"I what?"
Jack O'Neill wasn't at his best, that much was for certain, and Teal'c felt a little guilty for waking him. The Colonel's ribs had been reinjured in a nasty accident off-world, and were bothering him so much that he hadn't been able to sleep for days. When someone finally called him on his resulting snippiness, Janet Fraiser had prescribed sleeping pills and painkillers, which O'Neill had stubbornly refused to take until Hammond ordered him to.
So, with his system filled with medication, Jack hadn't even heard the doorbell. Sam was staying with him, though, and she had, so she'd pulled herself out of bed, picked up Jaffer to keep the puppy from getting out, and opened the door to find the last person in the world she expected to be there, standing there. With Jack in one hand and the very damaging journal in the other, Teal'c came in and explained to Carter what he knew, and Sam had immediately dragged Jack out of his drug-induced stupor to join the Jaffa and herself at the table. Now he was sitting, slumped, with his head in his hands, and he was looking at Teal'c in utter disbelief.
"Apparently, you have divulged to Andrew Stephens information about the Stargate program." Teal'c repeated.
"That's impossible."
"No, Jack," Sam said, seriously, looking up from the journal she'd been flipping through. "Somebody had to. There's a lot of information here." She looked up at him, her blue eyes troubled. "Far more than Shawn knows, so it wasn't him."
Jack rubbed his face. "I don't remember telling him anything."
"What do you remember?"
He was quiet for a moment, staring into space, and then he shook his head. "I don't remember anything."
"Nothing?"
He shook his head. Of course, he was feeling awful, and wasn't really able to focus his thoughts well enough to remember what he had for breakfast that morning, so that might have had something to do with it.
"We'd better call Hammond."
Sam nodded, and went to get the phone.
...
Predictably, Hammond had called them all in immediately.
The General, Sam, Teal'c and Jack were all seated at the briefing table, now. Jack was still fairly well out of it, unable to clear his head even with the shower he'd taken, and because of that, he was having trouble feeling all that concerned about what was going on around him. He was slumped over, his head resting on his arms, which were on the table, and Hammond had his own doubts as to whether O'Neill had any idea what was going on around him or what kind of disaster he'd caused.
"So? What do we do?" Hammond asked. This wasn't a plea for help, it was a way of throwing open the floor for debate. He wanted to hear what the others might come up with, and add them to the options he'd already considered on his own.
"We could deny it, and let him continue thinking that he's imagining it." Sam said.
Teal'c shook his head. "I am certain he believes it is not a figment of his imagination, Major Carter. Part of that is my fault. I am afraid I handled his original query badly."
"Well, it's not like it's something someone asks you every day," Sam said. She was pretty sure she wouldn't have done any better.
"We could..."
Everyone looked at Jack, whose head was still on his arms, and his eyes were slightly glazed.
"...Tell his folks and have them ground him..."
"I'd prefer to avoid that, Colonel," Hammond said, sighing. Maybe he should have waited until morning. Major Carter and Teal'c were still in shock at the sudden turn of events and O'Neill was worthless at the moment – as his latest suggestion had proven quite nicely.
"We could tell him it's a secret scenario we've been working on," Carter said. "You know... a what if aliens called the Asgard were to come and try and take over the world, what would we do? kind of thing?"
"That's a thought." Hammond said.
"Perhaps if we simply tell him it is a secret, he would be willing to keep it quiet?" Teal'c suggested.
"Or tell him that we think there's another planet – which we call by one of the designations that the Colonel gave – and tell him we think there might be intelligent life on it. People we call the Asgard." Sam suggested.
"We could tell him that O'Neill was delirious and making it up from various science fiction movies he has seen – except that I probably ruined that option when I did not tell him that immediately."
Hindsight is 20/20, after all.
"We could... draft him."
Hammond looked over at O'Neill, again, and sighed.
"Teal'c? Take Colonel O'Neill to one of the empty rooms and put him to bed."
Teal'c nodded and stood up, reaching down and pulling Jack to his feet. As the Jaffa helped the Colonel to the door, Hammond turned to Sam.
"I'm sorry, Sir."
"He's medicated, Major, it's no one's fault." At least he hadn't suggested they kill the boy, or something equally terrible. Besides, he was medicated because Hammond himself had ordered him to take the pills. "I want you to call Doctor Fraiser and see if she's willing to come in this evening. I have a few questions for her about this. Tell her we'll send someone out to watch Cassandra."
"Yes, Sir."
"Call Doctor Jackson, as well." He was better at coming up with cover stories than the others. Carter was downright terrible at them, most of the time, and everyone knew it. "If none of us are sleeping, he might as well get up, too."
"Yes, Sir."
Jack O'Neill wasn't at his best, that much was for certain, and Teal'c felt a little guilty for waking him. The Colonel's ribs had been reinjured in a nasty accident off-world, and were bothering him so much that he hadn't been able to sleep for days. When someone finally called him on his resulting snippiness, Janet Fraiser had prescribed sleeping pills and painkillers, which O'Neill had stubbornly refused to take until Hammond ordered him to.
So, with his system filled with medication, Jack hadn't even heard the doorbell. Sam was staying with him, though, and she had, so she'd pulled herself out of bed, picked up Jaffer to keep the puppy from getting out, and opened the door to find the last person in the world she expected to be there, standing there. With Jack in one hand and the very damaging journal in the other, Teal'c came in and explained to Carter what he knew, and Sam had immediately dragged Jack out of his drug-induced stupor to join the Jaffa and herself at the table. Now he was sitting, slumped, with his head in his hands, and he was looking at Teal'c in utter disbelief.
"Apparently, you have divulged to Andrew Stephens information about the Stargate program." Teal'c repeated.
"That's impossible."
"No, Jack," Sam said, seriously, looking up from the journal she'd been flipping through. "Somebody had to. There's a lot of information here." She looked up at him, her blue eyes troubled. "Far more than Shawn knows, so it wasn't him."
Jack rubbed his face. "I don't remember telling him anything."
"What do you remember?"
He was quiet for a moment, staring into space, and then he shook his head. "I don't remember anything."
"Nothing?"
He shook his head. Of course, he was feeling awful, and wasn't really able to focus his thoughts well enough to remember what he had for breakfast that morning, so that might have had something to do with it.
"We'd better call Hammond."
Sam nodded, and went to get the phone.
...
Predictably, Hammond had called them all in immediately.
The General, Sam, Teal'c and Jack were all seated at the briefing table, now. Jack was still fairly well out of it, unable to clear his head even with the shower he'd taken, and because of that, he was having trouble feeling all that concerned about what was going on around him. He was slumped over, his head resting on his arms, which were on the table, and Hammond had his own doubts as to whether O'Neill had any idea what was going on around him or what kind of disaster he'd caused.
"So? What do we do?" Hammond asked. This wasn't a plea for help, it was a way of throwing open the floor for debate. He wanted to hear what the others might come up with, and add them to the options he'd already considered on his own.
"We could deny it, and let him continue thinking that he's imagining it." Sam said.
Teal'c shook his head. "I am certain he believes it is not a figment of his imagination, Major Carter. Part of that is my fault. I am afraid I handled his original query badly."
"Well, it's not like it's something someone asks you every day," Sam said. She was pretty sure she wouldn't have done any better.
"We could..."
Everyone looked at Jack, whose head was still on his arms, and his eyes were slightly glazed.
"...Tell his folks and have them ground him..."
"I'd prefer to avoid that, Colonel," Hammond said, sighing. Maybe he should have waited until morning. Major Carter and Teal'c were still in shock at the sudden turn of events and O'Neill was worthless at the moment – as his latest suggestion had proven quite nicely.
"We could tell him it's a secret scenario we've been working on," Carter said. "You know... a what if aliens called the Asgard were to come and try and take over the world, what would we do? kind of thing?"
"That's a thought." Hammond said.
"Perhaps if we simply tell him it is a secret, he would be willing to keep it quiet?" Teal'c suggested.
"Or tell him that we think there's another planet – which we call by one of the designations that the Colonel gave – and tell him we think there might be intelligent life on it. People we call the Asgard." Sam suggested.
"We could tell him that O'Neill was delirious and making it up from various science fiction movies he has seen – except that I probably ruined that option when I did not tell him that immediately."
Hindsight is 20/20, after all.
"We could... draft him."
Hammond looked over at O'Neill, again, and sighed.
"Teal'c? Take Colonel O'Neill to one of the empty rooms and put him to bed."
Teal'c nodded and stood up, reaching down and pulling Jack to his feet. As the Jaffa helped the Colonel to the door, Hammond turned to Sam.
"I'm sorry, Sir."
"He's medicated, Major, it's no one's fault." At least he hadn't suggested they kill the boy, or something equally terrible. Besides, he was medicated because Hammond himself had ordered him to take the pills. "I want you to call Doctor Fraiser and see if she's willing to come in this evening. I have a few questions for her about this. Tell her we'll send someone out to watch Cassandra."
"Yes, Sir."
"Call Doctor Jackson, as well." He was better at coming up with cover stories than the others. Carter was downright terrible at them, most of the time, and everyone knew it. "If none of us are sleeping, he might as well get up, too."
"Yes, Sir."