After two months of sign language everyday Sg-1 and General Hammond were getting the hang of communicating with their hands and having to read the signs. They had briefings once a week and Janet was checking their throats on the same schedule. After the third check they could all tell that Teal'c's throat was healing the fastest, though still slowly. Janet hypothesized that it was because of his symbiote.
Janet approached Jessica two weeks after she had started teaching the team and asked to be taught also. She spent a week doing a crash course of what Sg-1 had learned in two weeks and what they were learning that week. After that she joined the team sessions. She was the Chief medical officer and she needed to be able to communicate with her patients.
Today happened to be a Friday, the day of Sg-1's now regular briefings. Sg-1 was gathered in the briefing room with General Hammond, Janet and Jessica Blackwell. Sam and Jack were on one side of the table facing Daniel, Teal'c and Jessica. General Hammond was seated at the head of the table and Janet was giving the results of this week's throat check.
After Janet's report Jessica stood up and gave her report.
"They have learned enough words to have conversations and work." She started. "I have already set up a time to work with Sam on technical terms and a time with Daniel to work on archaeological terms. I'd like to work on Air Force terms with all four of you." She finished and sat back down in her chair.
"Mrs. Blackwell, all of Sg-1 have submitted recommendations of you. They agree with my opinion that you should be hired here, if only on a temporary basis. Many of the SG teams have expressed their wish to learn sign language as well. I think it would be a valuable tool in the field." General Hammond announced.
"Thank you so much. I would love to teach the other SG teams sign language." Jessica responded, excitement rising her spirits.
General Hammond turned his gaze from Jessica to look at his flagship team. "Sg-1 you will each be given a job on base, if you like. Major Carter, I would like you to stay with the Science department and continue to would with devices brought back by other teams. Dr. Jackson, I would like you to keep translating artifact brought back by other teams and continue to analyze other cultures we find. Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill, I would like you to train new officers on alien weaponry."
But, sir… Jack began to sign.
"No, Colonel. There is no way I'm going to send you and your team on missions. It's not going to happen." Hammond told his 2IC, again. "If that's all that needs to be said then you are dismissed."
Everyone stood up and walked toward the door. Jack walked next to Sam and began to sign to her. Want to spar?
Sounds good. She signed back and they head to the gym.
They stood in the middle of the ring, hands at the ready. Jack signaled for her to start and they began to throw calculated punches at each other. Sam threw the first punch, expertly aimed and Jack ducked. Bouncing back up to full height Jack swung at her chest. Sam moved her hand up and his punch glanced off to the right. Sam quickly grabbed his hand as he tried to pull it away and twisted it, carefully so as not to break his wrist.
"Ow!" He yelped, his hand stuck in hers. She quickly dropped his hand and stared at him. He looked back wondering what he had done to earn such a look. Thinking quickly over the last few seconds he realized that he had yelped. His throat was hurting; it hadn't hurt since the Exvocom had messed it up. "I talked." He said, his voice gravelly from lack of use.
"Yeah, you did." She tried experimentally. Her voice worked too. It was also rough sounding and her throat began to burn.
They both took of their gloves and put them away at top speed. Then Jack started almost running down the halls and Sam had to jog to catch up. He stopped just outside the commissary. He turned to her and whispered, "water." Whispering felt better on the throat then all out talking did. They walked to the front and each grabbed a glass of water. They waited they got to a table before drinking all of the water in their glasses.
Let's get Daniel and Teal'c. Jack signed rather than further aggravating his throat. She nodded and they left the commissary, disposing of their cups on the way out. Daniel was in his office translating an artifact Sg-10 had found on PY7-749. He was working away quietly when Sam and Jack ran into his office at top speed.
Come with us we're going to the Infirmary. Jack signed to the startled archaeologist.
Why? Daniel signed.
Just come. Jack signed before pulling the archaeologist to his feet and out of the office. The three ran off to Teal'c's quarters and knocked loudly on the door. Teal'c opened the door and Jack signed for him to follow them. The team headed to the Infirmary. Janet was in her office when the commotion started. She turned to see Sg-1 coming through the doors. They were all walking though Daniel and Teal'c looked confused. She hopped out of her chair and met the team in the middle of the room.
"What's wrong?" She asked, looking over the team again anddidn't findanswers.
"I can talk." Jack whispered. "So can Sam."
"Oh my God!" Janet exclaimed, turning to pick up a phone. "I'm calling the General." She told the team. She dialed and had a short conversation. Then hung up the phone and turned back to the team. "Each of you sit on a bed." They spread out and each sat on the side of a bed. Janet walked first over to Jack's bed. She swabbed the back of his throat and stepped back. "What happened?" He opened his mouth to start, but she stopped him with the wave of her hand. "Sign it. I don't want you to hurt your throat until I have time to figure out how you got it back so fast."
I was sparring in the gym with Carter. We had each thrown a couple of punches. I threw a punch and she blocked, then grabbed my hand as I tried to pull it back. She twisted my wrist, so I said Ow. Out loud. We each got a glass of water at the commissary and drank it, then we got Daniel from his office and Teal'c from his quarters. Jack signed, pausing a couple of times to get all the details and signs right.
"Thank you." She said and moved over to Sam's bed. She swabbed the back of her throat and asked her to tell her story. Her story matched with Jack's and Janet moved on to Daniel. Pulling out another swab she did the same thing she had the previous two times. "Tell me what happened. Sign it please."
I was in my office translating the artifact Sg-1 found on PY4-749 when Jack and Sam ran in and told me they were coming here. I asked why, but jack would answer me. We got Teal'c from his room and came here. When did Jack get his voice back? Daniel signed.
"Just before they got you, apparently." Janet answered and walked to Teal'c's bed. She swabbed his throat and asked for his story.
I was in my quarters Kel-no-reeming when Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill knocked on the door. I opened it and Colonel O'Neill signaled for me to follow him. We arrived here and Colonel O'Neillspoke. That is a good sign, is it not? Teal'c signed.
"Yes Teal'c, it is." She commented. She brought the swabs to the lab and had them tested. When she arrived back in the room. Jack and Sam were sitting on the floor across from Daniel and Teal'c. They were all signing back and forth. When Janet paid attention it looked like Sam and Jack were explaining what happened to Daniel and Teal'c. While Daniel responded to what he had just heard Jack rubbed his right wrist.
"Colonel," Janet began, getting the attention of the group. "Is your wrist alright?" He nodded and she glared at him. "Come here please." Jack got up slowly and walked over to where she was standing.
"It's fine." He whispered. She took hold of his right hand carefully and checked his wrist for anything not normal.
"Don't move." Janet said placing his hand carefully on his leg. She walked over to a freezer and grabbed one of the ice packs. She wrapped the ice pack in paper towel from a roll on the wall and headed back to the main room. Jack was sitting on the bed exactly how she had left him. The rest of the team was still on the floor signing to each other. She crossed the room to the bed Jack was on.
"I want you to keep this on your right wrist. Put it where it hurts and keep it there. That should make the pain go away. Oh, wait…" She pulled a bottle of Ibuprofen out of her lab coat, opened it and took out two small pills. "Take these also." She said placing the pills in his hand. She crossed the room again and got him a glass of water. She brought the glass back to him. "Here you go." She prompted holding out the glass. Using his left hand he put the pills in his mouth and took the glass from her hands. He swallowed most of the water and the pills.
"Thanks." He whispered as he hopped off the bed, holding the ice pack on his wrist and joined his friends on the floor. Janet followed Jack to the team still sitting on the floor. She sat down and Sam moved back, making room for her in the circle.
"So, this was a sudden thing?" Janet asked. Sam and Jack nodded their heads. Daniel and Teal'c hadn't tried their voices yet. "Do you your throats hurt?" she directed at Sam and Jack. They nodded their heads again. "Okay." She reached in the other pocket of her coat and pulled out a bag of cough drops. She handed one to each Sam and Jack. "You can have this. I've swabbed your throats already. The swabs are being tested in the lab. Hopefully the results will come soon." Jack balled up his now empty wrapper and shot it for the trashcan. The wrapper went in and he smiled. Sam put her empty wrapper in her pocket. "Have you two tried to speak?" She asked Daniel and Teal'c.
I haven't. Daniel signed.
I have not. Teal'c signed.
"Okay. I would like you each to try to speak. Don't try to yell. It would most likely hurt." Janet instructed.
"Hi." Daniel tried, his voice rough and gravelly.
"Greetings." Teal'c said, his voice clearer than the other three had been on their first try.
"That's good." Janet said. "Do your throats hurt?"
Yes. Daniel signed; using his throat again hurt and it was awkward to switch from the sign language they had been doing for weeks now.
"Mine does not." Teal'c spoke.
Janet handed Daniel a cough drop from her pocket and watched as he unwrapped it and popped it in his mouth.
So…now what? Jack signed, placing the ice pack back on his wrist when he finished.
"Now we wait until the results are back." Janet answered.
What did General Hammond say? Sam signed to Janet.
"He said he would come down after he finished signing some papers." Janet said standing up to answer the ringing phone. She picked up the receiver and listened intently to the person on the other end. After a few quick answer and nods she hung up and turned to Sg-1.
"The results are back from the throat swabs I did. I'm going to get them." She said and left the room.
General Hammond entered the Infirmary a couple minutes after Janet left. Sam and Jack were on their feet immediately.
"As you were." The General boomed and Sam and Jack sat back into the circle. Daniel signed something and Jack signed back to him. Sam joined the newly continued conversation.
"I thought you could speak." Hammond said, questioningly.
Jack turned to face him and signed a new message. We can, but it hurts our throats and Janet doesn't want us to hurt them if they are getting better. And we are used to using sign language now.
"I see." The General responded.
"Want to join us?" Jack whispered, suprising Hammond.
"No thank you, Colonel." He responded and turned to see Janet Fraiser come in the door carrying some papers.
"Their throats are healed enough for speech. I suggest they continue using sign language for a week or two while they continue to heal. They have told me that their throats hurt. I'll give them cough drops and they can use those so that it won't be so irritating." Janet told the General.
Can we go? Jack signed from beside the General. Janet looked at him and saw the rest of the team standing also.
"Not just yet. I want to give you, Daniel and Sam some cough drops. I want you all to continue to sign rather than speak. It will help your throat heal faster and it won't hurt as much. Okay?" They nodded and she headed off another part of the Infirmary. She came back with three bags of cough drops in her hands. She handed one bag to Sam, one to Jack and the last to Daniel. "Now you can go."
The next two weeks went, in Jack's opinion; the slowest any two weeks could go. All the off-world missions were recon missions, aliens didn't try to take over the base and none of the System Lords tried to overthrow the current power balance.
"Sg-1 to the briefing room. Sg-1 to the briefing room." Sounded all over the base. The members of Sg-1 left their work and headed to the briefing room.
Jack was the first one to arrive. He had been doing paperwork and at the call he leapt up and ran at the chance to abandon such work. Sam and Daniel came in next, closely followed by Teal'c. General Hammond and Janet were already in there waiting for them.
"Dr. Fraiser has told me that you are all cleared for active duty." Hammond announced.
Cool. Jack signed, not used to using his voice again.
"I'm going to send you on a mission to PY7-458 tomorrow at 1000. We need you to collect soil samples and check out the ruins." General Hammond explained.
"I think we can do that, sir." Jack said, signing under the table as he spoke. He didn't usually like these boring, data missions, but anything that got him through the Stargate and off world was good right now. He had been missing the action. Getting to go through the Stargate, to explore and to be a real team again.
"Dismissed then." Hammond commanded and Sg-1 stood and left.
0950 The Next Day
"We're all here, sir." Jack called up to the control room where General Hammond was standing.
"Dial it up." General Hammond told the Gate Technician at the computer in front of him.
"Chevron 1 Encoded." The Technician spoke into the microphone.
"Chevron 2 Encoded."
"Ready?" Jack asked his team.
"Chevron 3 Encoded."
"Yes, sir." Sam answered.
"Chevron 4 Encoded."
"I am." Daniel answered.
"Chevron 5 Encoded."
Teal'c nodded, mentally making sure he had everything he needed.
"Chevron 6 Encoded."
There was a short silence as Sg-1 waited for the gate to open. Jack adjusted his pack and held his P-90 at the ready.
"Chevron 7 Locked."
The gate burst open in a KAWHOOSH of blue liquid. Jack looked up to the General and back to his team.
"Good luck, Sg-1." Hammond spoke into the microphone.
Jack walked toward the gate, the rest of Sg-1 walking right beside him. They walked through the open wormhole and the wormhole disengaged seconds later.
1630 On Base
"Unscheduled Off-World Activation." Sounded through the base. The red lights flashing in the halls. General Hammond left his desk and ran toward the control room.
"We're receiving Sg-1's IDC, sir." The Technician said as Hammond entered the room.
"Open the Iris." He ordered and watched as the shield slid away. Tense seconds slid away and Sg-1 walked casually through the gate. The looked fine. Jack, Daniel and Sam were smiling.
Hammond left the Control Room and joined Sg-1 in the Embarkation Room.
"Sg-1, you're half an hour late." The General stated.
"Yes, sir. Sorry about that. Daniel forgot something at the ruins and we had to go back and get it." Jack explained his face straitening.
"Go to the Infirmary and checked out. Briefing in an hour." He ordered.
"Yes, sir." Jack responded and walked off. The rest followed leaving General Hammond alone in the Gate room.
Briefing Room 1730
"We're all healthy, sir." Jack announced entering the briefing room with his team.
"Good to hear." General Hammond said from his seat. "Please be seated." Sg-1 sat in their chairs and Hammond started the briefing. "Colonel, why don't you start us off?"
…FLASHBACK…
Sg-1 walked out of the open wormhole and watched as it shut down. The area around the gate was grassy and had flowers growing on the sides. Off in the distance Jack could see ruins of what looked like a building. They secured the area and hiked to the ruins. Sam took soil samples from four different spots and marked them with poles. Daniel pulled out his video camera and spent an hour filming every square inch of the ruins. Sam took another set of samples for the marked areas and joined Jack and Teal'c sitting twenty feet from the ruins on logs.
"How's it going, Carter?" Jack asked.
"Good, sir. I'll take samples from those areas every hour until we go. When we get back to Earth I'll run a bunch of tests on it and see what's in it." She explained.
"Sounds fun." Jack retorted sarcastically.
Another four hours passed by. Sam took more soil samples and Daniel continued to work on the ruins. He had switched from video camera to a notebook and pencil many hours ago. He had made rubbings of every surface of the ruins. Jack had walked the perimeter of the ruins many times and found nothing.
According to Jack, PY7-458 was a boring place. There were no signs of life, other than the plants. After finding nothing on his search for the twelfth time he sat down on the logs with Sam and Teal'c. He pulled a deck of playing cards out of his pocket and invited them to play "Go Fish" with him.
"I win, again!" Jack cheered after his fourth win.
"Good job, sir." Sam congratulated.
"We have to be back in half an hour." Jack stated packing up his cards. "I'll go check on Space Monkey." He slid the cards back in his pocket and walked to the ruins.
"Hey Danny!" Jack said loudly, making Daniel jump.
"Jack!" Daniel shouted. "Why do you do that?"
"It's fun." Jack replied innocently. "We're supposed to be back at the SGC in half an hour." Daniel looked at his watch and made a face.
"I can't believe it's been that long." Daniel stated. He had been working on the ruins for five and a half-hours.
"I can. It's really boring when you have nothing to do." Jack shot back. "You need to pack up so we can be on time for once."
"Okay. I just have a few things I need to finish up here." Daniel said, turning back to his work. He had to finish a map of the ruins so that he knew where all the pictures and rubbings came from. Jack turned and walked back to Sam and Teal'c. It was obvious he wasn't going to get anything more out of Daniel.
"He has to finish some things up." Jack told them group. Sam had packed up all their packs and they were ready to head out. They signed to each other for fifteen minutes. The signing came naturally to them now and when they spoke their hands were signing the words whether they needed to or not. They had decided to sign this conversation so that Daniel could work in peace.
I'll go get Daniel. Jack signed, standing up and walking off.
When he got to the ruins Daniel was drawing a very detailed map of the area and writing notes. Papers were stacked messily and he was sitting on them. There didn't seem to be any wind here, but Daniel had lost papers to wind before and didn't take chances with his precious notes any more. Jack walked quietly until he was standing behind the focused archaeologist.
Daniel hadn't even heard him walk up and practically screamed when a familiar voice asked him what he was doing. He quickly calmed himself down and turned to look at Jack standing over him.
"I'm finishing." He replied sharply.
"Okay." Jack responded with a smile. "We have to get back to the SGC in 15 minutes." Daniel gathered his papers and put them neatly in a folder. He put the folder in his backpack and finished his sketch. He slid that in his backpack also and stood up.
"Let's go." Daniel said, pulling his pack on. Jack headed back to Sam and Teal'c, Daniel following him.
"We're ready." Jack announced when he got back to the logs. Sam and Teal'c stood up and put their packs on. They walked at a stead pace to the gate, not rushing the short walk.
"Daniel, dial it up." Jack said with a smile when they arrived at the large ring.
"Oh no!" Daniel said remembering something.
"What is it Daniel?" Jack asked.
"I left my video camera in ruins." Daniel stated.
"Are you serious?" Sam questioned.
"Yeah." Daniel responded, his hung. "I'll go get it."
"Teal'c go with him. Major Carter and I will stay here by the gate. Be quick." Jack ordered.
"Okay." Daniel responded, shedding his pack. Teal'c did the same and they headed back to the ruins at a fast jog.
"I'm going to make a checklist for him when we get back." Jack told Sam sarcastically.
"I'm sure you will, sir." She responded quickly.
"We were almost on time too." He whined.
"I think General Hammond would be a little worried if we came back from a mission on time and unharmed." Sam thought out loud.
"Most likely. It would be a first, wouldn't it." Jack questioned.
"Yeah." She answered. They sat on the ground and took off their packs also. Looking off into the distance they could see Teal'c and Daniel running back. They weren't that far away so Jack moved all of the packs to the side of the DHD away from the gate and sat back down. Teal'c and Daniel came back after just a couple of minutes. Daniel was breathing hard and sweating and had the video camera in his hands. Teal'c looked like he always did, stoic and unchanged.
"Do you have everything now Daniel?" Jack questioned.
"Yes, Jack." Daniel replied shortly.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Do you have your notes?" Jack asked.
"Yes." Daniel answered.
"Your drawings?"
"Yes."
"Your bandana?"
"Yes." Daniel answered pointing to the bandana on his head. These questions were beginning to annoy him.
"Your glasses?"
"Yes." Daniel responded and pointed to his glasses on his face.
"Carter, do you have all your samples?" Jack asked.
"Yes, sir." She responded.
"All your notes?"
"Yes, sir."
"Teal'c, what about you? Do you have everything?" Jack asked.
"Indeed I do, O'Neill." Teal'c responded.
"Doing I have everything?" He asked himself. He paused for a moment and thought it over before cheerfully answering, "Yes! I'll dial." He said pushing the chevrons on the DHD. "Carter, put in our code." He ordered. She pushed her sleeve up her arm and punched in the code. At the signal Jack stepped over to the steps. "To Oz." He retorted and stepped through the wormhole. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c followed him through the Stargate. Sam and Daniel smiling at Jack's odd remark.
END OF FLASHBACK
"Yes, sir. We went to PY7- something, something 8. Carter took a lot of soil samples that she's going to test and Daniel studied a whole lot of ruins. Teal'c and I kept them safe and I was bored." Jack explained.
"Can you explain why you were late?" Hammond requested.
"Yes, sir. We got all the way back to the gate and Daniel remembered that he left his video camera at the ruins. I sent him and Teal'c to go get it. When they got back we made sure we had everything and dialed. Now were here."
"Thank you, Colonel. Anything else to add?" Hammond asked.
"I remember a long time-wasting checklist." Daniel stated, staring at Jack. "Do you remember that?" He asked looking at Sam. She nodded in agreement.
"I don't even want to know. Dismissed." Hammond said and watched his flagship team leave the room. Sg-1 was late and they were joking around. Everything was back to "normal", or as normal as it gets at the SGC.
Author's Note: That's the end. I hope you liked it. I still like reviews so "keep them coming."