
"The Ancients couldn't be sure of that, though. There had to be a meeting between the Asgard and the person who triggered the device, because they had to become potential allies. So the knowledge of the coordinates for one of the Asgard home worlds – Othala – was included in the information."
"Well it worked. Whatever it was they were trying to accomplish. We're allies."
"That wasn't all they were trying to accomplish, it was just a start. Another thing the device did besides transfer knowledge into the person who triggered it was to take that person's memories and thoughts, and to gather a sample of that person's DNA."
"This only happened a couple years ago, Dotty," Jack told her; pretty sure he knew what she was going to say next. "Shawn-"
"Bear with me, Jack."
He sighed, but nodded, and looked over at Sam, who was listening intently. Good. Maybe she'd explain it to him later.
"Sorry. Go ahead."
"The device served its purpose. It had given you the knowledge of the Ancients, and had shown you how to contact the Asgard. And it had taken your DNA and had learned what kind of man you were. Tested the potential of your species."
"And?"
"And found you were almost perfect for the next step."
"Just 'almost'?" Jack asked.
"You're a fairly stubborn and quick tempered man, Jack," Dotty told him, smiling slightly. "But you're also a good man, and you have a strong sense of right and wrong, and you're loyal to those you call friend. These traits are very desirable."
"So I'm almost the perfect breeding stock?" Jack asked, sarcastically.
"Almost," Dotty agreed, ignoring the sarcasm. "Far back in time, while the Ancients and the Asgard were still working side by side and learning from each other, there were a few couplings of the two species that resulted in hybrids of the two. Asgard and Ancient in one. These were very rare, but they did happen."
"The Ancients and the Asgard?" Sam asked, surprised.
Dotty looked at her, and the older woman seemed surprised by Sam's astonishment. "Have you not found any of your other allies tempting? Interesting? Possibly appealing?"
Sam looked at Jack, but he held up his hands.
"Don't look at me, Sam. Teal'c's good looking and all, but I'm not his type."
Daniel stood up and stepped a bit closer, looking down at the young man, who was looking around with a slightly glazed look in his brown eyes.
"Hey, I see you've finally decided to rejoin us..." He said, softly, and slowly. He'd had that confused glazed look before, and knew that this version of Shawn wasn't going to be ready for anything too complicated just then.
The brown eyes looked back at Daniel, and he could tell they were trying to focus a little more.
"Daniel?"
"Yeah." He couldn't help himself. Daniel reached out and touched the man's cheek. "Shawn?"
"What?"
"Nothing... how do you feel?"
"Awful. What happened?"
"We're not... exactly sure. What do you remember?"
Shawn looked around and shook his head, then winced. And he looked exactly like Jack in that motion. There was no mistake, Daniel might have had his doubts, but there hadn't been many before, and there were none, now.
"Nothing."
He saw the necklace in Daniel's hand.
"Where'd you get that?"
"We took it off you, with your dog tags." Daniel couldn't help himself, even though he knew it was hardly the time to ask. "Where did you get it?"
"What?"
"The necklace, Shawn," Daniel said, still being careful not to speak too quickly. "Where did you get it?"
"Jacob gave it to me."
"Jacob Carter?" Then it HAD come from off-world. Sam was right, again.
"Jacob O'Neill, Daniel." Shawn corrected, absently. He was still having trouble focusing, and Daniel could tell he was losing his battle with his exhaustion once more. "He made it for me... at camp..." The eyes closed. "You were... there..."
Daniel didn't press. He looked down at the necklace once more, and realized it was far more precious than anyone would ever know. He sat back down, continuing his vigil, a slight smile on his face that was out of place in the seriousness of the infirmary.
~*~
"When is where I came in?" Jack asked, confused. "You're talking about something that was way before I was born."
"Yes, I know." Dotty reached out and put her hand gently on Jack's. "I'm not trying to make this complicated, Jack, but it is a little, so bear with me, okay?"
He nodded, and Dotty leaned back in her chair, gathering her thoughts once more.
"So the Ancients saw a problem coming with the Asgard, and set out to make a way to help them fix it, in case they couldn't do it themselves. They knew what would be needed, and set up a way to find it. On a few chosen planets in various star systems, they set up certain devices. These devices were designed to study anyone who tried to use it, but would only react to certain people. Human stock, and healthy, and intelligent. They would grasp the person, and implant knowledge into their brains, then-"
"The device on P3R-272," Sam said. "The repository of knowledge."
Jack looked over at her, and then back at Dotty, who nodded.
"The Ancients were looking for a person who was able to access the memories and information. This person would be crucial in their plans to help the Asgard."
"That damned thing almost killed me," Jack said, scowling. "If the Asgard-"
"It did many things, Jack," Dotty interrupted. "It made you aware of the Ancients in a way you'd never been aware before, and it served as a way to introduce you to the Asgard."
"We'd already met the Asgard."
"The Ancients couldn't be sure of that, though. There had to be a meeting between the Asgard and the person who triggered the device, because they had to become potential allies. So the knowledge of the coordinates for one of the Asgard home worlds – Othala – was included in the information."
"Well it worked. Whatever it was they were trying to accomplish. We're allies."
"That wasn't all they were trying to accomplish, it was just a start. Another thing the device did besides transfer knowledge into the person who triggered it was to take that person's memories and thoughts, and to gather a sample of that person's DNA."
"This only happened a couple years ago, Dotty," Jack told her; pretty sure he knew what she was going to say next. "Shawn-"
"Bear with me, Jack."
He sighed, but nodded, and looked over at Sam, who was listening intently. Good. Maybe she'd explain it to him later.
"Sorry. Go ahead."
"The device served its purpose. It had given you the knowledge of the Ancients, and had shown you how to contact the Asgard. And it had taken your DNA and had learned what kind of man you were. Tested the potential of your species."
"And?"
"And found you were almost perfect for the next step."
"Just 'almost'?" Jack asked.
"You're a fairly stubborn and quick tempered man, Jack," Dotty told him, smiling slightly. "But you're also a good man, and you have a strong sense of right and wrong, and you're loyal to those you call friend. These traits are very desirable."
"So I'm almost the perfect breeding stock?" Jack asked, sarcastically.
"Almost," Dotty agreed, ignoring the sarcasm. "Far back in time, while the Ancients and the Asgard were still working side by side and learning from each other, there were a few couplings of the two species that resulted in hybrids of the two. Asgard and Ancient in one. These were very rare, but they did happen."
"The Ancients and the Asgard?" Sam asked, surprised.
Dotty looked at her, and the older woman seemed surprised by Sam's astonishment. "Have you not found any of your other allies tempting? Interesting? Possibly appealing?"
Sam looked at Jack, but he held up his hands.
"Don't look at me, Sam. Teal'c's good looking and all, but I'm not his type."