They sat and talked about the narrow escape for a while longer, and the
possibility that the rest of the future SG-1 were somewhere besides home,
but Jack was only partially listening to that. His ever-suspicious mind was
focused on the fact that a group of assassins that never grouped together
had been waiting for Shawn's team on a planet that they'd been tricked –
probably – into going to.
"Any chance they were after you?" Jack asked as he handed Jaffer the remainder of his last sandwich.
"Me?"
"Yeah."
"Seven Ashrak?" Shawn shook his head. "I'm not worth-"
"How did you get the Goa'uld weaponry you were telling us about?" Jack interrupted. "Did you do something that might piss off a Goa'uld – or two – enough that they'd want you out of the way? Or even better, they'd want you brought to..." He trailed off, his mind still mulling the possibilities, even as Shawn shook his head.
"I found it in a cache at a dead system lord's stronghold. There wasn't any- "
"Have you fixed whatever it is the Asgard want you to fix?" Jack asked, interrupting again.
"I'm working on it."
"How many people know that? Is it something that someone might send assassins to stop you from finishing?"
Shawn thought about that, but shrugged. "I don't know, Jack. I doubt it." He tossed the rest of his sandwich to Jaffer, who ate it willingly. "It's probably a coincidence, Jack. Maybe it was just some kind of training camp for the Ashrak, and we stumbled onto it by surprise."
"Which could explain why you escaped so easily," Daniel said. "If they weren't fully trained, they wouldn't have been ready for whatever you threw at them."
"True." Sam nodded her agreement. She knew more about the Ashrak than Jack or Daniel through Jolinar's memories.
Jack didn't look convinced, but he didn't press the issue. He didn't like coincidences.
"We should probably get you back to the infirmary," Sam said to Shawn.
"What? Why?"
"Because she'll come looking for you, thinking you've stubbed your toe and we didn't call her," Jack said, pushing his chair back.
Shawn scowled, a look that was so familiar to Sam that she smiled.
"He's right. You don't want to make Doctor Fraiser come looking for you, Shawn. You should have learned that by now."
The young man stood up, stiffly, and leaned on the table until he was certain that his legs would hold him up. "I suppose you're right. But I'm not going to stay there. I don't need to be mothered."
"You can tell her that," Daniel said. "Maybe she'll listen to you."
"Good luck," Jack told him, skeptically. He moved the chair out of the way and stepped right up beside Shawn, offering him a shoulder, while Sam did the same on the other side. The young man put an arm over each of them, and sighed as they took the majority of his weight off his tired legs. "She sees you leaning like this, and you'll never get out again."
"She won't."
They walked out the door of the commissary, and down the corridor, limited to the slow pace that Shawn set.
"I wonder where-"
A snarl interrupted Daniel, and Jack looked down at Jaffer, shocked to see that the black lab had his hackles up and was staring at the empty hall in front of them, lips curled back in a way Jack had never seen before.
"What the-"
It was only the arrogance of the assassin that saved them. Certain he had the group in a tight place that they couldn't escape, the Ashrak became visible, wanting the human to know what killed him when he died. What he hadn't counted on – because he'd never dealt with one before – was the dog. It was making noise, but it was only waist high and had no hands and therefore no weapon, so the assassin assumed erroneously that it wasn't a threat.
The Ashrak growled something in Goa'uld as he raised his hand, a nasty looking weapon in it that was pointed directly at Shawn's chest. Sam and Jack both reacted, pushing the young man backward into the two Marines that had been idly trailing the group, and jumping in front of him. The weapon fired, and the bolt of energy that shot from the barrel struck Sam and knocked her back into the staggering group as well.
"Sam!" Daniel caught her as she fell, but Jack didn't even turn. His hand was reaching back for the Beretta that he'd stashed in the holster in the belt of his pants when he'd went to his locker for the spare uniforms, but he knew he was too late, even as his hand was closing on the butt of the gun, the weapon was turning on him, the arrogant face of the assassin grinning triumphantly at him.
Jaffer launched himself at the hand that was holding the weapon, white fangs flashing as the dog ripped the flesh open to the bone, blood spattering. The assassin cursed and the weapon dropped from a hand that was suddenly useless as the ligaments and tendons were ripped through. It gave Jack the time he needed.
He brought the Berretta up and emptied the clip into the assassin's chest, knocking the man backwards to the concrete floor. Jaffer launched himself again, unwilling to break off the attack now that his blood was flowing, and with the man on his back, this time the lab didn't go for the hand. His jaws clamped down on the armor that protected the assassin's neck, and he snarled as the man moved under him, still very much alive thanks to the chest armor that he wore.
The man tossed the dog away, suddenly terrified as the beast he'd least expected to be a danger turned out to be the most vicious. Jaffer tumbled to the floor, but he wasn't any more finished with his attack than the assassin was. The Ashrak reached for another, smaller weapon as he struggled to his feet, and Jack reached back to get another clip for his Beretta at the same moment. Jaffer went for the back of the man's knee this time, instinct sending him for the hamstring, but it wasn't necessary.
There was another snarl, and then a loud zapping noise, and the assassin fell on his face before he even brought the second weapon to bear on Jack.
O'Neill looked up the corridor and saw Teal'c standing there, his staff weapon in hand and Jack with his blonde hackles raised and white fangs flashing as the dog looked at the now unconscious assassin. Jaffer was growling low, as well, waiting for the assailant to get back up so he could have another go at him, but it wasn't going to happen. Not if Jack had anything to say about it.
"Give me that," He told one of the Marines, reaching for the zat the man was holding. The Marines hadn't been idle; they just hadn't had a chance to use their weapons without fear of getting Jack caught between them and the Ashrak. He took it and shot the assassin, once, then twice, then a third time. He wasn't going to take any chances, and he watched as the man disappeared.
"Good timing, Teal'c," Jack said, turning to check on Sam and Shawn.
"Any chance they were after you?" Jack asked as he handed Jaffer the remainder of his last sandwich.
"Me?"
"Yeah."
"Seven Ashrak?" Shawn shook his head. "I'm not worth-"
"How did you get the Goa'uld weaponry you were telling us about?" Jack interrupted. "Did you do something that might piss off a Goa'uld – or two – enough that they'd want you out of the way? Or even better, they'd want you brought to..." He trailed off, his mind still mulling the possibilities, even as Shawn shook his head.
"I found it in a cache at a dead system lord's stronghold. There wasn't any- "
"Have you fixed whatever it is the Asgard want you to fix?" Jack asked, interrupting again.
"I'm working on it."
"How many people know that? Is it something that someone might send assassins to stop you from finishing?"
Shawn thought about that, but shrugged. "I don't know, Jack. I doubt it." He tossed the rest of his sandwich to Jaffer, who ate it willingly. "It's probably a coincidence, Jack. Maybe it was just some kind of training camp for the Ashrak, and we stumbled onto it by surprise."
"Which could explain why you escaped so easily," Daniel said. "If they weren't fully trained, they wouldn't have been ready for whatever you threw at them."
"True." Sam nodded her agreement. She knew more about the Ashrak than Jack or Daniel through Jolinar's memories.
Jack didn't look convinced, but he didn't press the issue. He didn't like coincidences.
"We should probably get you back to the infirmary," Sam said to Shawn.
"What? Why?"
"Because she'll come looking for you, thinking you've stubbed your toe and we didn't call her," Jack said, pushing his chair back.
Shawn scowled, a look that was so familiar to Sam that she smiled.
"He's right. You don't want to make Doctor Fraiser come looking for you, Shawn. You should have learned that by now."
The young man stood up, stiffly, and leaned on the table until he was certain that his legs would hold him up. "I suppose you're right. But I'm not going to stay there. I don't need to be mothered."
"You can tell her that," Daniel said. "Maybe she'll listen to you."
"Good luck," Jack told him, skeptically. He moved the chair out of the way and stepped right up beside Shawn, offering him a shoulder, while Sam did the same on the other side. The young man put an arm over each of them, and sighed as they took the majority of his weight off his tired legs. "She sees you leaning like this, and you'll never get out again."
"She won't."
They walked out the door of the commissary, and down the corridor, limited to the slow pace that Shawn set.
"I wonder where-"
A snarl interrupted Daniel, and Jack looked down at Jaffer, shocked to see that the black lab had his hackles up and was staring at the empty hall in front of them, lips curled back in a way Jack had never seen before.
"What the-"
It was only the arrogance of the assassin that saved them. Certain he had the group in a tight place that they couldn't escape, the Ashrak became visible, wanting the human to know what killed him when he died. What he hadn't counted on – because he'd never dealt with one before – was the dog. It was making noise, but it was only waist high and had no hands and therefore no weapon, so the assassin assumed erroneously that it wasn't a threat.
The Ashrak growled something in Goa'uld as he raised his hand, a nasty looking weapon in it that was pointed directly at Shawn's chest. Sam and Jack both reacted, pushing the young man backward into the two Marines that had been idly trailing the group, and jumping in front of him. The weapon fired, and the bolt of energy that shot from the barrel struck Sam and knocked her back into the staggering group as well.
"Sam!" Daniel caught her as she fell, but Jack didn't even turn. His hand was reaching back for the Beretta that he'd stashed in the holster in the belt of his pants when he'd went to his locker for the spare uniforms, but he knew he was too late, even as his hand was closing on the butt of the gun, the weapon was turning on him, the arrogant face of the assassin grinning triumphantly at him.
Jaffer launched himself at the hand that was holding the weapon, white fangs flashing as the dog ripped the flesh open to the bone, blood spattering. The assassin cursed and the weapon dropped from a hand that was suddenly useless as the ligaments and tendons were ripped through. It gave Jack the time he needed.
He brought the Berretta up and emptied the clip into the assassin's chest, knocking the man backwards to the concrete floor. Jaffer launched himself again, unwilling to break off the attack now that his blood was flowing, and with the man on his back, this time the lab didn't go for the hand. His jaws clamped down on the armor that protected the assassin's neck, and he snarled as the man moved under him, still very much alive thanks to the chest armor that he wore.
The man tossed the dog away, suddenly terrified as the beast he'd least expected to be a danger turned out to be the most vicious. Jaffer tumbled to the floor, but he wasn't any more finished with his attack than the assassin was. The Ashrak reached for another, smaller weapon as he struggled to his feet, and Jack reached back to get another clip for his Beretta at the same moment. Jaffer went for the back of the man's knee this time, instinct sending him for the hamstring, but it wasn't necessary.
There was another snarl, and then a loud zapping noise, and the assassin fell on his face before he even brought the second weapon to bear on Jack.
O'Neill looked up the corridor and saw Teal'c standing there, his staff weapon in hand and Jack with his blonde hackles raised and white fangs flashing as the dog looked at the now unconscious assassin. Jaffer was growling low, as well, waiting for the assailant to get back up so he could have another go at him, but it wasn't going to happen. Not if Jack had anything to say about it.
"Give me that," He told one of the Marines, reaching for the zat the man was holding. The Marines hadn't been idle; they just hadn't had a chance to use their weapons without fear of getting Jack caught between them and the Ashrak. He took it and shot the assassin, once, then twice, then a third time. He wasn't going to take any chances, and he watched as the man disappeared.
"Good timing, Teal'c," Jack said, turning to check on Sam and Shawn.