Author's Note: The Alexander link is only useful if Jaffer is close to Ian…

OOOOOOOO

"Even if someone did kidnap Ian – an Asgard, I mean…" Shawn said. "What makes you think they'd admit it?"

"There is no reason any of my people would take him," Thor repeated. "It would not make any sense… we do not just take…" he trailed off, looking down at the arm of his chair.

"What?" Jack asked, thinking that while he might run off the end of a sentence a time or two, it wasn't something Thor normally did, so something had to be up.

Thor blinked and looked back up.

"It is nothing. I was just…"

"Just…?" Sam repeated, just as curiously.

"Just thinking of something… someone, actually. But there is no reason to believe he would have anything to do with-"

"Who?" Jack interrupted.

"One of my people – a scientist – was expelled from our scientific community for performing experiments on your kind. Unsanctioned experiments."

Jack frowned.

"Expelled?"

Janet scowled.

"Unsanctioned?"

"You believe this rogue Asgard may have abducted Ian Brooks?" Teal'c asked.

"No. There is no reason to believe he has continued with the experiments, and it would be far too much of a coincidence that he would choose Ian Brooks as his subject."

"We live for coincidences," Jack said, his face growing tight once more. "Why don't you call this guy up and see where he is?"

"And who he's with," Janet added.

"He could not have-"

"Just do it, Thor," Shawn said before Jack could explode. "Someone took Ian… why not this guy?"

"Because Loki would not have any reason to take Ian Brooks," Thor said. Again. "If anything, if he were going to cross that line again, chances are he'd have abducted you before anyone else, Shawn."

"Me?"

"Shawn?" Jack asked, and now he was so tense that Jaffer actually growled softly, sharing his Jack's anger as he sometimes did.

"Shawn or Andrew Stephens," Thor amended.

Now Teal'c was rather tense as well.

"Is Andrew Stephens missing from his home?"

Thor palmed the panels on his chair arm, and the headsup display showed the scanners of the ship checking the area around Colorado Springs. Since Thor was frequently in contact with Andrew, finding him was easy. He shook his head.

"He is home, sleeping in his bed."

"Why would this guy-"

"Loki," Sam supplied.

"Why would he want Shawn?"

Thor visibly hesitated, and then answered, realizing that nothing good would come from lying or prevaricating.

"Shawn is the one I have been training. Loki knows this – as do several of the others, of course. Shawn would be the one Loki would want information from – to gain assistance in his research."

"What kind of research?" Janet asked before Jack could.

"The same research the rest of us have been devoting our time to," Thor said. "Finding a way to save our race."

OOOOOOOOOO

"You are going to get us killed."

Ian looked over at Loki, who had once more been tossed to the side when Ian had pressed yet another button on the console, and picked himself up off the floor – again.

"I'm getting the hang of it."

"You just turned off the navigational computer."

"Yeah, well, we don't need it anyways…"

The little Asgard sighed, and tried to right himself once more – while at the same time attempting to brace himself against the bulkhead in the event that Ian pressed yet another button.

Which he did.

This time the ship shuddered again, and Ian and Loki were both tossed forward as they lost inertia. Ian slammed up against the main console, while Loki rolled forward and struck the back of the command chair.

"It's like being in a fucking pinball machine," Ian grumbled, pulling himself to his feet once more and rubbing his shoulder.

"You do not know what you are doing, Ian Brooks. Release me from my bonds."

"No. You had your chance, you stupid fucker. Just tell me how to get home."

"No."

Ian walked over and dragged Loki away from the chair, not wanting him anywhere near any command features that might be used against him. Pushing him back against the wall – and not feeling at all guilty to see that the little bastard was bleeding from a cut on his forehead – Ian started to say something, when the headsup display in the front of the bridge suddenly activated, showing them a star system that Ian didn't recognize. No big surprise there.

"What's that?"

Loki looked over, sullenly.

"We have stopped. The display turns on automatically."

"Huh…"

Ian walked over and looked at the display. There weren't any planets around them that he could see – although there were a couple of bright stars in the distance that probably had some orbiting them.

"Where are we?"

"I do not know."

Ian scowled.

"How do I get home?"

"I am not telling you."

"Why are you being so fucking stubborn?" Ian snapped, losing his barely reined in temper. "I'm not going to do what you want, and I'm not going to-"

"You must help me," Loki interrupted. "You do not understand the need-"

"You want a solution to your genetics problem," Ian interrupted. "I'm not stupid, you dumb shit. But I'm not your solution – and even if I was, I still wouldn't help you."