A/N: I meant to mention on the last update that three of the kid's fics I'd recommended in Chapter 5 could also be found on my profile page, by looking under the favorite stories. The one at Gateworld can be found using the search engine there and searching for the title and leaving the rest of the criteria blank. One of the reviewers commented they couldn't find any but one of the fics, so I thought I would pass that info along, since its difficult to post links in the story without making a mess and causing trouble, especially since three of the links are on my profile page. Also, several of the mentioned fics can be found on current and past Stargate Fan Awards pages. Like I said, pretty good stories!

Chapter 7: Lights Out

The next several days were much like the first, although starting on the next day, Hammond would send an Airman several times during the day to relieve Jack in order to attend meetings with the scientific and medical teams about their progress on SG-1's condition. Actually, it was more like lack of progress Jack quickly discovered, much to his frustration, and the meetings were little better than the first, usually degenerating into arguments or boring debates. Jack would quickly grow bored, and wish he were back with his team, it was much more fun with them. Hammond had allowed them to leave their quarters provided they were with him or their escort and explore the nearby section, and they had spent several hours playing games of Hide and Seek, Tag or Mother May I.

It was at another such meeting, on the fifth day since their return back through the wormhole, and Jack was ready to pull his hair out in frustration. Yesterday, he had grudgingly allowed the team of specialists to question the kids, to no avail. They'd only managed to confirm that the three children had no accessible memories after their biological ages, and only sketchy memories of going to bed and waking up with him around the campfire. None of them could recall an exact date, but they could all give a year, which corresponded with their remembered ages. Jack had ended the session when the kids had started to become frustrated with the incessant questions and had started to ask uncomfortable questions of their own. He'd had to spend quite a bit of time that night soothing them and reassuring them before they'd go to bed last night.

And now they sat here today, wanting another session, and this time suggesting hypnosis, and even drugs. Jack just scowled, his hands clenched into fists, not trusting himself to speak, for fear he'd say something to get himself kicked out of the meeting and then they'd do what they wanted anyway. He had the feeling the scientists were allowing him there out of humor to the General and that if it were up to them, they'd have the kids in a lab, and that was that, until they straightened it all out, no matter what it took.

Fortunately, Janet Fraiser spared him a reply. "I think drugs would be a little extreme this early in the case," she said smoothly, interrupting the lead scientist's latest spiel, "Perhaps if we had a better idea of what had happened to make the children the way the are, it would be a good idea, but until that point, I think hypnosis and medication especially should be our last resort. I'd really prefer to hear from our allies first before we took those steps, and learn their opinion of the memory blocks."

The scientist blinked, and opened his mouth to reply when the unscheduled gate activation alarm went off. General Hammond stood, excusing himself when the lights abruptly went out. Emergency lights came on a few moments later, casting a dim light over the room. The meeting promptly forgotten, Jack rose too, grateful for the interruption no matter the reason, and followed the General down the stairs. The gate continued to spin as the other world tried to establish a connection, a moment later, the wormhole opened with the familiar backsplash, and Jack noted with relief that the iris was operating, supplied by its own back up power source.

"Sergeant, report," barked the General.

"General Hammond, sir." The technician at the terminal spoke, not looking up as his fingers flew over the keyboard. "There was a power surge in the gate system, which knocked out main power. We're receiving SG-7's IDC now, sir."

"Open the iris," Hammond ordered, and all the soldiers in the gate room stood at the ready, weapons trained on the open wormhole. Moments later, SG-7 stepped through, looking surprised at the darkness and emergency lighting. Hammond ordered the troops to stand down, and another technician arrived with a report.

"General sir, it appears one of the main capacitors carrying power to the gate overloaded, sending a surge along the line back towards the generator. Sir, it may take several hours to get power back online." Hammond didn't look happy with the news and sent the tech on his way.

Jack shifted. "Sir, I should get back to the kids," he said worriedly, and Hammond nodded, dismissing him. Jack grabbed a flashlight and made his wake back to their quarters. On the way, he bumped into someone he didn't expect to find.

"Airman Jeffries? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with the kids?" Jack's anger was held at bay only by worry, and the Airman visibly paled in the dim glow of the flashlight.

Nervously, the young man gulped. "Uh, Sir, when the power went off, I took the children back to quarters, I thought I would be needed at my regular duty post, so I left them with a flashlight and told them to stay there." He gulped again nervously, obviously having second thoughts about his decision.

Jack grabbed a fistful of the man's uniform front. "Your orders were to stay with those kids. You had better hope that nothing has happened to them when I get there, you understand me?"

"Y-yes sir!" Jack let go of the man's shirt and pushed past him, doubling his pace.

Arriving outside the room, his worry only grew when he discovered the door cracked open. He pushed it open further, calling out and shining his light into the room so as not to frighten them. "Daniel? Sam? Teal'c? It's me, Colonel Jack." He pushed the door open fully, and shined the light about, his heart dropping into his shoes as he realized the room was empty.

A/N: So, after my little spiel in the last chapter about most of the chapters having the kids in them, I guess I forgot to mention the kids weren't in this one either! But where are they? Muahahaha! Oh, I so love cliffhangers, don't you?