A/N: And now the final chapter of The Adventures of Thor. Hope you enjoyed it!

Chapter 4: Heroes Come in all Shapes and Sizes

It didn't take SG-1 long to get cleared by Dr. Fraiser, although she'd kept Carter in longer than the others, for a few more tests, even going as far as wanting to keep the woman in for observation, but somehow Sam had wheedled her way out of that one. Jack made a mental note to ask her later, getting out of having to stay in the infirmary was always on his list of priorities.

Teal'c had quickly excused himself, returning to his quarters with Thor, planning to stop at Major Carter's lab on the way and pick up a length of wire she'd said he could use to reinforce the latch on Thor's cage. Teal'c was pleased his little pet was safe, and had no intention of allowing the small animal to escape again, no matter how fortuitous his presence on the planet had been in aiding their escape.

Alone for the moment, Teal'c gently placed Thor in his cage after quickly straightening out the disarray he'd caused earlier in his search for the hamster. He indulgently gave the little animal a double portion of its favorite treat, and checked that Thor had ample food and water. Gently, he caressed the small creature and smiled softly when Thor leaned into his caress. Needing to prepare himself before the debriefing, Teal'c hastened to secure the cage, twisting the bit of wire that Major Carter had graciously loaned him around the door and side of the cage. Even if the ingenious creature could figure out the latch this time, he'd have a hard time getting the wire off too. Major Carter had offered to assist him later in finding a better way to keep Thor safe, but for now the wire would do.

Teal'c looked down at his pet one last time, practically glowing with pride while he watched the animal clutch the treat between his paws, gnawing on it enthusiastically and making his small cheeks puff out to several times their normal size. Today, Thor had lived up to his warrior name. With that last thought, Teal'c left the room, pulling the door securely behind him, before joining the rest of the men of SG-1 in the showers.

Alone now, the little hamster stretched, examining the cage door. There was something new on the door, and his clever paws played with it, wondering what it was. A yawn erupted, startling the little creature into abandoning his explorations. A desire to sleep overrode any other thought in his head, and the small animal searched out his favorite corner, rearranging the wood shavings to his liking before curling into a tiny little ball. It wasn't long before the tiny furry thing was dreaming about enormous wheels and rooms full of treats.

WheelsGoRoundAndRoundAndRoundAndRoundAndRoundAndRoundAndRoundAndRound

At the appointed time, SG-1 had gathered around the briefing room table, having washed and eaten, and overall looking much better than the bedraggled group that had slumped its way down the gate ramp. Hammond studied each one in turn, and was pleased that his premier team had once again come out relatively unscathed. SG-1 had an uncanny knack for finding trouble, and an even more uncanny ability to get out of it generally unharmed. Hammond leaned back in his chair while SG-1 tried to explain what had gone wrong this time.

The story unfolded, Hammond frowning at the lack of warning for the ambush, and how the natives had simply tried them and had planned to execute them without even letting them speak in their own defense. As their tale continued, the reason for the unknown drug in all their systems, and for the slightly higher level of the drug in Major Carter's system as well as the presence of a second unknown drug became clear. Dr. Jackson had just explained how they had all been left alone, with their gear, and Jack had started to argue some detail about the quality of the food they'd been given, when Hammond interrupted. As interesting as it was, he did have other things to do, and the matter of their escape still needed to be covered.

Slowly, with embellishments by each member of the team, the means of their escape became clear. Hammond sat up straighter in his chair, incredulous. He had heard a lot of things in his long career, he did after all deal with alien technology for a living, but this had to take the cake.

"Thor? Not the alien Thor I might add, but a hamster aided in your escape?" Hammond needed to clarify, just to be safe.

Colonel O'Neill stopped his bickering with Dr. Jackson again, and Teal'c had a definite smug look on his face, while Major Carter was unsuccessfully trying to hide a grin.

"Yes sir." The Colonel squirmed a bit at the look of disbelief on his superior's face.

"And just how may I ask did Thor come to be on the planet and go through the gate? Do you realize just how many protocols that violates?" Hammond was stern. Premier team or not, they still had to follow the rules.

"My apologies General Hammond. Thor was my responsibility, and I was not aware that he had accompanied us on our mission." Teal'c took over the explanation of how Thor had gone missing, explaining how the hamster, which Hammond had been assured was always kept in a cage in Teal'c's quarters on base, had somehow learned to open the cage door and had escaped its confines. Teal'c admitted to being unsure though, as to how the animal had come on the mission.

Colonel O'Neill took up the explanation, again squirming under the General's gaze while he explained that he'd discovered that Thor must have stowed away in his pack, because he'd noticed a small hole in the pack when sorting supplies for their escape, and the presence of an empty candy bar wrapper.

Finally, all the details on their escape and return to Earth were covered and silence fell, the members of SG-1 fidgeting or doing their best to concentrate on other things to hide their nervousness over what the General would have to say about their latest mission. Hammond leaned back in his chair, debating briefly if he should reprimand them for the lapse with Thor, and deciding against it. Once the story got out, and he knew it would, SG-1 would be the butt end of just about every joke at the facility for at least a week if not more. After all, they had needed rescuing by a hamster.

Hammond hid a smile at the thought. Looked like he owed the safe return of his people to a pet. Wondering how the pentagon was going to receive this mission report, Hammond absently reached into his back pocket, withdrawing his wallet. Casually, Hammond placed a few folded bills onto the table in front of Teal'c. When the man looked up at him, question in his eyes, Hammond forestalled him by speaking first.

"Teal'c, I assume that Thor has particular things he likes to eat?" At the man's vaguely confused nod, he continued. "Then I insist that you get some more for him, on me."

It was a measure of the man that Teal'c recovered his composure quickly, nodding solemnly. "Thank you General Hammond, I will ensure that Thor receives his preferred sustenance."

General Hammond looked around the table. At his action, the members of SG-1 had become visibly relaxed. He still wasn't sure how to explain this latest turn of events to his superiors, but hopefully their like for SG-1 would weigh in their favor. With a barely perceptible smile, he dismissed his team, ordering reports on his desk in the morning. He shook his head as the banter started up almost immediately. It also did not escape his notice that several more bills were added to the pile in front of Teal'c, the other members of SG-1 with sheepish looks on their faces.

Outside in the hall, Jack breathed a sigh of relief. He was sure he'd get in trouble when Hammond had heard the method of their escape. He turned to look at the rest of his team, who were discussing the pros and cons of hamster ownership, and grinned. They did all right, his team.

Interrupting a listing of the finer qualities of hamsters by Teal'c, Jack popped a question. "So, you guys up for a little dinner? There's this little Italian place just opened up near me, and I hear their pasta is excellent." Jack dropped the tantalizing hint of delicious food, knowing Carter had a weak spot for Italian, and knowing she'd need a little more encouragement than the others.

Predictably, Teal'c agreed readily, and Daniel soon after, her other teammates agreeing and with the promise of some of her favorite food (and the Colonel offering to buy) Carter agreed too.

While waiting for the elevator, Daniel, Carter and Teal'c were again discussing the finer points of hamsters (one of Teal'c's favorite discussions), when Jack surprised them all with another request. "Oh, one more thing." He waited until he had their attention. "I just want to stop at the pet store on the way."

The other three exchanged confused looks. Teal'c decided to approach the question that Jack could clearly see on all their minds. "O'Neill, to what purpose do you need to go to a pet store? I did not realize you had any pets."

Jack hid a grin under a mask of innocence. "I don't T." His reply was unhelpful; he loved putting them off guard.

Daniel chose to press the issue. "Um, than why do you need to go to the pet store Jack?"

Jack shrugged nonchalantly, stepping onto the elevator, flipping a reply over his shoulder. "I don't. I just wanted to look at the hamsters."

Three people stood motionless, momentarily stunned speechless. So shocked were they that they didn't even notice the elevator doors sliding closed until Jack called out a cocky "Catch ya topside!"

Alone inside the elevator, Jack didn't have to hide the wide grin on his face. Yep, his team was all right.

The End