Andrew had been to Cheyenne Mountain before. He'd been there a couple times
with Teal'c, and most recently had been there with his parents to deliver
Jack and Jaffer to Teal'c and Jack when the two had been old enough to be
safely taken away from their mother. So going to the base wasn't such a big
deal for the boy, who sat happily in one of the jump seats in the cab and
watched as the guard checked O'Neill and Teal'c to make sure they were
really who they should be. Then he returned the salute of the Marine when
he saluted them and waved them through.
"You have to stay on the elevator, Andrew," Jack said as he parked the truck. "But Teal'c will be there with you, so don't worry. I'm not going to leave you alone."
"I'm not worried, Jack." Andrew said, grinning, as he got out of the truck with a lot of help from Teal'c. The boy's legs were healing well, but they were still fragile at times, and climbing in and out of Jack's truck was one of those times when he risked a fall – which could hypothetically be damaging. Teal'c pretty much just picked him up and set him down on the ground to keep from jarring the newly healed bones.
"Of course you're not," Jack said, giving him the 'what was I thinking?' look. "You're scrappy!"
"Heck yeah."
Scrappy or not, though, Andrew reached for Teal'c's hand a they walked into the mountain, and the big Jaffa gave it to him, not at all self-conscious about holding the little boy's hand. Not that anyone would ever say anything about it, anyways, Jack knew. Teal'c wasn't the guy you wanted to tease about something like that, that was for sure.
They stopped at the first checkpoint, which was as far as Andrew had been every time, and the boy was given a temporary visitor's pass, which he signed his name on a sheet of paper to receive. Then he and Jack and Teal'c were waved through.
"We'll stop and get Jack and Jaffer on our way out," Jack told Andrew as they walked down the corridor, smiling or nodding a hello to those who greeted them. The boy nodded, looking around with interest. He knew Jack and Teal'c worked with secret stuff, and was hoping to see some. As it was, though, all he was seeing were people – no fancy equipment, or cool weapons, and nothing that would warrant being called 'secret' much less 'classified'.
They were stopped at another checkpoint, where the Marines who were in charge of letting people past carefully looked at Andrew, who tried to look as though he came onto secret military bases all the time.
"Another one, Sir?" One of the Marines asked Jack, smiling slightly.
"Not a chance," O'Neill told him, shaking his head.
Andrew wondered what they meant, but he didn't ask.
The Marines waved them through, still smiling, and the boy walked with Jack and Teal'c to the elevator.
"I won't be very long," Jack told Teal'c and Andrew when the elevator stopped at what Andrew presumed was the bottom floor. "Just need to get a couple things."
"We will be fine here, O'Neill." Teal'c said.
Andrew nodded his agreement, knowing nothing and no one would cause him any trouble with Teal'c nearby.
Jack got off the elevator and headed down the corridor to Carter's lab, where Sam had told him she'd left the journal. He didn't make it far before he heard someone calling him.
"Colonel."
He turned, and saw Hammond coming over.
"Yes, Sir?"
"I thought you were picking up Andrew Stephens?"
"I am, Sir. He's in the elevator with Teal'c. Carter forgot to pick up the journal, so we had to stop and get it – and Jack and Jaffer."
Hammond nodded. "It's my fault she was running late. We were trying to think of worst case scenarios, and what to do about them if they came up."
"Come up with anything better than my book idea?" Jack asked, as the two of them walked down the corridor to the lab.
"I'm afraid not." Hammond said, shaking his head. "Have you tried using it, yet?"
"No, I thought we might stop somewhere before going home – Dairy Queen or something, maybe – and have a talk. Or maybe wait until later tonight. I'm not sure. I'll wait until I have the perfect opening."
"The sooner the better." Hammond told him. Mainly because the General was going to be on pins and nails until he knew what was going on.
"Yes, Sir."
They reached Sam's lab, where Hammond left him to go back to his office, and Jack resisted all temptations to fiddle with her little doohickeys while he was in the room unsupervised. Oh, it was tempting, though! So tempting. He saw the journal sitting right out in the open – probably where Carter had put it so she wouldn't forget it – and Jack couldn't help but reach out and touch one particularly eye-catching device that was all lights and noises as he used his other hand to pick up the journal. The doohickey had the last word, though, because the thing gave him an electrical shock that caused Jack to yelp, and almost drop it.
"Bastard." He glared at it, but it didn't seem to mind. Shaking his hand, and scowling as he tried to get feeling back into it, Jack gathered up the journal and went back to the elevator.
"What is wrong with your hand, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked as the door closed. He was still shaking it.
"Nothing, Teal'c." Like he was going to admit to either of them that he had been playing with something he shouldn't have been! "I just..." He couldn't think of anything, so he just shook his head. "Nothing."
"Is it okay?" Andrew asked, looking concerned.
"Of course it is," Jack said, grinning, as the elevator started moving. "I'm a tough-"
A flash of white light interrupted him and the next thing Andrew and Teal'c knew, Jack was gone.
"You have to stay on the elevator, Andrew," Jack said as he parked the truck. "But Teal'c will be there with you, so don't worry. I'm not going to leave you alone."
"I'm not worried, Jack." Andrew said, grinning, as he got out of the truck with a lot of help from Teal'c. The boy's legs were healing well, but they were still fragile at times, and climbing in and out of Jack's truck was one of those times when he risked a fall – which could hypothetically be damaging. Teal'c pretty much just picked him up and set him down on the ground to keep from jarring the newly healed bones.
"Of course you're not," Jack said, giving him the 'what was I thinking?' look. "You're scrappy!"
"Heck yeah."
Scrappy or not, though, Andrew reached for Teal'c's hand a they walked into the mountain, and the big Jaffa gave it to him, not at all self-conscious about holding the little boy's hand. Not that anyone would ever say anything about it, anyways, Jack knew. Teal'c wasn't the guy you wanted to tease about something like that, that was for sure.
They stopped at the first checkpoint, which was as far as Andrew had been every time, and the boy was given a temporary visitor's pass, which he signed his name on a sheet of paper to receive. Then he and Jack and Teal'c were waved through.
"We'll stop and get Jack and Jaffer on our way out," Jack told Andrew as they walked down the corridor, smiling or nodding a hello to those who greeted them. The boy nodded, looking around with interest. He knew Jack and Teal'c worked with secret stuff, and was hoping to see some. As it was, though, all he was seeing were people – no fancy equipment, or cool weapons, and nothing that would warrant being called 'secret' much less 'classified'.
They were stopped at another checkpoint, where the Marines who were in charge of letting people past carefully looked at Andrew, who tried to look as though he came onto secret military bases all the time.
"Another one, Sir?" One of the Marines asked Jack, smiling slightly.
"Not a chance," O'Neill told him, shaking his head.
Andrew wondered what they meant, but he didn't ask.
The Marines waved them through, still smiling, and the boy walked with Jack and Teal'c to the elevator.
"I won't be very long," Jack told Teal'c and Andrew when the elevator stopped at what Andrew presumed was the bottom floor. "Just need to get a couple things."
"We will be fine here, O'Neill." Teal'c said.
Andrew nodded his agreement, knowing nothing and no one would cause him any trouble with Teal'c nearby.
Jack got off the elevator and headed down the corridor to Carter's lab, where Sam had told him she'd left the journal. He didn't make it far before he heard someone calling him.
"Colonel."
He turned, and saw Hammond coming over.
"Yes, Sir?"
"I thought you were picking up Andrew Stephens?"
"I am, Sir. He's in the elevator with Teal'c. Carter forgot to pick up the journal, so we had to stop and get it – and Jack and Jaffer."
Hammond nodded. "It's my fault she was running late. We were trying to think of worst case scenarios, and what to do about them if they came up."
"Come up with anything better than my book idea?" Jack asked, as the two of them walked down the corridor to the lab.
"I'm afraid not." Hammond said, shaking his head. "Have you tried using it, yet?"
"No, I thought we might stop somewhere before going home – Dairy Queen or something, maybe – and have a talk. Or maybe wait until later tonight. I'm not sure. I'll wait until I have the perfect opening."
"The sooner the better." Hammond told him. Mainly because the General was going to be on pins and nails until he knew what was going on.
"Yes, Sir."
They reached Sam's lab, where Hammond left him to go back to his office, and Jack resisted all temptations to fiddle with her little doohickeys while he was in the room unsupervised. Oh, it was tempting, though! So tempting. He saw the journal sitting right out in the open – probably where Carter had put it so she wouldn't forget it – and Jack couldn't help but reach out and touch one particularly eye-catching device that was all lights and noises as he used his other hand to pick up the journal. The doohickey had the last word, though, because the thing gave him an electrical shock that caused Jack to yelp, and almost drop it.
"Bastard." He glared at it, but it didn't seem to mind. Shaking his hand, and scowling as he tried to get feeling back into it, Jack gathered up the journal and went back to the elevator.
"What is wrong with your hand, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked as the door closed. He was still shaking it.
"Nothing, Teal'c." Like he was going to admit to either of them that he had been playing with something he shouldn't have been! "I just..." He couldn't think of anything, so he just shook his head. "Nothing."
"Is it okay?" Andrew asked, looking concerned.
"Of course it is," Jack said, grinning, as the elevator started moving. "I'm a tough-"
A flash of white light interrupted him and the next thing Andrew and Teal'c knew, Jack was gone.