They found the General and Anise first, then swung by the infirmary and ended up taking Doctor Fraiser with them as well. After everyone had eaten, dessert included after the kids had insisted they needed Jell-O, and Jacob had supported them, the entire group headed to the briefing room. Jack settled the kids in the corner on the floor with a board game and some more coloring books as well as a box of Lego just in case, and the adults settled down to discuss what steps to take next.
Anise started. "I've reviewed the information your team of scientists have so far managed to learn about the alien device and the children's medical records, and unfortunately, I see very little the Tok'ra can do to help. Everything indicates that their memories are irretrievable."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Dr. Fraiser spoke up.
Anise raised an eyebrow, and Jack picked up the thread of conversation. "We've noticed that the kids seem to instinctively trust us and each other. And they work with each other like a team, like they know they're a part of something. They were also very easy to convince when we had to tell them about their grown up selves. It's like they know somehow. I don't know, I just get the feeling that the memories are still there, just blocked somehow. I just feel like the memories are a lot closer to the surface than we may think."
Anise looked thoughtful. "Then perhaps the Tok'ra can be of assistance."
"Yeah, well that's what we're hoping," Jack said.
The woman gave him a small nod and continued. "In that case, I'm going to need more data. Given your people's level of technology, there was very little information regarding the memory centers I found useful. I feel I would gain much more useful information if I were to take one of the children back to my lab for a short time and run a few tests…"
"Absolutely not!" Jack exclaimed at the same time Jacob said, "Do you really think that's necessary?"
"Gentlemen please!" Hammond called. Jack and Jacob quieted, and Hammond motioned for Anise to continue.
"As I was saying, I would only need a few hours. As you know we possess technology that can tell if the memory has been tampered with. We have other devices that can tell me if retrieving the memories is even an option. If we can access the buried memories, we might gain a better idea of what exactly happened in the chamber while the rest of SG-1 was alone." Anise folded her hands on the table and waited for the inevitable reactions.
"Why can't you just bring the stuff through the gate, and run the tests on them here?" Jack was straight to the point. No way he was letting any one of his kids out of his sight. He glanced at Jacob; secretly glad the Tok'ra weren't mind readers.
The woman frowned at the suggestion and shook her head slightly before explaining apologetically. "The equipment in my lab is highly sensitive. Also, I cannot anticipate every item I may need to bring. It would greatly simplify matters to simply bring one of the children through to the Tok'ra base. Colonel O'Neill, I assure you, I am not a barbarian, I will do nothing to harm the children. But we need more information if we are to find a way to change them back, and I cannot work with the information you have on hand." Anise met his gaze coolly, almost challengingly.
Jack scowled, and opened his mouth to reply, but Jacob beat him to the punch. "Which one?"
Anise opened her notebook, and turned to a page, referring to something. "Any of them would do, but it appears that Samantha retains the naquadah and protein marker from her experience with Jolinar, even in a child's body. We believe this may enhance the chance for success of the memory recall device."
"Whoa, wait just a minute here. You aren't planning on using that thing on her are you? She's a kid." Jack scowled. Jacob looked equally upset over the suggestion.
Anise turned to face the Colonel. "Only as a last resort, should less intrusive methods fail to reach the suppressed memories or discover anything useful. The device is safe, and I will be monitoring her bio signs at all times."
Jacob's head dipped, and Selmak spoke. "I believe Anise is correct. It may prove necessary to use the device in the end, but I too feel it will be safe as long as the subject is monitored closely." Jacob's head dipped, signaling a return of control to the host.
Jack spoke angrily. "It's not a subject, it's a child for cryin' out loud."
"I know Jack, we happen to be talking about my own daughter being the subject. Jack, I don't think we have much choice. For once, I agree with Selmak. It's that, or we wait around twenty or thirty years for them to grow up again, and frankly, I don't think I'm ready for that, are you?"
Jack blinked, Jacob's question hitting a little too close to home, for he had been pondering that exact same question during the last week while the kids had been staying with him. But no matter what his thoughts on the question were, he still owed it to them to at least try and give them their lives back.
Hammond saved him from a reply. "How long would you need?"
"Several hours. Half a day at most," Anise answered confidently.
Jacob looked over at Jack. "I'll be with her the entire time. She's my kid, I won't let anything happen to her."
"I know," Jack stared down at the table wishing there was some way he could say no.
Sensing their decision, Anise glanced at the General. "I should go back ahead. I will need a short time to prepare a few things, and I can let the council know what we are planning." She stood up, and Hammond nodded to her, rising as well and accompanying her from the room.
"It's for the best Jack," Jacob said finally.
"I know," Jack repeated, looking over to where the kids still played in the corner, oblivious to the conversation the adults were having. He pushed himself to his feet. "Look, I'm just going to put a few things together for Sam, why don't you spend some time with the kids for a little while? I'll be back in a few."
A/N: Well, thought I'd get a little update in. I'm doing my 48-hour weekend on-call this weekend, for the first time in a year, since I've been working the weekend option program up until the last few months. (So of course as soon as I'm off I come up for on-call) So as luck would have it, my very first weekend on-call, a nurse that never calls out unless it's a family crisis, is having a family crisis and has called out the entire weekend day shifts she's working. And here's me, that hasn't worked dayshifts in nearly three years now, so I'm a little sleep deprived as I write this and planning on drugging myself a little so that I can sleep tonight, maybe. Of course, now I've got your update in, you may not get another one for a few days depending on how this weekend goes! (Now that I have left you hanging eh? Well, nothing unusual there.)