The door hadn't even shut behind him before O'Neill started yelling at him. "What in the hell are you doing? Who do you think you are? Oh and don't give me that bullshit about being a Colonel in the United States Air Force. It ain't gonna fly, you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, General, sir!" Gallagher was on the verge of snapping and he knew, just knew it would not be the right thing to do. "I see you have made yourself right at home in the General's office." All his old mementos were staring at him as if they were taunting him. This is what he worked his whole life for and someone else was living it. Damn!
"And why shouldn't I?" O'Neill asked, his anger starting to cool as he realized what the problem was.
"No reason," Gallagher said. His glance landed on the photo of Charlie and felt the knife twist in his gut. Charlie.
"I don't have a picture of him, you know," he said quietly, lost in his own pain.
O'Neill just stood there, clearly not knowing what to say. Gallagher knew the General was struggling with finding the right words and dealing with the sudden pain he felt by the realization that this kid standing in front of him shared every last one of his memories up to the day he woke up to find out Loki had cloned his ass.
"I'm sorry," O'Neill said and Gallagher knew he meant it. They stood there in silence for a few minutes, each trying to deal with their loss for the thousandth time and knowing it will never go away.
"Look, I know this is hard for you," O'Neill said finally. "I can't imagine going through all that stuff again."
"Hard?" Gallagher said, the anger rushing back in. "You have no idea." His inner voice was screaming at him, back off Gallagher, but he couldn't hear it over the roar of the anger. "Do you know what it's like to be a Colonel in command of an elite team off-world one minute than a Cadet, bowing and scraping to Lieutenants the next?" His voice rose with each sentence. "Damn, even Carter put me in my place, 'cause see I am only a lowly boot-licking Cadet. You tell me what that's like."
"You walk in here with the same face I have seen all my life and tell me that I am lucky to even be here in your presence, to kiss your ass because you have made it to General. I walk in here and what do I see, but all my stuff sitting in your office…"
"My stuff," O'Neill roared. "I was here and wearing this face first and don't you ever forget it!" His breathing was just as fast as Gallagher's although neither one cared at the moment.
"The same as the robot O'Neill?" Gallagher rounded on him. "You don't give a damn about your quote unquote duplicates. As far as you are concerned nothing matters but you!"
"That's because you are what I made you to be," O'Neill ground out. "Every single thing you remember is something I brought about."
"Oh, it's all about you, isn't it? Never mind that I share those memories and I am here to tell you I have the same nightmares you do. I remember the pain of the torture the Iraqis and Ba'al inflicted, the pain and suicidal thoughts I endured with Charlie's death and Sara's leaving. I was there when all that happened!" Gallagher was surprised at the sting of tears he felt as he ranted at the General.
Gallagher turned, breathing heavily as he rammed his fist into the door. He placed both hands on the smooth wood and leaned his head against the door, squeezing his eyes shut. "Now I am here taking crap from the very same people I once commanded."
"I'm sorry," O'Neill said, as he came to the young man and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We knew this would be hard. But we both know you are a definite asset to the SGC," O'Neill continued over Gallagher's indignant snort. "You are a warrior not to be reckoned with. Let's go out there and kick some Goa'uld ass!"
Gallagher grinned despite himself at O'Neill's attempt to bring him back to the present. He needed that, but it didn't help his resentment over his current predicament. "What am I going to be doing during my internship," he said using his fingers to indicate the word "internship" as a quote.
"Well, you may not like it now that I think about it, after we had this talk, I mean," O'Neill said looking a little uncomfortable. "I was going to assign you to SG-1, but that would mean that you will be under Carter's command."
"What?" shouted Gallagher, completely forgetting the truce they had just forged. "She looks down at me as if I were a kid. Damn, would I like to wipe that smirk off her face!"
"Cadet!" O'Neill warned. Gallagher decided now was the time to look sheepish.
"Sorry sir."
"I was thinking that it might be a good thing to have you on the team. Again," O'Neill added to smooth the way. "Who better to look after my team, than me!" The General had the nerve to smile, Gallagher thought as he found himself grinning back.
"Yes sir," Gallagher responded with a look that spoke volumes.
"Regulations," was all O'Neill had to say.
"Yeah," Gallagher sighed. "Those damn regulations."
They gave each other a conspiratorial look and then both grinned.
"Come on, let's go back to the briefing and put some people back into their place," O'Neill said with a wicked look. "I give you your revenge."
Gallagher knew that the General was laughing at the shocked look on his face and accepted it for what it was. The General really did know him too well.
"Gallagher," O'Neill said as Gallagher grabbed the door handle. "I have no idea what you've done the past three years, although I believe General Hammond has been kept aware. I just want you to know that we stopped being the same person the minute Loki cloned you. I am Brigadier General Jack O'Neill and you are Cadet, soon to be Lieutenant Jack Gallagher. It can't and will not be any other way. Got that?"
"Yes, sir," Gallagher said understanding perfectly. The smile came slowly and he couldn't help but add, "Brigadier General O'Neill."
They were both smiling as they walked out of the office into the briefing room. Their smiles got wider as they noticed the looks on the faces of the briefing room's occupants. Daniel and Teal'c were grinning at the pair, Carter was looking everywhere but at them and the three lieutenants just stared at them with something less than amazement mixed with fear. Have at 'em, General Jack, Gallagher thought with his grin getting broader by the minute.
"At ease," O'Neill said again as he sat down. "Where was I? Oh yeah, the SGC. How could I forget?" His eyes landed on Lieutenant Michaels as he continued. "The enemy is much more volatile than you can imagine and during the course of the next few days you will be told everything there is to know about the Goa'uld, the Replicators and anything else we can think of." He was now looking at Bartlett. "Nothing can even remotely compare to the enemy we face as they have technology that far outweighs those we have on Earth. They have access to technologies that even Carter can't comprehend, until of course, she's had a few hours with them." He turned to look at Carter then and grinned at her embarrassment.
"Why don't I let Cadet Gallagher tell you about the Goa'uld?" O'Neill said leaning back in his chair. He has had some experience with them, after all, even if it was limited." O'Neill's eyes were back on Gallagher clearly telling him to not go too far.
Gallagher couldn't stop the grin that formed on his face as he stared back at O'Neill. You asshole, he thought. He looked around at his old team mates and found Carter smiling at him (finally!), Daniel sitting at the table with both hands clasped looking at him with rapt attention (yeah right!) and Teal'c staring at him as if he was the only one in the room. He looked back at O'Neill who told him to start with his hands and a nod and he wondered if he had just been set up.
Glancing past the amazed looks on the faces of the lieutenants, he turned to Teal'c and asked the question that begged to be asked. "Teal'c, what's with the hair?"
Teal'c looked as if he was going to answer the question when O'Neill chimed in, "Oh for crying out loud. Will you just get started?"
Gallagher grinned, winked at Carter who actually blushed and began his speech. "The Goa'uld are parasitical beings that survive by taking humans or other beings as hosts. Once inhabited by a Goa'uld, the host has no control over it's own actions because the Goa'uld has taken over." He noticed that the lieutenants were now listening closely to him, without the sneers, thank you very much.
"Once the Goa'uld is blended with the host, its survival is dependant on a lot of things - control of the host, the health of the host and of course, a handy sarcophagus. The Goa'uld happen to like using humans for hosts as they are the easiest to cure. The snake, uh the Goa'uld symbiotes look like snakes, are capable of curing almost anything a human can come down with, including cancer, and what the Goa'uld can't cure, the sarcophagus can. The sarcophagus is a danger in itself as it will warp the mind if it is used often and most people think that is what happened to the Goa'ulds. The continued use of the sarcophagus turned them into evil malevolent beings. The sarcophagus is highly addictive and it is not recommended for anyone to go through the withdrawals." The last was said with a little heat and Gallagher found himself staring in the General's eyes. They both knew first hand about sarcophagus withdrawals and it was comforting to know the General was with him on this.
"The Goa'ulds are not hard to miss," he continued. "They have this habit of glowing eyes when they get angry. Just piss them off and then shoot." He heard Daniel emit a very ungentlemanly snort and continued, "Their voices are altered as well, sort of a guttural sound. The Tok'ra, a rebel band of Goa'uld, don't take complete control of the host, they let the host out once in awhile to play or to try to convince us they are not as sneaky as their counterparts. The voice is a dead give-away, though, as to who you are actually talking to."
This was more like it, he had their complete attention and he was in charge again. "The Tok'ra are our allies," this was said with a grimace, he really didn't trust those sneaky snakes. "So are the Asgard…, how is Thor by the way?" He asked turning to O'Neill.
"Good, good. Went fishing with him just the other day," O'Neill responded airily. "Had a great time too. He did get a little tipsy on the beer, though. Not a pretty site, a drunk Asgard, stumbling all over the place and falling into…."
"Jack!" Daniel cut in laughing. "Thor has never been fishing with you. Teal'c already warned him about that -- something about boredom and mosquitoes big enough to rival Replicators."
"Is that why he keeps refusing me?" O'Neill asked with surprise. "I thought it was because he was so busy winning the war with the bugs and all. Jeez, should I be hurt?" he asked Carter with a straight face.
"No sir," Carter said unable to keep the grin off her face. "I'm sure he really wants to go, it's just that… uh….. well he needs to finish the repairs on his new fleet. Yes, I'm sure that's what it is."
O'Neill gave her his "should I believe you" look and decided it wasn't worth it. He turned to Gallagher and asked a question of his own.
"What are we up against here?"
"Sir?" Gallagher asked. His confusion was apparent on his face.
"What are we up against? Are the Goa'uld a formidable foe, or just some pansies looking for some fun?" O'Neill's eyes were boring into his, seeming to tell him something.
"Oh," Gallagher said. "The Goa'uld are a formidable foe and not one to take lightly. They are hard to kill, especially the System Lords and most of the time you have to get through their army of Jaffa, only to find they have a personal force field keeping them safe and sound. Not the stuff of fairy tales."
He took a deep breath and forged on, "They use a variety of weapons. Things like a staff weapon which shoots out a wave of energy almost like a laser, leaving severe burns on those that are lucky enough to survive a blast. They have 'zat guns that will stun on the first blast, kill on the second and completely obliterate the victim on the third. They also have their own brands of grenades that cause temporary blindness, not to mention the ribbon devices. Oh yeah, let's not forget the ribbon devices," he said. His face had become darker as he spoke, deliberately putting on the stone face showing no emotion. "The ribbon devices can be used to kill or to coerce their intended victim into submission. The Goa'uld control these devices by placing it in the palm of their hand and control the results through it. Not a pretty way to go. Oh, and of course there's the pain stick." Gallagher found himself gazing off into nothingness as he remembered the agonizing, all-encompassing pain he endured while trying to save Daniel's Unas friend.
"The Goa'ulds are evil and will stop at nothing to get whatever it is they want." Gallagher said, pulling himself together. Nothing. And they will resort to torture if it will acquire the means to the end. They enjoy watching others suffer."
"The good news, of course," Gallagher continued, "is that they can be defeated. Despite popular belief among the people they enslave, the Goa'uld's are not gods and they have their weaknesses. Arrogance is one of them that I have used against them many times." O'Neill cleared his throat and Gallagher realized what he'd said. "Of course they also have been known to fall victim to operatives working undercover, namely the Tok'ra," Gallagher said hoping no one else picked up on his slip.
"Plus, a knife can get through their personal shield. I'm sure that a lot has been discovered about fighting the Goa'uld since I was here last," Gallagher said giving O'Neill the look.
"Yeah," O'Neill said. "Daniel can get you caught up, I'm sure."
"Yeah sure," Daniel agreed. "Jack. Don't you think it would be nice for some introductions before we go on?" Daniel was enjoying himself immensely.
"Introductions?" O'Neill asked looking around. "Oh sure. Uh, Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal'c you all know Jack Gallagher and these three are Lieutenants Ellen Bartlett, Lena Carrows and David Michaels. They are new recruits, fresh out of the Academy and hopefully raring to go. Well, all but Gallagher there. He is still in the Academy; he will just be working with us during his off time."
"Working with us?" Carter asked. "What will he be working on?" Even Daniel sat up straighter, intent on hearing the answer.
"He will be joining SG-1 on some of the more routine missions," O'Neill answered sitting up straight as well. He's preparing for battle, Gallagher thought.
"SG-1?" Daniel cried.
"What?" Carter demanded.
"O'Neill?" This came from Teal'c and both Gallagher and O'Neill turned in surprise to look at him. Teal'c sounded and looked like he almost fell out of his chair in surprise, which was unsettling to see considering the usually stoic man.
"You have a problem with this Teal'c?" O'Neill said. For once Gallagher couldn't determine what was going on in the General's mind. He personally was about to get on his knees to beg them to let him get back into action.
"He is but a child," Teal'c said looking straight at Gallagher.
"Oh no. He did NOT just say that," Gallagher found himself saying out loud. Gallagher thought about all the things they had went through….
"I am the same person I was before the "Loki" incident, the exact same person." Gallagher realized he was trembling with anger, but just didn't quite care at that moment. "You were one of my greatest friends, Teal'c. Does all that not mean anything to you?"
"It is hard to look at you and see that particular truth, Jack Gallagher," Teal'c began. "You are the same, yet different. It would be the same as if I took Rya'c to battle with me when he was your age."
"Teal'c," O'Neill said. "We'll talk about this later. In the meantime why don't you think about who he is and try to get past his appearance?"
Teal'c just bowed his head and gracefully retreated into himself all the while looking at Gallagher with a steady gaze.
Gallagher stared back, wondering what he could say to convince his old friend of his worth.
"I can save these people," he said quietly staring into the dark eyes of his friend. Teal'c looked puzzled for a moment, than gave Gallagher a bright smile that changed his entire facade. Gallagher was not the only person in the room staring in surprise at that smile.
"Many have said that," Teal'c said, then bowed his head.
The rest of the meeting went on as the members of SG-1 began their spiel about the enemy, the war with the Goa'ulds and what is to be expected of the new recruits. Gallagher found himself half listening to what was being said as he tried to tamp down his excitement. He was going back out there! They hadn't discussed anything else about his assignment since Teal'c's statement, but it didn't matter. He was going off world! Maybe life didn't suck too much after all.
The lieutenants were informed that they would be going through some intense training during the next few days and Gallagher would not be surprised if they got caught up in a mock "foothold" session. They broke for the day, each given assigned quarters during their stay and Gallagher was glad to know he wasn't expected to share with one of the lieutenants, although he wouldn't mind getting to know Carrows a little better. Back off Jack, he thought with a grin.