He knew what it was the moment he felt himself dissolving. Knew it, but
just couldn't believe it was happening. Not then. Sure enough, though, a
moment later – not even the time it took to take a breath – O'Neill was on
the very familiar bridge of Thor's ship. And, predictably, he wasn't happy
about it.
He materialized facing the forward viewer. The viewer that gave him a very clear picture of the area of space right above the Earth. He knew if he took a few steps forward, he'd be able to see the planet spinning lazily below him, and that it would be breathtaking. But he didn't take a step forward; he didn't care about looking down at the Earth just then. He spun on his heel, looking for the Asgard.
Thor was seated in his command chair only six feet or so away.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"
"Greetings, O'Neill." As always, the little alien seemed completely unruffled by Jack's anger. He slid his small hand along a control on the left arm of the chair; assuming that O'Neill was angry because he'd been 'beamed' up without the companions who the sensors had shown Thor were with him in the elevator. A split second later, Andrew and Teal'c appeared on the bridge next to Jack.
Jack turned at the flash of light, and saw Teal'c and a very pale looking Andrew suddenly beside him, and lost it completely.
"WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT?"
Thor looked at the boy who was standing beside Teal'c, and suddenly realized he'd made a mistake.
"That is not Shawn Adams, O'Neill..."
"Ya THINK?" Jack turned to Andrew, who hadn't said a word or even made a noise. In fact, it didn't look as if the boy was capable of doing anything but standing there, his eyes wide, his face deathly pale, and every muscle tense as though he were ready to bolt, but hadn't quite figured out where to run to when he did.
"Andrew..." Jack's voice was much softer when he addressed the boy, but Andrew was staring at Thor. Teal'c looked down at the boy as well, and put his large hand on Andrew's bony shoulder, protectively, and scowled, visibly angry with the Asgard for the mistake he'd just made.
"He will not hurt you, Andrew."
So much for the freaking book cover story, Jack thought, sourly, as he looked back at Thor.
"What the hell were you thinking? Is there any reason you can't just call ahead or something like everyone else?"
"I am sorry, O'Neill," Thor said – and he truly looked it. "The sensors showed you and the Jaffa with a small boy, and I made the assumption that the boy was Shawn Adams. I was not aware you had more than one child that was allowed at the SGC."
"He was ON THE ELEVATOR!"
Andrew flinched from the anger in Jack's voice. He'd never heard O'Neill so angry – even though he knew it wasn't directed at himself, it was still frightening, and he moved slightly, putting Teal'c's imposing bulk between himself, Jack and the alien sitting in the chair.
O'Neill noticed immediately, and visibly tried to rein his anger in. He looked over at Andrew, who was peeking out at him from behind Teal'c. The boy's face was still terribly pale, and it worried Jack that he hadn't made any noise.
"Andrew, it's okay..." Jack said, softly. "He's a friend... he won't hurt you." He gestured for the boy to come over, but Andrew put his hand on Teal'c's belt, and shook his head. He didn't want to meet the whatever it was.
"O'Neill is correct, Andrew," Teal'c said, looking down at his terrified young friend. "The Asgard are the allies of the Tau'ri. The people of Earth." He corrected, knowing Andrew wouldn't understand the phrase.
"I will not harm you." Thor agreed. He was still in shock himself, but he was as concerned as Jack was at the pale coloring of the boy – made even paler by the boy's dark hair.
Andrew shook his head again, and vanished completely behind Teal'c. Yeah, he was scrappy, but this was way beyond anything he'd ever experienced before, and he wasn't handling it very well.
Jack sighed, but he wasn't mad. It wasn't Andrew's fault that he was afraid. He moved over and knelt beside him, behind Teal'c. It was time to come clean – if for no other reason than to keep the boy from going crazy. No secret in the world was worth the look of fear in Andrew's eyes just then.
"Look..." Jack said, softly. "You told Teal'c that when I was with you under the snow I was telling you all sorts of things, right?"
Andrew nodded, silently.
"Did I mention the Asgard?"
He knew he had, but he wanted a reaction from the boy.
Andrew nodded.
"What did I say about them?"
"They... they're aliens," Andrew's voice was shaky, and soft – not at all his usual self. "And one is... called... Th- Thor... he's always doing stuff to... to annoy you, but... you like him, so you don't mind as... much as you pretend to."
He looked over at the Asgard again.
Jack nodded, and reached his hand out and rested it lightly on Andrew's head, trying to will the boy into being less afraid. God, he hated to see him so pale.
"This is Thor, Andrew." Jack told him, gently. "He's a friend of mine – just like I told you when we were under the snow."
Andrew nodded, but didn't move. He leaned slightly against Teal'c as his mostly healed legs cramped slightly from the muscles being so tense, and Teal'c knelt down as well, onto one knee so Andrew could lean against the other.
"It is all right," Teal'c told him. "Nothing could ever hurt you as long as O'Neill and I are with you, and Thor would not try to harm you in any event. He is our ally. Our friend. You have nothing to fear from him."
It was true, Andrew knew, that Teal'c and Jack were both much bigger than the alien. He was close to the same size as Andrew – only a little bigger. But he was so... weird looking. Somewhat like the pictures you saw in the comics of aliens, like the ones at Area 51, but he was MOVING, and very much alive. And was real. And it was terrifying.
"Andrew..."
It was too much for him. His fragile legs gave out on him, and his eyes rolled up in his head as he fainted. He was out before Jack's arms came around him to keep him from hitting the floor, and O'Neill winced as the boy's body came in hard against his injured ribs, but he didn't let him go.
"Teal'c," Jack groaned, handing Andrew's still form over to the Jaffa, who scooped him up easily, and stood. So did Jack. "We need to get him to our infirmary, Thor."
There was a flash of light, and the four of them were suddenly in the middle of the infirmary – an action that caused mayhem of its own, since the medical staff wasn't prepared for the sudden appearance, and trays of medical instruments went clattering across the floor as they were dropped, and there were several screams of surprise, and even more shocked curses.
He materialized facing the forward viewer. The viewer that gave him a very clear picture of the area of space right above the Earth. He knew if he took a few steps forward, he'd be able to see the planet spinning lazily below him, and that it would be breathtaking. But he didn't take a step forward; he didn't care about looking down at the Earth just then. He spun on his heel, looking for the Asgard.
Thor was seated in his command chair only six feet or so away.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"
"Greetings, O'Neill." As always, the little alien seemed completely unruffled by Jack's anger. He slid his small hand along a control on the left arm of the chair; assuming that O'Neill was angry because he'd been 'beamed' up without the companions who the sensors had shown Thor were with him in the elevator. A split second later, Andrew and Teal'c appeared on the bridge next to Jack.
Jack turned at the flash of light, and saw Teal'c and a very pale looking Andrew suddenly beside him, and lost it completely.
"WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT?"
Thor looked at the boy who was standing beside Teal'c, and suddenly realized he'd made a mistake.
"That is not Shawn Adams, O'Neill..."
"Ya THINK?" Jack turned to Andrew, who hadn't said a word or even made a noise. In fact, it didn't look as if the boy was capable of doing anything but standing there, his eyes wide, his face deathly pale, and every muscle tense as though he were ready to bolt, but hadn't quite figured out where to run to when he did.
"Andrew..." Jack's voice was much softer when he addressed the boy, but Andrew was staring at Thor. Teal'c looked down at the boy as well, and put his large hand on Andrew's bony shoulder, protectively, and scowled, visibly angry with the Asgard for the mistake he'd just made.
"He will not hurt you, Andrew."
So much for the freaking book cover story, Jack thought, sourly, as he looked back at Thor.
"What the hell were you thinking? Is there any reason you can't just call ahead or something like everyone else?"
"I am sorry, O'Neill," Thor said – and he truly looked it. "The sensors showed you and the Jaffa with a small boy, and I made the assumption that the boy was Shawn Adams. I was not aware you had more than one child that was allowed at the SGC."
"He was ON THE ELEVATOR!"
Andrew flinched from the anger in Jack's voice. He'd never heard O'Neill so angry – even though he knew it wasn't directed at himself, it was still frightening, and he moved slightly, putting Teal'c's imposing bulk between himself, Jack and the alien sitting in the chair.
O'Neill noticed immediately, and visibly tried to rein his anger in. He looked over at Andrew, who was peeking out at him from behind Teal'c. The boy's face was still terribly pale, and it worried Jack that he hadn't made any noise.
"Andrew, it's okay..." Jack said, softly. "He's a friend... he won't hurt you." He gestured for the boy to come over, but Andrew put his hand on Teal'c's belt, and shook his head. He didn't want to meet the whatever it was.
"O'Neill is correct, Andrew," Teal'c said, looking down at his terrified young friend. "The Asgard are the allies of the Tau'ri. The people of Earth." He corrected, knowing Andrew wouldn't understand the phrase.
"I will not harm you." Thor agreed. He was still in shock himself, but he was as concerned as Jack was at the pale coloring of the boy – made even paler by the boy's dark hair.
Andrew shook his head again, and vanished completely behind Teal'c. Yeah, he was scrappy, but this was way beyond anything he'd ever experienced before, and he wasn't handling it very well.
Jack sighed, but he wasn't mad. It wasn't Andrew's fault that he was afraid. He moved over and knelt beside him, behind Teal'c. It was time to come clean – if for no other reason than to keep the boy from going crazy. No secret in the world was worth the look of fear in Andrew's eyes just then.
"Look..." Jack said, softly. "You told Teal'c that when I was with you under the snow I was telling you all sorts of things, right?"
Andrew nodded, silently.
"Did I mention the Asgard?"
He knew he had, but he wanted a reaction from the boy.
Andrew nodded.
"What did I say about them?"
"They... they're aliens," Andrew's voice was shaky, and soft – not at all his usual self. "And one is... called... Th- Thor... he's always doing stuff to... to annoy you, but... you like him, so you don't mind as... much as you pretend to."
He looked over at the Asgard again.
Jack nodded, and reached his hand out and rested it lightly on Andrew's head, trying to will the boy into being less afraid. God, he hated to see him so pale.
"This is Thor, Andrew." Jack told him, gently. "He's a friend of mine – just like I told you when we were under the snow."
Andrew nodded, but didn't move. He leaned slightly against Teal'c as his mostly healed legs cramped slightly from the muscles being so tense, and Teal'c knelt down as well, onto one knee so Andrew could lean against the other.
"It is all right," Teal'c told him. "Nothing could ever hurt you as long as O'Neill and I are with you, and Thor would not try to harm you in any event. He is our ally. Our friend. You have nothing to fear from him."
It was true, Andrew knew, that Teal'c and Jack were both much bigger than the alien. He was close to the same size as Andrew – only a little bigger. But he was so... weird looking. Somewhat like the pictures you saw in the comics of aliens, like the ones at Area 51, but he was MOVING, and very much alive. And was real. And it was terrifying.
"Andrew..."
It was too much for him. His fragile legs gave out on him, and his eyes rolled up in his head as he fainted. He was out before Jack's arms came around him to keep him from hitting the floor, and O'Neill winced as the boy's body came in hard against his injured ribs, but he didn't let him go.
"Teal'c," Jack groaned, handing Andrew's still form over to the Jaffa, who scooped him up easily, and stood. So did Jack. "We need to get him to our infirmary, Thor."
There was a flash of light, and the four of them were suddenly in the middle of the infirmary – an action that caused mayhem of its own, since the medical staff wasn't prepared for the sudden appearance, and trays of medical instruments went clattering across the floor as they were dropped, and there were several screams of surprise, and even more shocked curses.