He started yelling before he even got the door closed, but Melony understood completely. She walked into his office before him, and turned, giving him her complete attention.
"Are you nuts?" Jack roared, slamming his door shut so hard that she was surprised it didn't fall off the hinges.
"Not at all," Mitchell said, sitting on the edge of Jack's desk, calmly. She knew she had to stay calm, because if she allowed O'Neill to get her into a shouting match, there was every chance that he'd make her mad enough that she'd say something she regretted, and she couldn't have regrets. Not then. Not with as much danger as she was putting herself into. "I'm completely sane, Jack. You of all people should know that."
"You're going to get yourself killed."
"Not if I can help it."
"You're going to get Daniel killed."
She shook her head. "I'm going to try and avoid that, too."
"Melony! You're going to blow a ship up – one that you're sitting on! – and then try to beam yourself to another planet using technology that has never even been tested! Hopefully before the ship blows up around you. That's not sane!"
"It's necessary." Mitchell said, softly, to counter his yelling. "I'll do everything I can to keep Daniel Jackson alive, Jack, I promise you."
He realized what she was doing, immediately, and scowled. She wasn't going to yell back, and she'd already made up her mind. Probably had made her decision before she'd finished being blown up the first time, during the ambush by the System Lords.
"Can this thing really do what you think it can?" Jack asked. "The beaming dealy? Will it work?"
She nodded. "I'm pretty sure of it."
"It'd take a lot of energy to activate a Stargate that far, Melony," Brad said softly, speaking for the first time since he'd entered the room behind Mitchell.
"It's not exactly a Stargate, Brad," she said, nodding, "But you're right. It does need a lot of energy. We'll have plenty, though, because it'll be triggered when the ship blows up. The explosion itself will generate more than enough power."
"You'll be cutting it pretty close, won't you?" Jack asked.
"Not as close as you might think. It's not that big of a ship. From the front to the back it's about 50 feet."
"Why do you have to do this?" Jack grumbled, scowling again, and sticking his hands in his pockets.
"Because I can do it, Jack. We have the best chance we'll probably ever have to do something about the Goa'uld, and I have to."
"And Daniel?"
"It's his choice..." she said. "I didn't invite him, but truth be told, I'm really glad he offered to come. It increases my chance of surviving this by about forty percent."
"So calculated..."
She shrugged. "You should go talk to him Jack. Say goodbye, and wish him luck. He's a member of your team, after all."
She was right and he knew it, but there was time for that. He had to get over being pissed at Daniel for volunteering, first. Then he could talk to him.
"I thought Fugly had some kind of bug zapper shield on it? How's Daniel going to be able to touch it?"
"I'll add him to the system so it'll recognize him."
"So you're not going to turn it off?"
"I can't turn the bug zapper part off. It's a built in mechanism. I can turn off the cloaking field, and a few other hiding features, but the security force-field is tuned to its own frequency, and it's linked to me."
"Meaning...?"
"If something happens to me, and the ship doesn't register my bio-rhythms through the remote tracking devices that implanted in it, it'll self destruct on its own."
"Why the hell would you have that?"
"To keep it from falling into unfriendly hands." She told them, both. "Listen, if you want to learn about Fugly, ask Major Carter. She can probably answer some of these questions."
"She can't answer any about the device you're going to use, though, can she?"
"No."
"Are you sure it'll work?" Brad asked, repeating Jack's initial concern.
Melony nodded. "I'm positive. I just haven't actually seen it work."
"And you won't get to until you activate it?"
She nodded again.
"You're going to land here?"
"It's not exactly landing..." she said, shrugging, "But yes, we'll end up in the gate room." Hopefully.
Jack was silent for a long moment, staring at her as if trying to think of another argument he could use. Of course, there weren't any. He'd used all of them already over the last few weeks, and there was no sense trying to use the same old ones that she already had an answer to.
"Wish me luck, Jack..." Melony said, giving him a smile.
He crossed the room and swept her into a bear hug, something he wouldn't be able to do later with everyone else around. "You'd better come home safely," He told her, thickly. "Otherwise, I'm going to... give you a noogie."
Yeah, it was all he could think of. He held her a moment longer, and then stepped back. "I need to go talk with Daniel."
"Yell at him, you mean."
"Talk to him," Jack corrected her with a resigned smile. A sad one, at that. "Yelling at him won't do me anymore good than it did me here."
"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't want to ask for any help..."
"No, I know you didn't," O'Neill said. He shrugged. "Daniel's right, though. He fits your needs pretty well, so hopefully he'll be able to get you through this."
She nodded.
"I'll leave you two to your own... devices..." Jack said, knowing that Brad needed a bit of quiet time with Melony. He had to be as upset as Jack was about her going on this crazy mission, but like O'Neill, he didn't have any say in the matter, either.
"We won't be long."
"Are you nuts?" Jack roared, slamming his door shut so hard that she was surprised it didn't fall off the hinges.
"Not at all," Mitchell said, sitting on the edge of Jack's desk, calmly. She knew she had to stay calm, because if she allowed O'Neill to get her into a shouting match, there was every chance that he'd make her mad enough that she'd say something she regretted, and she couldn't have regrets. Not then. Not with as much danger as she was putting herself into. "I'm completely sane, Jack. You of all people should know that."
"You're going to get yourself killed."
"Not if I can help it."
"You're going to get Daniel killed."
She shook her head. "I'm going to try and avoid that, too."
"Melony! You're going to blow a ship up – one that you're sitting on! – and then try to beam yourself to another planet using technology that has never even been tested! Hopefully before the ship blows up around you. That's not sane!"
"It's necessary." Mitchell said, softly, to counter his yelling. "I'll do everything I can to keep Daniel Jackson alive, Jack, I promise you."
He realized what she was doing, immediately, and scowled. She wasn't going to yell back, and she'd already made up her mind. Probably had made her decision before she'd finished being blown up the first time, during the ambush by the System Lords.
"Can this thing really do what you think it can?" Jack asked. "The beaming dealy? Will it work?"
She nodded. "I'm pretty sure of it."
"It'd take a lot of energy to activate a Stargate that far, Melony," Brad said softly, speaking for the first time since he'd entered the room behind Mitchell.
"It's not exactly a Stargate, Brad," she said, nodding, "But you're right. It does need a lot of energy. We'll have plenty, though, because it'll be triggered when the ship blows up. The explosion itself will generate more than enough power."
"You'll be cutting it pretty close, won't you?" Jack asked.
"Not as close as you might think. It's not that big of a ship. From the front to the back it's about 50 feet."
"Why do you have to do this?" Jack grumbled, scowling again, and sticking his hands in his pockets.
"Because I can do it, Jack. We have the best chance we'll probably ever have to do something about the Goa'uld, and I have to."
"And Daniel?"
"It's his choice..." she said. "I didn't invite him, but truth be told, I'm really glad he offered to come. It increases my chance of surviving this by about forty percent."
"So calculated..."
She shrugged. "You should go talk to him Jack. Say goodbye, and wish him luck. He's a member of your team, after all."
She was right and he knew it, but there was time for that. He had to get over being pissed at Daniel for volunteering, first. Then he could talk to him.
"I thought Fugly had some kind of bug zapper shield on it? How's Daniel going to be able to touch it?"
"I'll add him to the system so it'll recognize him."
"So you're not going to turn it off?"
"I can't turn the bug zapper part off. It's a built in mechanism. I can turn off the cloaking field, and a few other hiding features, but the security force-field is tuned to its own frequency, and it's linked to me."
"Meaning...?"
"If something happens to me, and the ship doesn't register my bio-rhythms through the remote tracking devices that implanted in it, it'll self destruct on its own."
"Why the hell would you have that?"
"To keep it from falling into unfriendly hands." She told them, both. "Listen, if you want to learn about Fugly, ask Major Carter. She can probably answer some of these questions."
"She can't answer any about the device you're going to use, though, can she?"
"No."
"Are you sure it'll work?" Brad asked, repeating Jack's initial concern.
Melony nodded. "I'm positive. I just haven't actually seen it work."
"And you won't get to until you activate it?"
She nodded again.
"You're going to land here?"
"It's not exactly landing..." she said, shrugging, "But yes, we'll end up in the gate room." Hopefully.
Jack was silent for a long moment, staring at her as if trying to think of another argument he could use. Of course, there weren't any. He'd used all of them already over the last few weeks, and there was no sense trying to use the same old ones that she already had an answer to.
"Wish me luck, Jack..." Melony said, giving him a smile.
He crossed the room and swept her into a bear hug, something he wouldn't be able to do later with everyone else around. "You'd better come home safely," He told her, thickly. "Otherwise, I'm going to... give you a noogie."
Yeah, it was all he could think of. He held her a moment longer, and then stepped back. "I need to go talk with Daniel."
"Yell at him, you mean."
"Talk to him," Jack corrected her with a resigned smile. A sad one, at that. "Yelling at him won't do me anymore good than it did me here."
"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't want to ask for any help..."
"No, I know you didn't," O'Neill said. He shrugged. "Daniel's right, though. He fits your needs pretty well, so hopefully he'll be able to get you through this."
She nodded.
"I'll leave you two to your own... devices..." Jack said, knowing that Brad needed a bit of quiet time with Melony. He had to be as upset as Jack was about her going on this crazy mission, but like O'Neill, he didn't have any say in the matter, either.
"We won't be long."