Ian didn't hear the conversation between Sam and General Hammond. Not that he would have heard Hammond's side, anyways, but he could have figured out what was going on by what Sam was saying. Instead, though, she took the phone into the living room, and Jack and Ian took Jaffer outside to give the lab a chance to pee.

Standing on the deck beside Jack, leaning on the railing with a blanket wrapped around him – Sam had handed it to him when Jack had motioned for the cadet to follow him and Jaffer out the door – Ian watched the large dark shadow running around the back yard.

The Colonel was the first to break the silence.

"So what do think of all this?"

"The wormhole stuff, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"It's pretty far-fetched."

"But you believe it?"

"Is it true?"

Jack nodded.

"Yup."

"Then I believe you, yes."

What possible reason would he have to lie? And if he was lying, why not come up with something a little more believable – like the technology thieves or something? Wormhole theories and Stargates was so unbelievable, it had to be true.

"Good."

"What does it have to do with the invisible guys, though?" Ian asked, shivering. Blanket or not, he was cold. It was the middle of the night, after all. "Are they Ancients?"

"Nah... the Ancients were good people – the best, probably." At least the one he knew was.

"Were?" Ian asked. "Are they all dead?"

"Not dead..." Jack said, shaking his head. "They've just moved on, apparently. From what we know of them from the Asgard, they have anyways."

"And Thor's an Asgard."

Jack nodded.

"I thought he was a robot."

"I know. Anyways... The Ancients – and the Asgard, for that matter – are good races. There are a fair number of other ones out there that are as well. But where there's good, you'll always find bad, too."

Ian nodded. Everything was balanced, after all.

"The invisible guys... well, they're pretty much bad. But they're more than that, because they're also a specialized race of individuals. Assassins, for the most part – hired by anyone who wants something done that they can't do themselves."

"You think Kinsey hired them before he went after Shawn with the Army guys?" Ian asked.

It was a good guess – completely wrong, of course – but a good guess for someone who didn't know all there was to know about the situation with Shawn. And it was a good way for Jack to avoid getting into the Shawn situation just yet with Ian. Not that he didn't trust the boy – because he did – he just didn't want to throw too much at him at once.

"I'm not sure who hired them," Jack said – and that was the truth. "But you need to know this; they're good at what they do, and you landed a shot on one of them. Not everyone could have done it."

"I just hit him with a tray..."

"You bought enough time for me and the others to get there," Jack said. "If you'd fallen apart, you all three would have been killed and the Ashrak would have escaped without us even finding them."

"Ashrak?" Ian said the unfamiliar word. "Is that what they're called?"

Jack nodded.

"They have the technology to go invisible – as you well know – but they're not super soldiers, Ian. You proved that when you knocked one down with a simple tray. They're not the monsters that your mind is making them out to be, and we have a few devices to keep them from being invisible when they're close to the SGC – since we had trouble with them once there, as well."

He looked over at Ian, who was looking down the yard towards Jaffer, and Jack put his hand on the cadet's shoulder.

"You fear them because you don't know what they are..."

"Yeah..."

"Now you know. And if it'll help, we'll get one of those Atari thingies and put it in your dorm room, so you won't need to ever fear them sneaking up on you invisible again. If you can see them, you can avoid them."

Ian looked over at him, his dark eyes hard to read in the faint light from the house.

"That's what it is, you know...? I can't see them... In... in my nightmares they're invisible. I can't see them, but I always know that they're there, chasing me."

"Well, I don't think we'll have to worry about them – but you never know," Jack said, leaning on the rail of the deck as well. He was pretty cold, too, and was getting ready to call Jaffer in so they could go inside. "It's always possible that they'll come back – but I'll make sure you're better prepared next time – in case they're dumb enough to. Maybe we'll stock your room with extra lunch trays..."

Ian smiled.

"It was all I had handy."

"You adapted. That's what you should do – it's what I would have done."

Which was high praise, as far as Ian was concerned. He puffed up, just a little, feeling better already. His enemy had a name, now. Had a name, and a promise of a way to keep them from being invisible – although Ian wasn't sure what an Atari was going to be able to do to keep that from happening. He didn't ask, though, figuring he'd wait and see if Jack actually gave him one – maybe he could go find one at an old thrift store or something if General Hammond didn't let Jack hand one over.

O'Neill looked him over for a moment.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Cold?"

"Freezing."

"We'd better go in, then, before we catch colds." He put hand on the back of Ian's neck – as affectionate a gesture as he'd really make now that he had the boy back under control of his emotions.

"Thanks, Jack."

"You're welcome, Ian. But next time... don't let things get so bottled up before bringing them to me, okay?"

"It got me a free drink..."

"And don't tell anyone I gave that to you – especially your dad. He'd kill me."

Ian smiled, and Jack called to Jaffer. A moment later a shadow disengaged itself from the rest of the shadows in the back yard and came rushing over to them. Tail wagging furiously, the black lab led the two back inside.