|that old adage|season seven|fallout|missing scene|
"Jack!"
Jack O'Neill didn't turn around at the shout, instead hitting the elevator call button again. And again.
"Jack," Daniel's voice was frustrated, and right behind him now.
Giving up on thoughts of escape, he turned around to face him. He didn't feel like arguing at the moment--but he supposed now was as good a time as any to try and get Daniel to see sense.
"Yes, Daniel?"
"Were you planning on waiting for me?" he snapped. "I've been calling you since we left the briefing room."
"I'm waiting."
"Only because the elevator was taking too long to open."
"Fate is on your side," Jack said with a grin.
Daniel shook his head and wearily leaned back against the hallway. "Hardly. Jack--what are you doing? We can't just stop helping them."
"Sure we can. It's easy," Jack said seriously. "We don't have any other choice here, Daniel. Those people are never going to see things the way we do. They're going to die because of all their damn politics and I say good riddance."
"You can't honestly believe that whole planet deserves to be destroyed because of a few bureaucrats! I realize they're annoying--"
"They're the god damned three stooges, Daniel. And I've had enough."
"Fine. You've had enough. That's understandable. But did you have to take away my chance at getting through to them as well?"
"Yes. You've already lost enough time because of them."
"Jack--"
"I swear to god, Daniel, if you start defending them to me--"
"I'm not. I wouldn't. They've screwed up, Jack. I know that. But they don't deserve to die."
"YOU didn't deserve to die!" Jack shouted, causing a startled airman coming down the hall to turn and walk rather quickly in the opposite direction.
Daniel looked down at his feet, his hands in his pockets. He knew Jack's anger wasn't entirely directed at him. They'd already hashed this whole thing out--and he'd thought Jack had moved past it.
"Jack, what happened on that planet was not the fault of everyone who lives there. We have a responsibility to help as many people as we can."
"You're wrong. We don't owe those people anything. You certainly don't. You died for them, Daniel--and they can't even spare you five minutes of their time. They're not worth it. They never were."
"You don't really believe that," Daniel whispered. "Jack, you can't."
"Maybe if you knew what it did to us when you left you would understand," Jack said. "You saved their entire planet, and they wanted to blame everything that happened on you. Let the planet explode, Daniel. The universe will be better off."
"And I would have given up a year of my life for NOTHING," Daniel whispered desperately. "I didn't save them then to watch them die now, Jack. Can't you understand that I have to do this?"
"Yes," Jack responded, his voice softening. "Daniel, you would be doing it no matter what. Sometimes, though, there's just nothing anyone can do. You can't save them if they won't save themselves."
"I have once before," Daniel reminded.
Jack's eyes darkened. "Yes. And we've talked about that. And agreed you wouldn't do it again."
"You agreed," Daniel said with a roll of his eyes.
"This is exactly why I requested you stay here for the negotiations!" Jack snapped. "I don't need you shifting into martyr mode and getting yourself killed for them. This ISN'T your problem."
"Teal'c and Sam are on that planet right now trying to help them, Jack. This is OUR problem. Maybe they're not perfect--but neither is Earth. What happened on that planet could just as easily have happened here. And I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want our entire planet condemned for the actions of a handful of people."
Jack sighed. What had he been thinking earlier about talking sense into Daniel . . . ? "Daniel--" he started tiredly, but Daniel was already moving in for the kill.
"Do you think there's only one Jonas down on that planet, Jack?"
"I see your point," Jack snapped. "But it doesn't change a damn thing, Daniel. Because Jonas isn't running the place, and the people that are would rather see it destroyed than work together!"
"And what about you, Jack? Would you really rather see it destroyed than try to work with them?"
"Hey! I did you a favor, whether you realize it or not. I got them to shut up, didn't I? Now we wait and see if Carter, Teal'c and Jonas come through. If they save the planet then we're set. If not, well, then the stooges might be more willing to listen to our terms."
"You did this on purpose," Daniel said incredulously. "You're trying to scare them into cooperating."
"That was only a bonus. Mostly I just wanted to shut them up."
"You are trying to help them!"
"No," Jack said patiently. "I was trying to shut them up."
Daniel grinned knowingly. "Sure, Jack."
Jack smiled weakly back, knowing that Daniel thought he'd done it because he cared. He'd done it because they were the people that had killed his best friend and had brought this upon themselves. Daniel wouldn't believe that, though--and there was a part of him that didn't entirely believe it himself.
He looked up when Daniel started back to the briefing room.
"Where are you going?" he demanded.
Daniel spun around, his hands in his pockets. "To try and talk to them."
"But we just decided that wouldn't work!"
"You have your way of dealing with people, Jack," Daniel said with a grin. "I have mine. It may not work, but I won't quit trying."
Jack watched Daniel disappear around the corner, before turning and pressing the call button on the elevator. This time the doors opened. "Don't you ever quit trying," he whispered as he stepped inside.
|The End|
"Jack!"
Jack O'Neill didn't turn around at the shout, instead hitting the elevator call button again. And again.
"Jack," Daniel's voice was frustrated, and right behind him now.
Giving up on thoughts of escape, he turned around to face him. He didn't feel like arguing at the moment--but he supposed now was as good a time as any to try and get Daniel to see sense.
"Yes, Daniel?"
"Were you planning on waiting for me?" he snapped. "I've been calling you since we left the briefing room."
"I'm waiting."
"Only because the elevator was taking too long to open."
"Fate is on your side," Jack said with a grin.
Daniel shook his head and wearily leaned back against the hallway. "Hardly. Jack--what are you doing? We can't just stop helping them."
"Sure we can. It's easy," Jack said seriously. "We don't have any other choice here, Daniel. Those people are never going to see things the way we do. They're going to die because of all their damn politics and I say good riddance."
"You can't honestly believe that whole planet deserves to be destroyed because of a few bureaucrats! I realize they're annoying--"
"They're the god damned three stooges, Daniel. And I've had enough."
"Fine. You've had enough. That's understandable. But did you have to take away my chance at getting through to them as well?"
"Yes. You've already lost enough time because of them."
"Jack--"
"I swear to god, Daniel, if you start defending them to me--"
"I'm not. I wouldn't. They've screwed up, Jack. I know that. But they don't deserve to die."
"YOU didn't deserve to die!" Jack shouted, causing a startled airman coming down the hall to turn and walk rather quickly in the opposite direction.
Daniel looked down at his feet, his hands in his pockets. He knew Jack's anger wasn't entirely directed at him. They'd already hashed this whole thing out--and he'd thought Jack had moved past it.
"Jack, what happened on that planet was not the fault of everyone who lives there. We have a responsibility to help as many people as we can."
"You're wrong. We don't owe those people anything. You certainly don't. You died for them, Daniel--and they can't even spare you five minutes of their time. They're not worth it. They never were."
"You don't really believe that," Daniel whispered. "Jack, you can't."
"Maybe if you knew what it did to us when you left you would understand," Jack said. "You saved their entire planet, and they wanted to blame everything that happened on you. Let the planet explode, Daniel. The universe will be better off."
"And I would have given up a year of my life for NOTHING," Daniel whispered desperately. "I didn't save them then to watch them die now, Jack. Can't you understand that I have to do this?"
"Yes," Jack responded, his voice softening. "Daniel, you would be doing it no matter what. Sometimes, though, there's just nothing anyone can do. You can't save them if they won't save themselves."
"I have once before," Daniel reminded.
Jack's eyes darkened. "Yes. And we've talked about that. And agreed you wouldn't do it again."
"You agreed," Daniel said with a roll of his eyes.
"This is exactly why I requested you stay here for the negotiations!" Jack snapped. "I don't need you shifting into martyr mode and getting yourself killed for them. This ISN'T your problem."
"Teal'c and Sam are on that planet right now trying to help them, Jack. This is OUR problem. Maybe they're not perfect--but neither is Earth. What happened on that planet could just as easily have happened here. And I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want our entire planet condemned for the actions of a handful of people."
Jack sighed. What had he been thinking earlier about talking sense into Daniel . . . ? "Daniel--" he started tiredly, but Daniel was already moving in for the kill.
"Do you think there's only one Jonas down on that planet, Jack?"
"I see your point," Jack snapped. "But it doesn't change a damn thing, Daniel. Because Jonas isn't running the place, and the people that are would rather see it destroyed than work together!"
"And what about you, Jack? Would you really rather see it destroyed than try to work with them?"
"Hey! I did you a favor, whether you realize it or not. I got them to shut up, didn't I? Now we wait and see if Carter, Teal'c and Jonas come through. If they save the planet then we're set. If not, well, then the stooges might be more willing to listen to our terms."
"You did this on purpose," Daniel said incredulously. "You're trying to scare them into cooperating."
"That was only a bonus. Mostly I just wanted to shut them up."
"You are trying to help them!"
"No," Jack said patiently. "I was trying to shut them up."
Daniel grinned knowingly. "Sure, Jack."
Jack smiled weakly back, knowing that Daniel thought he'd done it because he cared. He'd done it because they were the people that had killed his best friend and had brought this upon themselves. Daniel wouldn't believe that, though--and there was a part of him that didn't entirely believe it himself.
He looked up when Daniel started back to the briefing room.
"Where are you going?" he demanded.
Daniel spun around, his hands in his pockets. "To try and talk to them."
"But we just decided that wouldn't work!"
"You have your way of dealing with people, Jack," Daniel said with a grin. "I have mine. It may not work, but I won't quit trying."
Jack watched Daniel disappear around the corner, before turning and pressing the call button on the elevator. This time the doors opened. "Don't you ever quit trying," he whispered as he stepped inside.
|The End|