Miscommunications
Part 4 of the 'Origins Sequence'
Sequel to 'The Strength of Defiance'
By Gumnut
Oct 2004

Jack O'Neill sat and stared at a red pair of eyes. They glowed subtly, flickering with hidden emotion, most of which was indecipherable, but he received a definite impression of confusion, worry, and not a little concern.

"O'Neill, you don't look healthy."

He smiled slightly, though his heart wasn't in it. His mind was occupied with more urgent things. "I'm fine." Darting a glance at the doctor sitting next to him, he found her expression of disagreement fulfilling his every expectation. He ignored her, choosing not to mention the reason as to why he currently looked like a cast member wannabe for the next Mummy movie. "Have you heard from Thor?"

"No, I have not. That is why I'm here." He didn't continue immediately, and the conference room echoed with the sudden silence. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack could see Daniel fidgeting on the other side of Janet. The archaeologist never seemed to relax completely around the huge Furling. Niikrahl was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the table but still managed to tower over the six humans whether they chose to stand or sit. "I have been unable to contact him." His eyes seemed to bore into O'Neill. "Nor you."

"Me?"

"I have tried to contact you repeatedly, and you have not responded."

Jack frowned.

Hammond looked briefly between the two men. "We've received no communications from you, Ambassador."

Niikrahl dismissed the older man with a look and returned his stare to O'Neill, an emphasis in his eyes. "Only you would have received my call, O'Neill."

Oh...that.

He briefly glanced around the table at the members of his team, before reaching up and tapping his chest twice. The Amulet appeared.

SG-1 stared at him.

"Jack, what is that?"

He had wanted to tell them, he really had. Hammond knew; he had to. The president knew; he was the guy in charge. But Jack had been reluctant to inform anyone else. Thor hadn't said it in so many words, but O'Neill had the impression that the Amulets were sensitive information, and until now, SG-1 hadn't needed to know.

He touched the blue crystal. "It's a communication device."

Daniel frowned. "To who?"

"The representatives of the Alliance." Niikrahl's voice was deep and emphasized the need to keep the device a secret. Daniel flinched almost imperceptibly.

A glance in Carter's direction proved his original assessment of her reaction - there was no way she was getting her hands on it. It was highly likely she would be tempted to pull it apart to see how it worked.

Daniel's reaction was no less predictable. He was leaning over the table, crowding Janet, who simply shot him an annoyed look before returning her gaze to the object in O'Neill's hand.

"No."

Daniel met his gaze, though his eyes bounced back and forth seemingly reluctant to leave the Amulet. "What?"

"No, you can't have it."

A distracted frown. "Jack, you have to at least let me have a look at it." The archaeologist looked as if he was ready to push Janet to the side and make a grab for it anyway.

Sigh. Here comes the 'ooh, looks related to the so-and-so ancient civilisation' bit. He held it up on its fine chain.

Carter beat him to it.

"Sir, the crystal, do you know what it is made of?"

O'Neill turned to stare at her. "Me? You're asking me?" She gave him the 'don't play dumb with me' look. "No, I don't know."

She wanted to get her hands on it too; he could see it in her eyes.

"No. Same answer I gave Daniel. No experiments, no study, no pulling it apart and being unable to put it back together." He replaced the pendant under his shirt, and shifted in the mandatory wheelchair. Damn, it was uncomfortable, but it had been the chair or being subjected to a Furling transporter gadget. He had had enough of that little experience with the Asgard. One beam happy alien race was enough. There was something to be said for the use of one's own legs - that's if he was allowed to use them. He glared at Fraiser...who simply stared back at him fully aware of why he was frowning at her.

At least he wasn't alone in purgatory. Daniel was also chained to a similar set of wheels and Janet's position between the two patients at the conference table, by design.

"O'Neill, you have heard nothing via the Amulet?"

Now that was a question with an open answer at the end it. "Not really."

That turned every stare in the room in his direction. He hadn't had a chance to mention Thor as yet.

"Colonel?" Hammond's eyes were politely enquiring, but demanding an answer.

He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a surprised grumble from Niikrahl. He shot a glance at the Furling only to have him disappear in a flash of red light.

What is it with these advanced aliens, anyway?

-------------------

Walter Davis was sick of listening to Siler's grumbling.

So, the Furling had ripped the speaker off the wall. So, Siler had to fix it. Big deal. Whatever had climbed into the Sergeant's pyjamas this morning and bitten him on the butt was promoting a royal whinge session that was driving the control room attendant crazy.

For crying out loud, get over it already.

Today's scheduled gate maintenance run had already been delayed by the Ambassador's rather dramatic entrance, and if Siler didn't hurry up and finish the speaker system - something that was a small job in any case - it was going to be delayed even longer.

Any longer and Major Carter would become involved, and that was to be avoided at all costs.

Siler swore again and Davis sighed.

It wasn't as if he didn't like the woman, she was always pleasant to him, and she was brilliant.

Brilliant.

That was the problem.

She scared him.

Daunted him.

He wasn't short a few IQ points himself - you don't get to control a top-secret alien device deep inside a military stronghold by flunking Math. No, he had his own smarts.

But Major Carter...

The woman pulled conclusions out of thin air, she practically melded with the computer when she worked with it. The control room was an orchestra, she the conductor, and they played symphonies together.

And, quite frankly, made him both look and feel stoopid.

How could he live up to that? He had his own ambitions, his own aim for a small amount of prestige, but he wilted slightly in her shadow.

He sighed. Damn, Siler's mood was contagious.

He played with the keyboard in front of him, briefly attempting to decide on whether to begin the preparations for the diagnostic cycle or resume the coffee break the huge alien had interrupted. After determining that the thought itself was a side effect of his current occupation, he put his feet up on the empty chair beside him and reached for his coffee once again.

He almost made it.

"O'Neill?"

Davis jumped at the voice directly behind him and the coffee cup went flying. God, Siler, I'm going to kill you!

After saving his career by preventing the destruction of the dialling computer due to beverage contamination, he flicked the hot liquid off his fingers, and, brushing his hands hurriedly on his uniform pants, turned to take a piece out of Siler's hide.

Except it wasn't Siler.

An Asgard stood staring up at him. Shit.

"I am looking for O'Neill."

Yes, of course he was. Davis found his tongue tangled in his teeth. He knew about the Asgard, had seen them flitting about with their transporter gadget, but he had never been required to converse directly with one. Two large, deep black eyes peered up at him. "Uh, yes, sir, I'll just locate him for you." Davis turned and reached for the phone, stubbing a finger in his haste.

Before he could dial, the room was lit up in a bright red flash. "Thor? Where the mikbar have you been?"

Davis was almost afraid to turn around this time.

Ambassador Niikrahl stood hunched over and taking up most of the available space, staring down at the little Asgard with a rather fearsome frown on his face.

"I am looking for O'Neill." The Asgard flickered and Davis finally realised that this was a holographic transmission, not Thor in the flesh.

There was another red flash and Colonel O'Neill appeared in the room, a rather befuddled look on his face.

He was also standing.

Wavering.

Shit.

Davis moved over to steady him. He was fully aware of the man's injuries and wondered where the Doctor was.

"There he is. Now, where have you been?" Niikrahl towered over the other alien demanding an answer.

A yelp and a string of muttered curses from the stairwell heralded the arrival of first Teal'c, who looked just as fierce as Niikrahl, moving immediately to assist the Colonel, and then the General, Major Carter, and a Fraiser-supported Doctor Jackson. The archaeologist looked as pale as Davis currently felt.

"Thor, are you going to answer me or not?"

The pale alien held up a hand. "Calm yourself, Niikrahl. I apologise for the delay in my reply. My ship was on long distance reconnaissance and there has been some interference with our communications. As soon as I realised the problem I contacted you immediately."

"Thor, are you okay?" The Colonel was unsteady on his feet and Teal'c was hovering as the man moved away from him towards the Asgard.

"I am well, O'Neill." His black eyes fixed O'Neill where he stood and the tall man seemed to waver in his stride. Davis quite frankly found those eyes eerie and had no wish to catch their attention any more than necessary.

"You sure?" The Colonel frowned, an expression of puzzlement crossing his face.

The Asgard reached out a hand and brushed it against O'Neill's arm, the hologram shimmering as it slid through. "You do not seem yourself, Jack. Are you well?"

The Colonel shook his head as if frustrated, his hand coming up and dismissing any concerns regarding his health. "I'm fine. You called me, you said you needed help." Several heads suddenly turned towards O'Neill. Major Carter frowned, the Doctor echoing her expression as she forced Doctor Jackson to sit down, and made her way over to the Colonel. He didn't appreciate her presence in the least. "For crying out loud, Doc, I'm okay, I just need to speak with Thor for a moment."

"I think I should be the judge of that, Colonel." He struggled, a pleading look in the General's direction refused with an arch of an eyebrow. Colonel O'Neill was ushered to a chair.

Thor followed him, his shimmering footsteps, silent. "O'Neill, is there anything I can do? We are currently still quite a distance away-"

"Thor, I'm fine. I'm more concerned about you. You called me, you said you needed help. You said you had been captured. I heard you scream." The man's eyes were almost wild.

The Asgard looked seriously concerned. "I assure you, O'Neill that I am well. There was a brief altercation, but the problem was solved. I am sorry if I caused you undue concern."

"Altercation?!" The Colonel became more than agitated, attempting to stand again, his movement only prevented by the set of Doctor's hands pinning his shoulders to the chair. "I think it was a little more than an alt-"

Suddenly the man froze, and his eyes bugged out almost to the point of popping from their sockets. "Oh god." He reached for his head.

His eyes rolled back their whites showing. He whimpered and collapsed.

The Colonel fell sideways, the doctor hard pressed to catch him. Only a huge hand, courtesy of Niikrahl, saved the man from a painful encounter with the floor. "O'Neill?!" The Furling lowered him gently to the floor. "O'Neill!"

The Doctor threw Davis a look and he grabbed the phone to call for medical assistance.

The tinny answer at the other end of the line was almost drowned out as Jack O'Neill began to scream.

-----------------
FIN.