Jack O'Neill was worried as he walked purposely toward General Henry Landry's office, although he couldn't help the memories that washed over him as he walked down the familiar halls of the SGC. This had been his home away from home for almost ten years, and he knew this place like the back of his hand.
The memories were only a slight distraction to what he was really experiencing. Gallagher was in serious trouble and Jack worried that if he took on the kid's problems, he would be forced to face his own. But Hank Landry had called him personally to ask for his help and Jack figured it wouldn't hurt to just come out and talk to his clone.
Now that he was here and saw for himself the defeated, haunted look in Gallagher's eyes, he wasn't so sure that this had been a good idea after all. Jack remembered way too many times when he had been in the same boat, and working with his clone was bound to bring back those dreaded memories, but at the same time, he couldn't turn his back on him.
He grinned at Siler as he passed by, shaking his hand and asking about his family. They exchanged brief pleasantries before Jack continued on his journey to talk with the current commander of Stargate Command. He knew he was going to have to do some fast talking to get his clone out of this facility and Jack began to come up with several reasons why he should get the kid out of there before Mackenzie moved in.
He reached the General's office just as Hank did and Jack wondered why he didn't just go up to the observation room to talk to Landry instead of all the way to Landry's office. Hank seemed to realize what Jack was thinking, because he said defensively, "I'm worried about Gallagher, Jack. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't making a mistake in calling you."
"He's my clone, for God's sake!" Jack exclaimed in exasperation, "Which means we are more alike than anyone could ever imagine. I wouldn't have hurt him, if that's what you were worried about."
"I didn't think that at all," Landry insisted. "I'm not sure I agree with the notion of releasing him though," he added, getting right to the point.
Jack wasn't fooled. He had used the same technique himself when he'd wanted to steer away from the topic of his own guilty feelings. "He'll be better off away from the cell," Jack said, as he watched Landry walk over to sit in the chair behind the desk. "Trust me. He won't stop being a prisoner if you keep him locked up."
"And what happens when he lashes out at a stranger or someone he knows?" Hank asked, looking pointedly at Jack.
"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," Jack responded stubbornly.
"Jack please," Hank sighed as he leaned his arms on the desk. "Put yourself in my shoes. He is a danger to himself and to others. I can't let him go free and then have to send out teams to drag him back here after he's tried to kill someone when he lapses into one of those flashbacks. I won't let it come to that."
"Neither will I," Jack said, knowing deep down that Hank was right. He looked down at the floor for a moment then back up at his subordinate. "Okay. I understand the need to keep him here, but we need to compromise on some things. First and foremost, because I will not settle for less, there will be no cameras or microphones or any other listening devices installed anywhere near us. No one will listen in on the conversations between me and Gallagher nor will there be any guards in the immediate vicinity."
"Now just a minute," Hank said, rising from his chair.
"Gallagher's identity is so highly classified, be glad that we included you in on it," Jack interjected. "What are the chances of others hearing about it through those devices you insist on having to monitor his every word? Teal'c can stay with me to help when things get rough," he added for good measure. "Gallagher trusts Teal'c, and Daniel, for that matter."
"I'll have the camera removed," Hank conceded. "But a guard will be stationed outside the room at all times. You just may need the help."
"Outside with the door closed," Jack insisted. All he needed was for one person to learn of something he did while he was in the Black Ops to really make life miserable for him.
"Agreed," Hank said. "I should warn you that Dr. Mackenzie has been screaming about this ever since I came up with the idea. He's not happy about a rank amateur coming in to do his job."
Jack grimaced at that news. "With all the time I've spent in sessions with that man, you'd think I would have learned a thing or two about getting someone else through this kind of stuff."
"In the mood he's in, I wouldn't push that particular button, if I were you," Hank said with a small smile.
"Understood," Jack agreed. "Do I have your word that there will be no interference from anyone, including yourself?"
"You have my word," Hank replied. "Under the condition that you come and give us regular updates on how he is doing and to confer with Dr. Mackenzie regarding his treatment."
"What?" Jack asked in disbelief. This was getting to be way too complicated for him to deal with. "And just how do I convince the kid to trust me if I am running to Mackenzie every time he tells me something?"
"Not every time, maybe just once a day," Hank said patiently. "You'll probably be glad for an excuse to get out of there anyway," he added. "Gallagher had to have been treated pretty badly for him to act like this. I know that there have been some dark days in your past, Jack. This may bring up some memories for you."
"Yeah," Jack conceded. "I'm aware of that. I'd like to get started as soon as possible. When will the camera be removed?"
"I'll get someone on it right away," Hank said. "In the meantime, I've arranged a meeting with Dr. Lam, Mackenzie and your old team members to meet with us in half an hour. They'll be able to bring you up to date with what Gallagher has said or done since we've brought him back. We can also talk about how we can make this work."
Jack just nodded. He wasn't as positive about this as he tried to portray to Hank, but he was determined to give it a try. He would have much rather done it outside the SGC, maybe at the cabin in Minnesota, but he knew Hank was right. Until they were absolutely, one hundred percent sure Gallagher didn't have a short circuit in the old brain cells, he was better off in a cell. It was just going to make Jack's job a little harder in getting the kid to trust him.
Dr. Mackenzie was going to blow a gasket any minute now, Jack thought, as he stared at the psychiatrist who was sitting across the table from him. They were in the briefing room, along with the other members of this meeting, trying to come up with a game plan they could all live with. Jack tried to keep Gallagher's best interest in mind, as he was the only one who knew the kid well enough to represent him.
Mackenzie had made it known to all involved that this was highly irregular and that he was lodging a formal complaint right then and there. Jack rolled his eyes, then smiled at Carter when he caught her watching him. She, in turn, brazenly smirked at him, telling him in her own way that she could totally relate to his feelings of aggravation.
Hank spoke up at that moment to bring the meeting back to the main problem. "I've already arranged for the cameras to be removed," he said, when he finally got everyone's attention. "General O'Neill has agreed to spend time with Lieutenant Gallagher in an attempt to find out what happened during the last eight months on Hulmeshur. Teal'c, the General has mentioned that you may be helpful in staying with them in case the Lieutenant gets violent. Are you agreeable with this?"
"I am," Teal'c said, which of course was no surprise to anyone in the room, but Jack supposed Hank figured he should ask anyway.
"Carolyn," Hank continued, addressing the Chief Medical Officer of the SGC, "What can you tell us of the Lieutenant's health?"
"He was slightly dehydrated when he arrived at the SGC," Dr. Lam responded. "He also had several burns and some bruises on his legs, arms and torso. His blood work showed no traces of an alien substance and all other tests came back normal. For all intents and purposes, he is generally healthy."
"Any new scars or marks on him that would indicate some kind of trauma?" Jack asked, figuring Gallagher had to have been tortured pretty badly for him to lose it like this.
"There are a few new ones, at least ones that I've never seen or treated. I can only assume they were acquired on that planet."
"What kind of scars?" Mackenzie asked, apparently getting over his anger in order to figure out how to help the patient he wasn't going to get a chance to speak to again.
"Mostly burns, but there were a few that looked like he had been cut. Several scars on his back and chest indicate that he may have been beaten with a whip. Again, I can only speculate as Lieutenant Gallagher absolutely refuses to answer any of my inquiries about them. I get the impression that he doesn't trust me," she added sadly.
"What makes you say that?" Mackenzie asked, his eyes taking on the look Jack had always hated when he'd had to talk to the psychiatrist. It was the one that gave Jack the impression Mackenzie was just patronizing him. Mackenzie was probably trying to give a different impression, but Jack couldn't get past the impression he had come up with.
Dr. Lam obviously took the look the way Mackenzie intended, because she opened up to him immediately. "I don't know. It's just that I feel like he is waiting for me to do something to hurt him. He watches everything I do, as if he expects me to turn on him. I can't explain it. It's just the way he looks at me. Like he's sure I'm lying to him."
"Perhaps you remind him of someone he was acquainted with at Hulmeshur," Teal'c suggested.
"I agree with Teal'c," Mackenzie spoke up, causing Jack's head to swivel around to stare at him. "You may be able to use this information to get Gallagher to talk," he said to Jack.
Jack just nodded before saying, "I'll give it a try." He continued to stare at Mackenzie for a few more seconds before turning to Dr. Lam. "Is there anything else you think I may need to be aware of?"
"No sir," she said, shaking her head. "Other than the fact that he wants to get out of that cell in the worst way, he is in good health."
"Colonel Carter," Hank took control again. "You spent some time with him the morning after he arrived here. What are your observations?"
"He didn't say much, a few words here and there," Carter answered. "As he did with Dr. Lam, he refused to answer any questions regarding his imprisonment on Hulmeshur."
"What did you talk about?" Mackenzie asked. The psychiatrist had calmed down a lot, Jack realized, and he was glad the doctor had pushed past his anger to concentrate on Gallagher's problems.
"Mostly about my motorcycle and the naquadah-powered photon laser we had acquired from P3C-877. That was strange in itself," she said with a small smile. "Gallagher usually runs the other way when I start talking about scientific technologies."
"Techno-babble," Jack butt in with a grimace, then grinned when Carter rolled her eyes.
"Anything else?" Mackenzie asked.
"Well, he kept asking me why I was there," she said. "He seemed to think that there was some ulterior motive for me to spend time with him. I tried to convince him it was because I was worried about him and that I wanted to spend time with him, but I don't think he believed me."
"Why not?" Jack asked. He knew for a fact that Gallagher had some deep feelings for the Colonel. He and Gallagher had been one and the same, after all. He just wished he knew what had been done to his counterpart to cause him to act like this.
"I'm not sure," Carter responded. "I got the feeling that he was happy to have me there, but at the same time he seemed to be distant. I can't explain it. I just got the impression he was holding back on something."
"Probably trying to rid himself of the memories," Jack mused. He realized his mistake the moment he noticed everyone staring at him. Damn, he'd said that out loud.
Jack?" Daniel queried.
"Daniel?" Jack said to stall his answer.
"I told you calling him in was a good idea," Landry told Dr. Mackenzie, who was staring at Jack with a calculating look.
"Speaking from experience, General O'Neill?" Mackenzie asked.
Jack found himself glaring at Mackenzie before deciding that a change of topic was sorely needed. "Did you get a chance to spend some time with Gallagher, Teal'c?" he asked his friend.
"Yes," Teal'c responded with a nod. "He was asleep when I entered the cell. I used the restraints to tie him to the bed as instructed by General Landry, then sat with him throughout the night. He woke during the night from a nightmare, but as he was in the restraints, he did not need my presence."
"Did he say anything during his dream that may indicate what happened to him on Hulmeshur?" Jack asked, looking for anything that would help him in his quest to bring his clone out of this funk.
"He called out to a person named Taria," Teal'c responded, his features showing a flash of an emotion that Jack couldn't quite make out. "He also mumbled a few words I did not understand before he woke from the dream."
"Did you ask him who Taria was?" Mackenzie asked, as he made a note on the pad of paper he had in front of him.
"I did not," Teal'c responded. Jack had to smile at this response. Teal'c would never think to intrude on someone else's private thoughts. Too many years of serving Apophis without questioning the motives and thoughts of the snake, while hiding his own thoughts of disgust and his traitorous beliefs, had effectively trained Teal'c in dealing with the silence and unspoken words of others. It was the one trait Jack admired in his friend above all else.
"Were you there the next morning? What did you guys talk about?" Jack asked. He could only hope that Teal'c would give him something to work with.
"He did not tell me anything of the past eight months," Teal'c replied, dashing Jack's hopes. "We spoke of the Jaffa rebellion, as well as the golf excursions we embarked on during the time loop." This was said with a smile and Jack grinned back at his friend, remembering some of the other pranks he had pulled during the months they were stuck reliving the same day.
"Golf excursions?" Landry prompted, obviously forgetting the reason they were all in the briefing room in the first place. "I read the reports that you and Teal'c wrote about that time, but I don't remember the mention of a golf excursion."
"It wasn't important enough to include," Jack said, his grin turned toward Carter. He'd never told her and Daniel everything he did during that time, and it was better that most of the stuff he'd done was left out of his report. He couldn't count how many times he was glad that General Hammond, Carter and Daniel had no memories of the things he'd said to them as they'd relived the same day over and over again. Frustration usually tended to make him say some pretty hurtful things.
"What were your impressions of the Lieutenant's well-being, Teal'c?" Mackenzie asked to bring the topic back to Gallagher's problem. Jack knew part of the reason for the change of subject was because Mackenzie suffered total frustration himself when he had tried to get Jack to talk about his thoughts and feelings regarding the countless weeks he'd spent reliving the same day. The doctor was still mad about that, Jack thought with a great deal of amusement.
"He appears to be healthy, although I could tell that he was experiencing some discomfort with the temperature. He assured me that he was comfortable, but I noticed that he shivered at least once while I was with him."
"The temperature on Hulmeshur often exceeded 120 degrees Fahrenheit," Carter spoke up in an effort to explain this behavior. "I'm sure that after eight months of living there his body would have adjusted to the heat. This would explain why he was freezing when he was exposed to the temperatures we take for granted. We currently have the thermostat set at 90 degrees, which may be extremely warm for you General."
"I'll dig out my bathing suit," Jack said jokingly.
"Good thing there won't be any cameras in there," Daniel mumbled loud enough for all to hear. Jack glared at his friend, who in turn gave Jack an innocent look.
"What?" Daniel asked with a small smile. Jack just shook his head at him, then turned his attention back to Carter who was also smiling at the antics of the two men.
"Couldn't we just give him some sweaters to wear?" he asked.
"Yes, I suppose we could," Carter responded thoughtfully. "I'll see what we can come up with."
"We also have some thermal blankets for you to use if you think it may help," Dr. Lam spoke up.
"Anything would help at this point," Jack said, wondering, not for the first time, what he was getting himself into. "Your turn Daniel," he said, causing Daniel to look up from his doodling. "I know you. You spent some time with him, didn't you?"
"Don't mind me people," Landry spoke up huffily from his seat at the end of the table. "I'm just here to moderate and to make sure things run smoothly. Feel free to ignore the fact that I'm here."
"Okay," Jack said to the General before turning back to the archeologist. "Daniel?"
Daniel bit his lip in an attempt to hide his smile and Jack watched as Carter ducked her head to hide her own amusement at her commanding officer's expense. As much as Jack loved to see her smile, he knew that paybacks were hell, so he turned back to Hank to apologize for his words. "Only kidding Hank. I'm just anxious to get this show on the road. Did you have something to say here?"
Landry stared at Jack for a moment before saying, "No sir. I just want to make sure you remember who is in command of this base."
Jack couldn't help the surprise he felt at the gall Hank Landry displayed. Jack had been a part of the Stargate program long before Landry even knew it existed, not to mention the fact that he was Landry's superior officer. He scowled at Landry before saying, "Just as long as you remember who your boss is."
Landry nodded his head in acknowledgement to Jack's statement, then offered his own apology. "It goes without saying," he said, trying to smooth things over.
Jack accepted the words then turned to Daniel, who was now watching the two Generals with interest. "Daniel?"
"I did spend some time with Jack… I mean Lieutenant Gallagher," Daniel said. "I went in with Dr. Lam when she needed to get his vitals and I could tell he was wary of us being there. I'm worried about him, Jack. He was acting very strangely. He was walking on eggshells, like he was afraid of us or something."
"Or of what you represent," Jack said thoughtfully. Gallagher wanted out of there and the only way out was through the General. "Does he realize what's happening to him?"
"Yes, I think he does," Daniel responded. "He spaced out while we were there and when he realized it, he was worried that Dr. Mackenzie would put him in a mental institution." He sent an accusing glare toward Mackenzie before continuing, "He was telling us that he didn't like the quiet and…" Daniel stopped then, gesturing with his hands and shaking his head while trying to come up with the words he needed. "All of a sudden he pulled back from us, then stood up and stared at the door. He was shaking and I had to say his name a couple of times to get his attention. It was like he wasn't even in the room with us."
"He was telling us about the guards on Hulmeshur," Dr. Lam spoke up. "He said the people living there were afraid of the guards and that they would resort to silence hoping they wouldn't be chosen."
"He told us the silence would be broken by the screams of the chosen," Daniel added softly. "He's in pretty bad shape, Jack. I hope you can help him."
"I will," Jack said with confidence. He wouldn't admit it, but he was just as scared as his clone was. He was afraid that he was going to face a terror that would change his whole life forever.
"We have the security tapes if you want to get a better idea of how he's acting," Landry spoke up. "He had only one other visitor besides Dr. Mackenzie, but because of Gallagher's identity, I wasn't sure if he should attend this briefing. I didn't know if it would be brought up," he added almost apologetically. "I can have him brought here if you'd like to hear his story."
"Who was it?" Jack asked tiredly. This was not going to be an easy assignment.
"Captain Gordon," Landry replied. "He was with SG-8 when Gallagher was taken prisoner."
"I can just imagine how that went," Jack said dryly.
"Not well at all," Landry said with a shake of his head.
"I'll wait until I've seen the video before deciding whether I need to talk to him or not," Jack replied. "Well Doc?" he said to Mackenzie, "You going to tell me what Gallagher told you?"
"You know that I am bound by my ethical obligations to keep that information to myself," Mackenzie responded dismissively.
"Yet you want me to tell you everything he tells me in confidence," Jack snarled, the irony of the situation pissing him off.
"You are not bound by the oath I…"
"Whatever," Jack ground out in irritation. "You'll just have to take my word for it that I'm telling you everything."
"You want to help him General O'Neill," Mackenzie retorted. "I'll take what you give me and work with that."
Jack wanted to hit the man because he knew he was right. Damned idiot, he fumed. One of these days he was going to show up the psychiatrist and get the best of him yet. It was just a matter of time - or years, he realized with a renewed sense of aggravation. "Anybody else have something they want to add to this before I go in there?" he asked.
"Just be careful," Landry said. "He's learned to fight like a wild man while he was on Hulmeshur."
Jack turned an amazed look toward the General. The man couldn't be that naïve about Jack O'Neill, could he? Landry grinned back sardonically and Jack realized that Landry knew very well that Gallagher probably learned those moves long before the Asgard cloned him. "I can take care of myself," Jack admitted wryly, then smiled at the General before saying, "I can honestly say I taught him everything he knows."