Author's note: I'm sorry I'm not updating so quickly on this one. What with
being sick, I've fallen so behind on my paperwork that I've actually had to
work (gasp) to catch up.
~*~
The Stargate engaged behind the iris just as O'Neill, Shawn, Sam and Jaffer entered the Embarkation room. Teal'c and Daniel were already there, along with Hammond and Jack. The yellow lab was watching the gate as intently as everyone else, and O'Neill knew that Teal'c had brought him in just as a backup in case the Atarii devices didn't do their job. Of course, there was also a handful of Marines with rifles and automatic weapons ready. They wouldn't be surprised again.
"Who is it?" Jack asked, his hand pressing against his bandaged side absently. Moving fast wasn't really something O'Neill was ready to do, and the run wasn't as clever an idea as it might have seemed at the time.
"Receiving SG-1's iris code." The announcement came over the intercom, and Hammond looked back over his shoulder at the Sergeant, who looked almost guilty as he looked back. Everyone else looked at Shawn, who shrugged, and winced when the motion pulled at his own stitches.
"No clue."
"The rest of your team coming to look for you?" Jack asked.
"I don't-"
"Open the iris," Hammond called. The metal moved fluidly, removing the protection from the earth's Stargate, and everyone tensed, including the dogs and the Marines.
There was a moment's wait, and then just as Jack was going to mumble something smart-assed, something came through the gate. Something that looked like nothing more than a crumbled up ball of paper. Jack and Jaffer both dove for it at the same time, but the black lab was closer than his brother, and his strong jaws closed around it before O'Neill could even be concerned.
"Drop it!"
Immediately the dog dropped the paper, looking over at Jack as though surprised at the command. Sam shook her head; amazed as always when she saw the dog obey so instantly with Jack when he wouldn't do anything anyone else told him to. It was easy to forget that he was as well trained as any dog on the base. Especially since Jack was the only person he obeyed completely and utterly.
O'Neill stepped forward, and bent down to pick up the paper, and gasped when he felt a stabbing pain in his side and leg. He paled and grabbed at the railing of the ramp to keep from losing his balance when his leg decided it didn't want to hold him in that position.
"I'll get it, Sir," Sam said, stepping up and picking up the paper before Jack could tell her not to. She looked at it curiously, and uncrumbled it, smoothing it out so she could see what it was while everyone else watched, curiously.
"What is it?" Hammond asked.
"Apparently we're not the only ones who've been working on the problem of getting Shawn here back to his rightful time," Sam said, handing the paper to Jack, who took it curiously.
"'All clear, send him back.'" There was a set of gate coordinates that weren't Earth's, and then 'May 14th 13:43' Under that was the gate coordinates for Earth, along with a point of origin symbol that Jack didn't recognize. And under that was Jack O'Neill's signature. "What the hell?"
"Can I see that?" Shawn reached out for the paper and Jack handed it over. "These are the coordinates to YD4-PLQ."
"The planet with all the invisible Ashrak?" Jack asked.
Shawn nodded.
"I'm not sending you there," O'Neill said, looking at his watch. It was the 14th, and it was only about an hour from the time that the note said he was supposed to go, but there was no way he was sending the boy back to the planet that was filled with assassins.
"You have to, Sir," Sam said.
Daniel took the note from Shawn, and read it, then handed it to Hammond.
"It looks like your signature."
"It is."
"Then you must have sent it, right?"
"Yup."
"Then you need to send him."
"I'm not going to."
"You have to."
"Not alone."
"You can't go with him, Colonel," Carter said. "Obviously you sent the note, and I can't imagine you'd have sent the note telling us to send him someplace dangerous."
"No, I wouldn't."
"Then it must be cleared of the Ashrak." Sam said reasonably.
"I don't know that, Carter."
Sam took the paper back from Teal'c, who had taken it from Daniel. She held it out to O'Neill once more, who took it. "Yes, you do know it, or you wouldn't have sent it."
"Maybe it's a trick. Maybe someone knows my handwriting." Jack hated complicated things like this.
"It's your signature, Sir."
"I know."
"I have to go back, Jack." Shawn told him.
"Not this second, you don't. If we don't send you, maybe I'll... they'll... send a different note, with a better time and a safer place. A place I know is safe."
"I trust you," Shawn said, seriously. "I'm not afraid to go back to YD4- PLQ. If you sent the note – and I know you did, since that's your handwriting and your signature – then I know the place is safe. It's probably teeming with SG teams, and lots of weapons and dogs."
Jack scowled. He didn't have as much faith as Shawn did. Besides, if he admitted it, he wanted to spend a little more time with the boy now that the danger was cleared out a little. It wasn't fair of him to send himself a note telling him he only had another hour before he had to send Shawn back. He wanted a chance to get to know the kid a bit better. To get to know the man he had become.
"They can send another note." Jack said. "When you don't show up, they'll figure it out. A safe place, where I know-"
"Damn it, Jack." Shawn understood that O'Neill wasn't as sure as he was. He understood that he didn't trust his future self nearly as much as Shawn did. But he knew without a doubt that the way would be safe. Knew it because of the man who'd sent the note. From the moment he'd met him, Jack O'Neill had been spending his entire life protecting Shawn, and that included the Jack O'Neill who'd sent the note. "I know it's safe. You have to send me there." He turned to Hammond, knowing the General was the only one on the base that could over rule O'Neill.
"You're sure, son?" Hammond asked.
"Yes, Sir."
"Then we'll send you." There was no other choice. It wasn't their only chance, probably, but it might be the only good chance for the people in the future or they would have sent more than one set of options. Hammond knew this, and he had to consider it, even if Jack didn't want to. Which it was obvious he didn't.
Jack tossed the paper to the floor and turned without a word and stalked out of the room, Jaffer close at his heels.
~*~
The Stargate engaged behind the iris just as O'Neill, Shawn, Sam and Jaffer entered the Embarkation room. Teal'c and Daniel were already there, along with Hammond and Jack. The yellow lab was watching the gate as intently as everyone else, and O'Neill knew that Teal'c had brought him in just as a backup in case the Atarii devices didn't do their job. Of course, there was also a handful of Marines with rifles and automatic weapons ready. They wouldn't be surprised again.
"Who is it?" Jack asked, his hand pressing against his bandaged side absently. Moving fast wasn't really something O'Neill was ready to do, and the run wasn't as clever an idea as it might have seemed at the time.
"Receiving SG-1's iris code." The announcement came over the intercom, and Hammond looked back over his shoulder at the Sergeant, who looked almost guilty as he looked back. Everyone else looked at Shawn, who shrugged, and winced when the motion pulled at his own stitches.
"No clue."
"The rest of your team coming to look for you?" Jack asked.
"I don't-"
"Open the iris," Hammond called. The metal moved fluidly, removing the protection from the earth's Stargate, and everyone tensed, including the dogs and the Marines.
There was a moment's wait, and then just as Jack was going to mumble something smart-assed, something came through the gate. Something that looked like nothing more than a crumbled up ball of paper. Jack and Jaffer both dove for it at the same time, but the black lab was closer than his brother, and his strong jaws closed around it before O'Neill could even be concerned.
"Drop it!"
Immediately the dog dropped the paper, looking over at Jack as though surprised at the command. Sam shook her head; amazed as always when she saw the dog obey so instantly with Jack when he wouldn't do anything anyone else told him to. It was easy to forget that he was as well trained as any dog on the base. Especially since Jack was the only person he obeyed completely and utterly.
O'Neill stepped forward, and bent down to pick up the paper, and gasped when he felt a stabbing pain in his side and leg. He paled and grabbed at the railing of the ramp to keep from losing his balance when his leg decided it didn't want to hold him in that position.
"I'll get it, Sir," Sam said, stepping up and picking up the paper before Jack could tell her not to. She looked at it curiously, and uncrumbled it, smoothing it out so she could see what it was while everyone else watched, curiously.
"What is it?" Hammond asked.
"Apparently we're not the only ones who've been working on the problem of getting Shawn here back to his rightful time," Sam said, handing the paper to Jack, who took it curiously.
"'All clear, send him back.'" There was a set of gate coordinates that weren't Earth's, and then 'May 14th 13:43' Under that was the gate coordinates for Earth, along with a point of origin symbol that Jack didn't recognize. And under that was Jack O'Neill's signature. "What the hell?"
"Can I see that?" Shawn reached out for the paper and Jack handed it over. "These are the coordinates to YD4-PLQ."
"The planet with all the invisible Ashrak?" Jack asked.
Shawn nodded.
"I'm not sending you there," O'Neill said, looking at his watch. It was the 14th, and it was only about an hour from the time that the note said he was supposed to go, but there was no way he was sending the boy back to the planet that was filled with assassins.
"You have to, Sir," Sam said.
Daniel took the note from Shawn, and read it, then handed it to Hammond.
"It looks like your signature."
"It is."
"Then you must have sent it, right?"
"Yup."
"Then you need to send him."
"I'm not going to."
"You have to."
"Not alone."
"You can't go with him, Colonel," Carter said. "Obviously you sent the note, and I can't imagine you'd have sent the note telling us to send him someplace dangerous."
"No, I wouldn't."
"Then it must be cleared of the Ashrak." Sam said reasonably.
"I don't know that, Carter."
Sam took the paper back from Teal'c, who had taken it from Daniel. She held it out to O'Neill once more, who took it. "Yes, you do know it, or you wouldn't have sent it."
"Maybe it's a trick. Maybe someone knows my handwriting." Jack hated complicated things like this.
"It's your signature, Sir."
"I know."
"I have to go back, Jack." Shawn told him.
"Not this second, you don't. If we don't send you, maybe I'll... they'll... send a different note, with a better time and a safer place. A place I know is safe."
"I trust you," Shawn said, seriously. "I'm not afraid to go back to YD4- PLQ. If you sent the note – and I know you did, since that's your handwriting and your signature – then I know the place is safe. It's probably teeming with SG teams, and lots of weapons and dogs."
Jack scowled. He didn't have as much faith as Shawn did. Besides, if he admitted it, he wanted to spend a little more time with the boy now that the danger was cleared out a little. It wasn't fair of him to send himself a note telling him he only had another hour before he had to send Shawn back. He wanted a chance to get to know the kid a bit better. To get to know the man he had become.
"They can send another note." Jack said. "When you don't show up, they'll figure it out. A safe place, where I know-"
"Damn it, Jack." Shawn understood that O'Neill wasn't as sure as he was. He understood that he didn't trust his future self nearly as much as Shawn did. But he knew without a doubt that the way would be safe. Knew it because of the man who'd sent the note. From the moment he'd met him, Jack O'Neill had been spending his entire life protecting Shawn, and that included the Jack O'Neill who'd sent the note. "I know it's safe. You have to send me there." He turned to Hammond, knowing the General was the only one on the base that could over rule O'Neill.
"You're sure, son?" Hammond asked.
"Yes, Sir."
"Then we'll send you." There was no other choice. It wasn't their only chance, probably, but it might be the only good chance for the people in the future or they would have sent more than one set of options. Hammond knew this, and he had to consider it, even if Jack didn't want to. Which it was obvious he didn't.
Jack tossed the paper to the floor and turned without a word and stalked out of the room, Jaffer close at his heels.