Title: Self Defense
Series: New Balance: Year One, Story Two Part One (2 of ?)
Author: queen
Category: Gen, Humor, Casual, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Pairings&Co: Team (friendship)
Spoilers: random past season references
Season / Sequel: Season 7 and previous story(s) of New Balance Series
Rating: PG-13 – T
Content Warnings: Language?
Summary: Times goes on and not surprisingly a member of the team has trouble handling things.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The situations and original story are the property of the author. Not to be archived without permission of the author.
o–o
NEW BALANCE:
SELF DEFENSE
(PART I)
Your spirit is the true shield.
True victory is self-victory.
Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something.
The Art of Peace, Morihei Ueshiba.
x–x–x
In a house located in an allotment of similar houses, in the first room of four on the first and only floor of this house (if you don't count the attic or the basement), in the cocoon of pillows and blankets disposed on the bed at the center of this particular room, one boy was sleeping.
Everything was quiet, the curtains were drawn but few ethereal rays coming from the outside were diffusing a cold light. There was enough lighting to distinguish the surroundings and particularly the vague form of a body lying in the bed.
The digital clock on the bed-table indicated 2:14 am.
Suddenly, movement came from the figure on the bed. Nothing abrupt and nothing unusual, the boy was still very fast asleep. However, after awhile, he let slip a light moan as he seemed to grow uncomfortable.
The next moment, Daniel Jackson, the boy in the bed, woke up (or close to anyway).
Pee. Need to pee.
Half asleep, he discarded his quilt; the fresh air that brushed his tepid skin didn't succeed to wake him further. His messy hair dangled before his eyes; he was on automatic mode. A bare foot on the carpet was quickly followed by the other; he finally stood straight slightly unsteady but firm on his feet and proceeded to walk to his door. Hand on the knob, the door slid open; the colder air and the chilly floor of the hall made him shiver but mostly unperceptive, he passed on to his immediate destination.
He didn't notice the open door of the room across; he didn't go and check on the person who was supposed to occupy the room across; he didn't realize that there was no one in the room across. No. Daniel went into the restroom not far away on the same side of his own room; the cold tiling made him quiver but he easily pushed away the passing feeling and remained contently in his slumbered state.
He turned the light on, pulled down his breeches, got his privates out and took a satisfying and satisfied leak. Once done, he packed up, flushed the toilet, turned the light off and went on his way back. Once more, he passed before the open door of the room across his own, even more oblivious and a step further into his sleeping slumber.
He didn't check on his friend who was supposed to sleep in the bed of the room; he didn't notice that his friend wasn't tucked safely and warmly in the bed of the room; he didn't wonder where his friend could be in the still of the night if not in the bed of the room. No. Daniel went into his room, shut his door behind him, rushed into the cosy haven of his bed, closed his eyelids and was, once again, completely out in dreamland.
x–x–x
"Daniel Jackson!" a voice was taunting him over and over again.
Daniel moaned nonsensical words to the world, particularly directed to the person who was disturbing him; it could have been words of protest or words of reassurance (no one knows… including, at the time, Daniel).
"DanielJackson, you must wake up in order to prepare for another day of education!" The young and tall boy standing at Daniel's bed said calmly, outstanding proof of his ever-so-long patience, since he had been repeating equivalent lines for the past fifteen or so minutes – and thus without success.
"Mmm… mwan…mmdo," mumbled the sleeping boy stubbornly gathering his quilt over him.
Eventually, Murray Teal'c Ronson bowed his head swiftly in surrender and went out of the room. Arriving before the closed door of the bathroom, he knocked and then talked to the person inside.
"Jack O'Neill, I fear that you have to take the matter of Daniel in your capable hands!" He said loud but far from shouting as his composure would not permit him.
Behind the door, the water stopped flowing.
"Okay T, no problem! Go get your stuff and get down, I'll be out in a minute," a young voice answered him after a moment.
Teal'c went then to his room to get his backpack. When he passed again before the bathroom, the door opened and Jack O'Neill appeared, mostly dressed but a towel on his head, scrubbing energetically.
"Good morning! The sun is shining, the birds are singing and Daniel is sleeping! A great day, I say!" claimed the boy with a wide smile and obviously in a good mood.
"Greetings, Jack! I am grateful to you for taking care of this… this for me," said Teal'c, "I can not seem to comprehend why Daniel asks me to wake him up in the morning when he is highly unresponsive to my pleas!"
Jack only laughed as an answer and went away toward his room.
Then Teal'c went downstairs. He found Samantha Carter in the kitchen, sat at the table, a plate of partially eaten pancakes and a mug before her, all the while seemingly engrossed in a scientific magazine.
"Good morning, Sam!" The boy greeted her while putting down his bag next to the entryway.
"Hi, Murray!" the girl finally noticed him and threw him a glance quickly accompanied with a quick smile.
"Do you want some pancakes? I've just made them," she said and added without waiting his answer, "Help yourself, they are on the counter behind!"
"Thank you, I will do so!" the boy answered and went to take a plate.
With a pleased expression, Sam returned to the article she was reading.
At that moment a racket was heard coming from the first floor, more precisely coming from Daniel's room.
"Wakey, wakey, Daniel!" a voice shouted, followed by more rackets.
Sam left her magazine once more and eyed a suspicious gaze at the ceiling.
"Um, Murray! I suppose you've left, once again, the charge of waking Daniel to Jack," she commented, then not really sympathetically she added,"Poor Daniel!"
"Daniel, wakey, wakey… Oohoo, wake up, OOHOO, WAKE UP!" the voice persisted.
Teal'c sat at the table, opened a jar and started to spread jam on his pancakes.
"Indeed!" he said not commenting further.
"Waaakey, wakeeeeey, Daaaaaaaanieeeeeeel!" the voice was restless and unquestionably very obnoxious.
Some more racket was heard then a sudden thud.
"JAACK, will you SHUT UP!" They finally heard Daniel snapped.
"I can't believe it – you made me fall! Stop jumping on my bed and get OUT! I'm up now!" his voice could be distinctly heard.
"Jack O'Neill is always successful in his course of action! It is really good, my compliments, Samantha!" Teal'c retorted between two bites of his strawberry covered pancakes.
"I can see that… and thanks," Sam replied while standing up and getting a glass of orange juice. She also filled a glass of milk and put it next to Teal'c's plate. The boy thanked her, drank from the glass and took a banana from the fruit basket on the table. Sam went to take a bowl in a cupboard, a spoon in a drawer, the fruit loops on the counter and put them on the table at a vacant place.
The next minute, Jack descended the stairs, his backpack in his hand. He passed next the living room and threw his bag on the couch.
"Hello Sam!" Jack said with a wide grin.
"Good morning!" answered Sam while eventually putting the glass of orange juice and the bottle of milk in front of the bowl.
"Thanks," the boy said to her and nodded at Teal'c, "Mission accomplished!"
Then Jack sat down and began his breakfast. Sam, still standing, went to turn on the coffee machine, got sugar then cream and put them on the counter next to a big clean mug. Once done, she finally settled down and resumed her reading.
For awhile, a casual and uninterrupted silence fell down on the three teens as they were occupied with their morning routine.
Taking another mouthful of his fruit loops (the thought of being surprised to still be fond of the said brand has unexpectedly never crossed his mind twice), Jack finally noticed the appetizing dish his companions were having for breakfast.
"T! Pancakes!"
The taller teenager had now devoured the entire content of his plate and was attacking with calm enthusiasm (more like declared pillage) the basket of fruits.
"Sam made them," was the short answer the black boy gave as he was pealing an orange.
"Carter!" Jack scoffed.
"As in Carter cooking?" Jack gibed with the same foreboding tone.
"That's a pretty scary picture! Are you sure it isn't toxic… least of all edible?" The young boy stressed in a blatant manner as to attract the attention of the third person (pathetic attempt at teasing and verging on the borderline of insult but it's only an opinion). His effort went in vain since the girl in question was completely oblivious to his little histrionics. In the end her attitude left him unsettled to how to proceed further.
It took him the matter of a second to act (which in his perspective of dilated time means a great deal of thinking).
He moved his hand toward the so-interesting magazine and pushed it down.
"Sam! Pancakes!" He repeated once their eyes met.
The glassy quality in her gaze faded and her pupils focused suddenly before she stammered a response.
"Oh! Okay! Sure you can have mines, no problem! Here!"
She pushed her plate in his direction with an earnest and altogether innocent expression. All in her demeanor showed how genuine her misleading understanding of the situation was and how little (or not at all) she had heard his rantings.
Jack pondered and hesitated. Would he decline and keep on belittling her cooking skills? He really did ponder but the compelling had abruptly disappeared and in this precise moment, the only reaction out of him was the one he adopted.
"Yeahsureyoubetcha!" He blurted in a high-pitched voice.
He smiled stupidly (note that his answer really doesn't make a lot of sense in the present context, not that what he says really does always make sense or has to make sense – in most situations anyway).
With the fork he borrowed from her, he took a bite; she ate them with maple syrup just like him and he savored the way it melted delicately on his tongue, all along under her watchful eyes.
He sighed with pleasure.
"Sweet!"
Sam's gaze softened as a wave of tenderness veiled her expression. It went straight to Jack's heart which pumped loudly as he was getting lost in the moment. And when she finally talked, he almost jolted.
"Before you start, know that I can manage breakfast… do almost any kind of pie… bake some cakes… and most importantly, my cookies are killers," she claimed spark in the eyes and smile on the lips.
Jack's eyes in turn widened with childish jubilation at her words.
"But… But that's the best food!" he stammered and then blurted, "That's excellent!"
"Excellent!" He repeated once more with a boyish gloating grin.
He finished the plate with avidity.
"You're full of surprises, Sam!" He commented, glad that she was still gazing at him, the affection not having left her face.
"Oh but you hardly know all about me," Sam retorted.
There hadn't been an ounce of teasing coming from her during the whole conversation and if Jack had been more heedful, he would have noticed her dreamy and nostalgic spirit. But there was no harm in being teasing, no harm in just enjoying the mood.
"Oh, is that it?"
"So tell me something I don't know!" Jack dared her.
She took a moment.
"Um let me think… I… I was a chorister from nine to twelve at St Joseph Church in Hampton, Virginia," she said.
"A chorister huh?" repeated Jack.
"What is a chorister?" interjected Teal'c surprising Jack who had forgotten he was even there in the first place.
"That means she used to be a singer in the choir of a church," Jack explained quickly recovering his mind.
Teal'c frowned slightly (which means nothing or anything and is entirely left to your own interpretation).
"Why did you stop by the way?" Jack enquired.
"I don't know if that counts since you already know I'm level three in hand to hand combat but I'm ranked kyu two, which isn't really high anyway, in Aikido," Sam kept on.
Jack's face revealed a state of confusion (rapid switch of topic often does that to him).
Sam chuckled in response but turned first to Teal'c.
"Aikido is a martial art."
She eventually turned to Jack.
"And before you start again, no I'm not avoiding your question, Jack!"
"That is most interesting, Samantha, maybe you could explain to me later how it is practiced since Jack, here, seems so eager to obtain the answer to his inquiry," Teal'c said before standing up to get the remaining pancakes on the counter.
"So? Why did you stop then?" Jack barely waited till the other boy finished his sentence.
"The year I got twelve, I think it was in February, I fell sick, an angina. It was pretty serious… Once cured, I discovered that I didn't get my voice back. I mean singing not speaking voice… I've never known if it was because of the illness itself or because my voice just broke, you know."
Jack was intently listening just attentive in learning more on her past. On his side, Teal'c was clearly intrigued as he ate the pancakes.
"And there is always the option that it was all in my head," Sam laughed, "To tell you the truth; I was quite relieved at the time. I started it – singing – because I liked carols. But oh you can't imagine how petty the competition was inside…"
"It was plain ugly at times!" she finished with a sigh.
Sam closed her eyes and dipped her head, something having disturbed her train of thoughts. But she recovered in a blink of an eye. Jack chuckled heedless of her brief lapse.
"And last but not least, I once won the first place at an art contest," claimed Sam forcefully cheerful.
She showed to her audience a calculated smirk.
Jack startled, disbelief clearly flashing on his face while Teal'c raised his right eyebrow very high.
Seeing their expressions, Sam could only burst into laugh.
Daniel chose that moment to appear at the bottom of the stairs. He put down his bag on the ground and joined them.
While still wet from the shower and standing on his feet, Daniel couldn't exactly be qualified as fully awake… yet (not if awake means being the sensitive, kind and intelligent Daniel everybody knows).
"Hey I'm telling you the truth," Sam protested between two giggles.
Daniel quickly poured down coffee in his mug, added a large quantity of cream and three lumps of sugar. Despite of all its inconvenience (which nowadays for Daniel can be summed up to its awful taste) Daniel could not go without coffee, especially in the morning. And as he gulped his first sup, his body finally relaxed and his mind fortunately cleared.
"What were you saying?" Daniel asked as he noticed the laughing mood.
"Hi Daniel!" Sam smiled to him in a vaguely conniving demeanor.
"Hi guys!" Daniel greeted them dismissively, turning most of his attention to his drink.
"Sam was trying to make us buy she won a prize in an art contest," Jack answered.
"Indeed, it is highly suspicious," Teal'c confirmed.
Daniel was anything but remotely grudgeful or not easily distracted. That and the coffee circulating in his veins made him forget and forgive the morning events.
"Oh you mean when she got first place and her drawing was hang for people to see," Daniel retorted slowly sipping his drink.
"What? Is that true?" Jack spurted.
"Told you so," Sam said smugly.
"Yeah…" confirmed Daniel.
"Of course she was four at the time!" Daniel mentioned in a by-the-way manner.
Sam burst into laugh again seeing the face Jack made.
"Unfortunately as you are, oh so well, aware of, my drawing skill hasn't improved since then," she concluded dramatically but grinning.
"Daniel, how do you know about this?" Jack realized inquisitive.
"Oh… That's because…" Daniel began naturally and stopped steeply, "I don't know… I don't remember."
After his descent from the higher plane of existence (does that sound as ostentatious as it sounds for me?), Daniel hadn't completely recovered all his memories and sometimes his mind came blank right in the middle of a conversation… totally unexpectedly.
"I'm sure it will come back but I guess Sam just told me!"
Heedless and with easy disregard, Daniel poured down the coffee left from the pot and after flavouring it to his taste, drank it all up. Jack frowned but let the matter slip, somehow it bothered him but it wasn't really important and would not be answered in the near future, seeing the way Sam was returning her attention to her magazine.
So brandishing his stolen fork, Jack attempted to pick up the last pancake… but already Teal'c had claimed it. Wanting to dispute the piece of food, he gazed at the other boy. But Teal'c threw him a death glare and taken aback, Jack retreated.
"Wow, T, scary, remind me to never step between you and your food… ever!"
Foiled, Jack sipped the sugary milk of his bowl and drank up his orange juice.
Once finished, he got up and began to clear out the table. He put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher including Sam's mug and Teal'c's flatware. He stowed away the milk, the jam and the cereals while Teal'c began to clean the table with a sponge. Daniel did the same on his side and soon the kitchen was in order.
"Okay let's go now! Time's up," Jack claimed as he snapped the magazine from Sam's hands, "you can read that… another time!"
Taken by surprise and at fault, Sam smiled shyly and got up. Suddenly, she grabbed Daniel's arm getting his attention.
"Oh Daniel, I almost forgot, I saved a large pancake for you in the oven, I rolled it with chocolate paste as you like!" Daniel's face lightened and he spontaneously gave her a peck on the cheek.
"Thanks!" Daniel didn't wait and went to pick up his treat.
Sam smiled with the similar tenderness shown earlier while Daniel joyfully took a bite. Putting the magazine in a corner, Jack frowned again but turned his head away and went looking for his bag.
"You can't feed on coffee no matter how temping it is," Sam winked at Daniel.
"I concur, it is most unhealthy to not have sufficient sustenance at the beginning of the day," Teal'c agreed.
"And God forbid Teal'c to go around without an over-filled stomach or Daniel with an empty one!" Jack scorned.
They quickly dressed up in their thick coats as the weather was getting colder. They walked in the entryway all geared up and ready to face another day (clear reminiscence of the old times, isn't it?).
"Here we are, folks!" Jack claimed as he opened the front door.
x–x–x
The school grounds were always crowded when lunch time came. A continuous at times energizing at times simply nagging background noise was roaming through the halls. And the place where the noise was at its pike, particularly at this time of the day, was none other than the cafeteria.
As nobody dared to face the low temperature and the absence of sunlight outdoors, the majority of the students gathered inside the large room, spending more time chatting than actually eating.
It was among those groupings that two teenagers whose appearances were rather contrasting – one was an energetic slender brown-haired boy, the other a stolid sturdy tall black boy – cleared their way to a vacant table while carefully handling their trays.
The two were in the middle of an intense conversation, one that appeared to be running for a long time already.
"I do not see the point in such an activity," the black teen said in a really unexpected formal manner that contradicted with his looks, he was in fact sporting a flashy attire which branded the name of a famous basketball team.
"What is wrong with you guys? Where is it you – people – picked up that every single – damned – thing should have a reason to it?" the other responded with much more emotion and emphasis.
Finally, they both reached their table and settled down pursuing their discussion (about a matter that no outside observers can make out at this point, I guess that includes you).
"But that activity you are describing has an aim. You said that the score will determine the winner. Still it does not make sense," said Teal'c examining his tray and considering what he would start with first.
"Oh for crying out loud, you just have to put the ball in the hoop!" cried out Jack refusing to sit down and gesticulating.
"I must repeat. There is no point in this game," Teal'c threw him a firm glance conveying his inflexible stance.
"And I must repeat too – so what?" Jack finally sat on his chair.
The black teen didn't answer; he had already begun to eat. Jack followed his lead and also attacked his main dish.
"Since you so want a point, see this one – Danny has his history club, Sam her science club – we really need an extra credit to complete our course, that's it," Jack added after thinking.
"It was not my point," Teal'c replied immediately.
"Ah ah ah, stop with your point thing right here right now!" Jack waved his knife at Teal'c, the knife being in his right hand at the time.
Suddenly, they were interrupted by another boy trying to sit next to Jack.
"Uh uh! You can't sit here, pal!" Jack responded de facto with a shake of his head.
The boy apologized and quickly took off without making a scene.
"What is so bad with basketball anyway?" Jack came back on the topic at stake making it finally clear (for us).
"The ball should only be advanced on the court by dribbling which by your description means bouncing it on the ground, although there seems to have some variations which I did not understand from your explanation. What I mean is it does not appear to be the most efficient way to get the ball through the hoop," Teal'c explained himself taking a long pause from eating, which he rushed into immediately after.
"Huh?" Jack could only react.
Teal'c stopped once again to develop.
"Would it not be more refined to charge?"
It was Jack's turn to raise his eyebrow as he spoke twisting one corner of his mouth smugly.
"Refined? Let me laugh! You mean more brutal and potentially bloody! For God's sake, it's basketball not football!" Jack retorted vehemently and then vengefully took a bite from his fork.
"Maybe then we should choose football as our extra-class activity," Teal'c answered unemotionally.
"And I'm sure you'll fit perfectly in the decor!" chided Jack and he added, "But I've just got these good bones of mine and I really want to keep them like this, thank you very much, especially the knees."
"Uh uh Don't pout!" warned Jack with again a wave of his knife.
"Okay, it's just a manner of speech when applied to you!" he soon corrected under Teal'c heavy gaze and pursued with a sigh, "No really, if it depended on me, I would have taken golf!"
Teal'c raised his head from his plate.
"I do appreciate golf, a very endearing discipline!" He retorted genuinely.
"It is unfortunately not something they propose in high school, such a shame really!" Jack said and pursued, "What about baseball then huh?"
At this moment the attention of the young boy quickly shifted as his eyes focused on a spot in the distance.
Apparently another boy just appeared with his tray and was surveying the room. As soon as he saw Jack made a sign, he moved in their direction. As he approached, Jack's expression changed again. Seeing his friend frowning, Teal'c turned his head over to take a look.
"Hey Danny, where's Sam?" Jack asked once the other boy was at ear-range.
"Got paged, she's on the phone," Daniel stated matter-of-factly.
It seemed to ease the boys as Teal'c returned to his plate and Jack shrugged off.
Daniel set his tray beside Teal'c and proceeded to sit.
"Sit next to me, Danny," Jack interrupted him.
The boy threw him a dubious look.
"And may I ask why so?" Daniel queried.
"Don't be silly, flappy boy," Jack retorted, "It's simple. That way nobody will sneak at our table."
"It hasn't stopped since we arrived, I'm tired of sending people away," Jack claimed exaggerating.
Daniel still did not move, incredulous.
"And?" Daniel pressed Jack to elaborate.
Jack gazed at him conveying a isn't-it-obvious statement.
"Gee," he sighed and pursued, "and… with you by my side… do you think that anybody will dare to sit next to Murray?"
Daniel considered his explanation for a moment.
"T, make your face to Daniel," Jack encouraged.
"I do not understand your directive," the black boy said.
"Just look at him for crying out loud!" Jack lost it.
Teal'c obeyed finally.
"Okay, Okay, good enough reason… I guess," Daniel spouted before moving next to Jack.
"And stop calling me by weird names!" He protested as an afterthought.
"What do you mean Indie boy?" Jack played innocent, his eyes wide and his demeanour nonchalant.
Daniel had no time to argue as the other boy ignoring him raised his arm and waved it.
"Sam!" Jack said as the young girl approached them.
"Sam, he called me Indie boy!" Daniel greeted her with a whiny voice.
The young girl in question threw a heavy glance towards the two boys and chose not to comment; instead she put her tray on the only vacant place beside Teal'c and sit down.
"It is indeed true but for the sake of accurateness Jack O'Neill has also called Daniel Jackson flappy boy," added Teal'c seemingly to fill the passing uncomfortable silence.
"Hey!" Daniel squeaked.
"Was it a secret matter?" Teal'c asked (there you won't be exactly wrong to suspect Teal'c having acquired some sense of tau'ri humour… or tau'ri deception… or tau'ri friendly cruelty… no, no, you won't).
"No… not really but don't… start imitating him, will you?" Daniel stammered wanting to end this course of topic but that was blown out as Sam finally decided to open her mouth.
"Flappy is rather obvious since you decided to grow out your hair again," she said to Daniel and then turned to Jack, "Am I right in thinking that Indie is a reference to Indiana Jones?"
"Bright girl!" Jack gloated.
They all looked at Jack each one with different expression. Sam was smirking lightly, Teal'c seemed curious and Daniel made a face not knowing if he should be flattered or quirked. In the end, Daniel chose to be irritated.
"The movies were completely incorrect from an archeological point of view," niggled Daniel.
"They were highly entertaining, I enjoyed them very much," Teal'c countered.
But Daniel wouldn't give up and continued to glare at Jack.
"It sure lacks of originality but it's complimenting you, isn't it?" Sam cut in.
It was Jack's turn to frown up at the remark but Sam threw him a meaningful glance and he kept quiet.
"I guess Indiana Jones was kinda cool," Daniel finally shrugged off.
The respite allowed the group to proceed with their lunch, each one at their own pace.
"What's up?" asked Daniel as he remembered Sam having been paged.
Sam appeared hesitant both with the new direction of the discussion and with the food itself displayed on her tray.
"I am not sure we should discuss it here," she ended up saying.
The three boys were surprised, they all looked curious at her.
"Is it, you know, a top-secret stuff?" Daniel reacted in a lower voice.
Sam finally noticed the additional attention given by her friends as she looked up from her plate.
"Oh no, not really, I just don't want to spoil the fun," she stammered in an attempt to ease their worry.
She purposely threw a long sceptical glance at Jack.
"Why do you look at me?" Jack immediately retaliated.
The young girl seemed indecisive again, her expression however didn't convey any impression of fear nor any wish to spare him. Truth was her state of mind was quite unreadable.
"It gets kinda technical and," she began to say in a slurred voice as she didn't seem to want to fight her point.
"Oh don't stop for me!" Jack interjected not wanting to hear her vindication but mostly heedless to her mood.
He continued then in a high-pitched tone.
"I don't need your sparing me, I have survived endless briefings and debriefings of the two of you – combined" he stressed his last remark to both Daniel and Sam.
"I think I can bear um," he corrected on a whim, "enjoy some additional techie small talk, can't I?"
Sam barely took a look at him.
"Okay, if you say so," she added in a breathy voice.
She turned her attention to Daniel and stated directly to the point.
"It is bad news for us, Daniel!"
"Oh!" The boy blurted.
"Us?" Jack asked voicing his slight confusion.
"To be precise, it's essentially bad news for me!" Sam cleared with a shrug.
"They found a serious defect in the vault," she let a sigh escape before continuing with more energy, "The imbeciles made an error of an inch, exactly 2.41 centimetres, in its dimensions, exactly in the inner width."
Once again she looked inquisitively at Jack waiting for his call.
"I haven't said nothing! Continue… please," the other boy said defensively.
"In consequence, the system designed to fetch the items inside the vault is totally ineffective," Sam elaborated, "it just blocks on them… you really wonder why they didn't check before building the wall back, the fools!"
This time, she looked attentively at the three of them to see their reaction.
"Oh! I understand!" Daniel blurted, "It must be really frustrating for you Sam!"
Jack frowned while Teal'c seemed to be even more curious.
"I'm lost there!" Jack finally commented confused.
"I do not see why it is concerning you, Samantha!" Teal'c concurred.
Sam calmly endeavoured to explain to them.
"The dimensions of the vault were fitted to the exact strict minimum. Now that they've screwed up, they have to completely destroy the vault and start from scratch, which means the lab-installations are postponed to an unknown date."
"That is indeed a bad news," Teal'c sympathized.
"That's terrible," Jack felt obligated to assert but not convinced by his statement.
Used to Jack's flaws, his friends didn't bring out his lack of sincerity.
"But there is a bright side!" Sam claimed wanting to lighten the mood.
"Oh there is!" Jack once again played sassy.
"It's an opportunity to alter the original design," Sam ignored him letting only a brief trace of fatigue passed in her eyes and she added with injected enthusiasm, "I think that a concentric fetching system would increase the diversity of the items stored inside the vault, in the same time it would optimize the space bestowed to the vault."
"Diversity?" Jack asked.
"I mean items of different size and volume," Sam explained patiently, "In the previous design, each container was uniform; it was based on the same system video rental machines use, of course, adapted in bigger dimensions."
"That's great, Sam," Daniel commented, "But what about you?"
It was easier on Sam now that she was carried on by the movement.
"Oh I have my particular plan concerning the lab," she said, "a kind of readjustment more like an improvement really," she didn't stop then added, "You see, instead of opting for a rectangle as the base of the vault, a square would permit me to isolate a confined area in extension of the vault, as if imbedded in it which will provide more security for potentially dangerous experimentation," then with genuine excitement she stated, "I would be able to do things I couldn't do without, moreover it would simplify the installations that I've already planned. Of course it would reduce the common area of the lab and it needs to be well thought-out and constructed."
She offered them a small smile which even despite of his reduced size succeeded to reach her eyes and lighten her whole expression.
"Lost again!" Jack could not prevent from saying.
"T?" The boy asked for Murray's support.
"I do believe that I 'get the picture'," the black teenager contradicted him.
"Deserter!" Jack muttered then at the amusement of his friends.
"Yeah but Sam," Daniel quickly came back to the matter at stake, "for it to be functional enough, I mean in my prospective that would mean you will have to lose quite a lot of space."
Daniel who was one kindred spirit and who shared most of her preoccupations could always pinpoint to the core of the problem.
"Not really, you know, if they dig a little deeper!" Sam winked at Daniel, "Plus I will also have use for the vault myself so…"
Being birds of feather really helped the two scientists communicate.
"Oh, great idea!" Daniel immediately caught up, "That's brilliant. Will you foresee to the operations?"
"This time, oh yeah!" Sam asserted, "I don't want them to screw up again."
At this stage, both Teal'c and Jack had time to catch up on the reference and both of them didn't feel quite invested as they had refrained from participating.
"Nice that you have one another project going on, Carter!" Jack snorted playfully.
"Yeah, yeah!" Sam responded brushing him off.
Finally noticing her weird mood, Jack gazed mindfully at her but she showed no further sign though she seemed a little off.
While all the boys had a healthy appetite notwithstanding Teal'c whose appetite was plain gargantuan, Sam was currently picking on her food.
"Sam, eat!" Jack said kindly, "I don't want you to faint on us."
"It would be more prudent indeed," Teal'c seconded, "It would not be merciful to abandon your teammates for the advanced physics class of this afternoon."
"Yeah the teacher will certainly creep out as you seem to be the only person who understands anything at all," Jack added playfully.
"If it's that, I'm better off," Sam oddly replied, "I don't think he likes me a lot anyway."
"It's not your fault you're a better teacher than him," Jack said with a smile, "I adored your last demonstration using a donut and a cup of coffee. It was life-enlightening, don't you think T?"
"It was indeed. But your analogy with the zat'nik'tel shed more light on all the implications."
"Oh customization, smart, Sam!" Jack said smugly.
"What? What?" Daniel could only but not understand the references.
"You see there is this thing with donut," Jack tried to explain not lacking of enthusiasm, "that makes a donut how it is, sweet and melt-y… consistent but lax… mainly it's sugar but there's also flour… and eggs you know. But when you dip it in coffee… the donut melts, you see and…"
His tirade crawled under Daniel's skin, making him more and more unnerved. Kept in the expectative while getting more and more frustrated because it still didn't make sense, Daniel ended up cracking out.
"Oh boy, please, stop Jack," Daniel spurted cutting him off.
"It's insufferable… no more!" He pleaded.
Jack seemed dejected. Sam just burst into laugh. And on his part, Teal'c shared a sympathetic look at Daniel.
When she stopped laughing, Sam deigned to enlighten her poor friend.
"I was introducing them to molecular and atomic coherence," she said concisely, "essentially to draw a bridge between chemistry and physics."
Daniel was genuinely grateful.
"I won't pretend I have a precise idea of what you're talking about but I finally get the picture, thanks," Daniel said then.
"You're sure you don't want me to explain, Danny?" Jack asked, insisting, his face was undemonstrative so nobody knew if he was serious in his proposition or just teasing Daniel mercilessly.
"No please," Daniel retorted heedless of any subtlety, "Although it does almost make me want to join you."
"They do understand, Daniel," Sam asserted then, "that doesn't really mean they are capable of explaining it to somebody else."
"I can…" she in turn began to propose.
"I said almost," Daniel interjected and declined, "no thank you!"
Sam chuckled at his lack of eagerness.
Back on her plate, Sam made an effort but quickly gave up on her lunch and thus continued on playing with her food. The others were simply eating quietly their lunch.
"Samantha?" Teal'c exclaimed finally.
The girl was lost in thoughts and was picking at an indescribable chunk of meat with her fork.
"Samantha, will you finish your plate?" Teal'c went on.
She was still in a daze oblivious.
"Sam?" Teal'c called her with insistence.
"Huh?" She finally startled.
"Still playing with your food!" Jack scolded her out loud once he looked at her.
"Oh!" Sam dropped her fork guiltily.
"May I have your plate?" Teal'c met her gaze.
"Okay!" She answered without a thought.
The boy took her plate without even letting her back away.
"Easy, T," Jack protested, "what is you're problem with food anyway?"
Jack definitely wasn't happy with what had been going on and glared at Teal'c. Daniel on is part was calmly observing the scene and eating away.
"I am a growing teenager," the boy defended himself, "It is commonly known that at my age, one consumes large quantity of nutriments."
"For crying out loud, you're not starving," Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head negatively, "and Sam is growing up too, don't go stealing food from her very mouth, damn it!"
"Next time, gosh Teal'c, just ask for a refill," Jack said.
Teal'c expression was one of surprise but then he bowed his head in approval.
However, Jack wasn't really angry with Teal'c and he turned his attention to the blond girl.
"And you, Sam," he said firmly, "what with this need to feed everyone?"
"Jack!" Sam tried to get him to listen to her.
He was dead serious in his reprimand and wasn't to be stopped easily.
"Really, these two are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves!" Jack continued.
"Jack!" Sam repeated.
"Jeeze, you're not their mother or something!" Jack stubbornly followed his line of speech.
"Jack!" Sam said louder.
"What?" Jack finally relented.
"Want my piece of cake?" Sam held out her dessert to him.
Jack was caught speechless (rapid switch of topic does that to him plus there is this certain innuendo that one can see… or not).
"Huh.. Um… that's… that's…" He stammered.
"Chocolate cake!" Sam added smugly.
"You're… You're…" Jack stuttered (you have to be indulgent with him, he is really weak when it concerns cake).
"If you don't, maybe Murray will," Sam commented in a passing-by manner.
Jack's expression shadowed suddenly as he quickly grabbed the plate but averted her gaze. He mumbled something between his teeth and of course refused to thank her. Seeing his reaction, Daniel burst into laugh while Teal'c voraciously ate away without a care. Sam of course was really proud of her move and was grinning unabashedly.
"Still you should eat up your salad," Jack threw a vicious glare in her direction and he stammered pathetically, "and… and your apple too, do you copy?"
Sam giggled at his words which did not fail to infuriate him further.
"That's an order!" Jack added firmly.
This time, Sam did a mocking salute sitting at attention, her back ramrod against her chair.
"Sir, yes sir!" She claimed snappishly.
Jack's look gained even more ire as he directed it heavily at her. Sam quickly grew uncomfortable giving in to the pressure of his gaze. Decidedly, Jack had lost nothing of his commanding stance. So she turned her attention to her tray and started on her salad without being told twice.
x–x–x
Advanced Physics class was usually calm, and by that it meant it was silent. The students who added this credit to their course were of the brighter kind, and by that it meant that Advanced Physics class gathered what people and most particularly high school people called with no affection at all (except for a few individuals in even rarer occasions) – the geeks.
But who was as far as being a geek than one Jack O'Neill… or one Murray Ronson for that matter? So among the stereotype of a clumsy oft-four-eyed unathletic bunch of kids, the two of them wouldn't have failed to stand out. As a matter of fact, it was also rather apparent that one Sam Carter didn't exactly fit the mold either. Yet contrary to her two friends, here, she did talk the language. Truth was she breathed science in and out to the extent to having devoted her previous life to the Art of Science.
So in this precise moment of all, Jack O'Neill who was not in his most conciliatory mood didn't consider her as kin.
No, Jack was grumbling to his teeth as he was facing his notebook, the difficult problem given just ten minutes ago by the so detested teacher (teachers are rarely loved) lying inert before his eyes. The young boy glanced at his friend – his brother-in-arm, his kindred spirit, his companion always loyal but for once when he had been brainwashed and not himself and thus could not be taken responsible for his actions. Yes, Jack looked at Teal'c in hope of sharing a mutual distress and receiving some psychological support… To in the end find that Teal'c had – again – betrayed his trust and was thoroughly scribbling on his sheet of paper.
The class was scarce, not a lot of students felt brave enough to undertake that kind of mental torture. So when Jack surveyed the room, he was quick to notice that everybody was… scribbling away… except, it was of course presumed beforehand, for the eternal gossiping twins sat farther at his right, a title the two girls in question who looked the same – dyed, dressed the same – bimbo like and talked the same – whiny chick talk, earned in the two seconds after he met them. How did they manage to land in this class? Nobody knew but the most popular rumor talked about a 'mischecked' box in an administrative form and it needed to be stated that the two girls in question did horribly clash with the surrounding environment more than Jack and Teal'c would ever manage to. But it was also true that contrary to Jack's own deluded world, nothing about this class was stereotypical, certainly due to the proximity to the Air Force Academy in the region. When Jack look at his left, his immediate classmate, a tall rather muscular red-hair who Jack thought whose name was either Peter Fitzpatrick or Adam Scotti and whose name was really Scott Pauli (not so far off for Jack), threw him a frowning gaze at which Jack just shrugged.
In addition, not that Jack was awaiting any support from his other friend especially against such thing as his actual adversity but nonetheless the young boy could not stop from glancing at his brilliant albeit now juvenile astrophysicist. In fact as Jack found out, Sam wasn't writing. She wasn't even paying any attention to the class, the teacher or least of all the instructions written across the whiteboard.
Looking intently through the windows, Sam seemed to be somewhere else altogether. Her backpack was lying on the ground untouched and her hands were rested on the empty table unmoving. Jack began to wonder if it finally had been a good idea to drag her into this. She was sure to get immensely bored since, well, she already knew everything… and beyond. But in the other hand, as he reminded himself there was also one thing he knew, she did enjoy – explaining things.
Though Jack wasn't exactly wrong, he wasn't exactly accurate in his assumption either. Truth was that people who were both impassioned and gifted always longed for an interested ear. This was due to many reasons and it manifested itself as a desire to reach out and as a desire to share (which in the end is finally quite common, really, who does not have those desires?). For those people however something akin to an impassable wall separated them from the rest of the world. So whenever it was possible, they enjoyed making people, most especially dear people, understand and sense the spark, the fire their very special craft enlightened in them. One could be completely overt with it, sometimes to the risk of being plainly annoying (you know what I mean). But for some others – because of their upbringing, their personality or of their current background (you know what I mean) – it wasn't something put on display naturally and least of all forcefully. But enthusiasm and adoration were too sincere to be veiled and sometimes – often – they too also got carried on.
While Jack had always been aware of this particular fact – he couldn't have missed it with both Daniel and Sam at his side for so many years – he would never understand it, not really. What he couldn't comprehend however didn't stop him from feeling slightly guilty as he turned his attention on the problem at stake.
He really wanted to express his good faith and his good will.
'Don't panic!' He heard Sam's voice in his head. It was her young voice which was on one hand disconcerting and the other, perfectly natural. It had been frighteningly quick and easy to get used to the many changes the last weeks brought up.
'Don't panic!' She had said to him as she was tutoring him.
It was easy to say but hard to do. He attentively read the problem again.
'Pass over the confusion!'
He smiled as he recalled her saying it to him. He also realized what Sam had really meant. She had been saying him to stop and focus.
'Look calmly at the variables, follow the instructions.'
It wasn't an easy thing for him to concentrate on things like physics; it had been so long since he had to. Slowly, he was beginning to see it more clearly… It was beginning to take form and he sped his pace, rushing into the process. After some time spent on his reasoning, he started to get frustrated.
'Don't jump to quick conclusions without clearing every one of your hypotheses.'
That advice was rather general and wasn't meant only for him although it was always fitting. People often got it wrong because they were careless and quick to judge. And oh surprise, the problem was very tricky, he had been going on a wrong direction. He ruled out what he had been writing. Now where was he left?
'Proceed with method. Use a draft, put down figures, draw out schematics, everything you need until it makes sense.'
It was again a general advice that he thoroughly followed down. The new reasoning was slowly building up as he proceeded with more patience and more care.
'See, you do know laws and theorems.'
That had been one of her remarks meant to brush off any of his self-deprecating habits.
Jack was scribbling rapidly on his notebook now. Sure it felt good to reach to a solution on his own. However he was certain Sam would offer him one of her trademark disguised-compliments.
'You're not such a klutz.'
They always were uncalled for and of course he would not want them to be different.
He was so engrossed in the problem that at first he did not notice what was occurring a few feet away from him. Then when the teacher loudly brought attention to his blond friend, Jack raised his head.
Miss Carter," the teacher's calling was ignored again but most probably from what Jack could see, it had just not been heard.
"Miss Carter," he repeated louder and firmer.
Professor Douglas MacPen was a tall man with sharp brown eyes and black hair neatly ordered on one side. While his class didn't require the use of a white lab coat, he prized himself to always wear one so to give to his appearance a semblance of formality he thought was lacking in the exercise of his work.
MacPen was quite young and he considered himself experienced. Through his few years of teaching, he had managed to drag the reputation of being an uneasy teacher – which was rather accurate.
To his defence, his first years of work hadn't been kind with him – difficult school, difficult classes and a large handful of difficult students. But at the roots of it stood an unquestionable difficulty to relate to his pupils and even more, to communicate with them. He wasn't stupid but an uncontrolled sense of paranoia that oppressed him constantly caused him to misinterpret situations and adopt wrong actions.
Though not that he was wrong to feel threatened by Sam who was – at his ignorance and at the ignorance of every people she met but for a few – one of the most brilliant scientist of the times and sure one of the purest person one could encounter. But Douglas MacPen was prejudiced.
From their first meeting, he took a disliking to her. Disliking that had grown quickly into resentment when the young girl appeared in the Science Club whose responsibility had unwelcomely befallen on him when the previous teacher took maternity leave. Nowadays, everything Samantha Carter did, Douglas took it personally – and – badly. But if anyone had asked him what exactly he did not like in this precise student, he wouldn't have been able to pinpoint something precise. And that revealed how in denial he truly was about his own character but Douglas' behaviour wasn't under the spotlight.
No, in this exact moment, all eyes were indeed directed to the young girl who seemed genuinely oblivious to the situation.
Once MacPen reached her location, he banged his palm violently on the girl's desk to raise her attention and liberate some of his steam. Yet Sam barely registered his gesture. With a few seconds lag and as in slow-motion, she finally turned her head toward the source of the shadow that was hovering over her. But to add to MacPen's frustration, she refrained from speaking.
Sam didn't seem to know what was happening and was obviously waiting for the teacher to voice out his request. Jack thought that in any other circumstances, normal Sam Carter would have stood to attention and at least blurted out a questioning "Sir". But right now, she appeared numb, her mind incapable of sustaining attention and her body moving with effort.
In response MacPen tightened his jaws not at all pleased by the turn of events. Since he was quite scrawny, everyone could see the tension lining and twitching on his bony face.
"What insolence, Miss Carter, this is a class! Have a little respect for your fellow classmates. Students are presumed to listen and work not dream away," his voice rang harsh.
Jack rolled his eyes. Students should not chat in class either, he look at the consistent gossipers – oh surprise – they were currently gossiping… not very discretely either. The least you could say about Tania Schneider and Trish Abbott was that they were far from being discrete… in any circumstances, ever, Jack's mind slipped (notice that he does faultlessly remember the girls' names… rah men!). Anyway gossiping was more disturbing to the class than the rare students who unusually kept silent and dreamt away.
"Would you deign giving your time and your attention to this class?" MacPen didn't fail to add dryly.
A look at Sam's face and Jack knew she was still in a daze. But there was no reason to worry, she was more than perfectly capable of handling any situation and in the worst case scenario she could perfectly fend for herself.
"Where is your notebook or are you so superior to the common mortals that we are, that you can solve this problem off-hand?" MacPen smiled wryly at his remark, he knew it was a complex problem (which at the same time means that Jack isn't that dumb but who really doubts it anyway?).
The whole class observed the scene with morbid fascination. Teal'c followed the general movement but took time to throw a curious glance at Jack. It wasn't like Sam to cause such ruckus, she was usually very devoted and careful both of the environment and the people surrounding her. Though, Jack restated in his mind that she could hardly be blamed for dreaming away in a class that was equivalent with kindergarten to her. MacPen on the other hand, despite of all his obvious or hidden flaws, was also in his right to reprimand her, after all he wasn't in the confidence.
Jack sighed and shrugged to answer to Teal'c's silent inquiry. The best policy one could adopt was indeed "laissez-faire". The problem was that Sam still seemed in a stupor. From where Jack was sat, he couldn't see her face anymore which was obstructed by the teacher but from the position of her head, she was looking in direction of the whiteboard.
A moment later, at the surprise of MacPen, she finally spoke her first word.
"Yes," there was a lack of intent in her voice.
It took Jack another moment to understand what she was referring to while MacPen's face grew redder, his jaws tighter and his whole body tenser.
"Did you want me to solve the problem on the board?" Sam added above a whisper completely heedless to the on-going drama.
Jack would bet that part of her mind was still trapped in this place that was everywhere else but not there with them. Teal'c once again threw him an inquisitive glance, which was beginning to innerve Jack as he was tired to be the one to refer to. In the present situation, Jack was as lost as the next person.
MacPen's gaunt shoulders sagged and his face closed, Jack could tell that he was about to decline. That would put a stop to the situation which was good. But MacPen delayed his answer and Sam – once more – turned her attention toward a spot far away behind the window glass. Truth was she looked strangely lost.
Seeing that and to Jack's chagrin, MacPen immediately reassessed his decision. He now considered the girl's words as only bravado.
"Miss Carter, I think the class is waiting," he said, his mouth twisting smugly deliberately cruel.
That interrupted Sam's short lapse as she turned her head. When the teacher stepped back, clearing the way, she finally registered to stand up. Then she absently walked to the front.
Now that he could see her better, there was no doubt to Jack that she was like sleepwalking. In the many years the members of SG-1 knew each other, they had indeed experienced her in this particular state, thus at several occasions. Each time, it had involved her working restlessly, her stressing madly, her not sleeping restfully and her not eating properly. While generally, people couldn't function like this and most probably would crash and burn, Sam was unusually resilient and efficient. That had helped many times in the past as she would only permit herself to fall apart only while the danger was passed and buried, preferably in private and also preferably after receiving the go-ahead from at least one commanding officer.
Sam faced the whiteboard and paused; MacPen saw it as the first crack in the armor and rejoiced in her hesitation. That meant troubles by Jack's standards because a zombie-like Sam was far from a brainless Sam which promised upcoming clashes.
The class quieted instantly as everyone realized that there was some sort of turning point. And the tension irrevocably rose.
There was no doubt in Jack's and Teal'c's mind that her pause had nothing to do with any hesitation or lacking of skills. Most probably, she was still bewildered and was only trying to focus.
Soon enough, she finally took the marker and got down to the task at hand.
Usually when she had company and especially when she had a public, she would go slowly taking time to explain her progress more or less comprehensibly depending on whom she addressed to. But as her strange mood let it forebode, this time, she didn't – at all.
Worse, she wrote at the fastest pace her two present teammates had ever seen her work. Though it was true they never watched her manipulate formulas before since it never was compulsory for them to stay when she did. Of course, they did observe her operate on machines, reactors, ships… from time to time; after all when she had to, they had nothing else to do but. Jack weirdly came to the conclusion that engineering slowed her down somehow. Was it resistance due to the air, limitations of her mortal body and by extension not a superhero coordination? That made him think about how she had behaved when they had had the armbands from hell. But at the time, he had been busy himself. Then it also passed his mind that the high-school exercise was more or less obvious for her like adding one to one made two (although in binary system it makes ten, just in passing…).
Yet when Jack gazed at the whiteboard again, his eyes widened.
What she was writing made almost no sense to him except for the scarce numbers there and there.
He examined around, the class was as confused as him. Teal'c, his dear friend, was frowning and he shared a questioning look with Jack – again. Truth was Teal'c had rapidly grasped the basics of physics to Sam's joy and to Jack's mixed feelings of satisfaction and worry. Jack didn't want him to become another geek in his team, that would have isolated Jack, wouldn't it? But of course, Jack's own feelings weren't really clear about it. The last few weeks had been pretty intense for the black teenager as Sam had spent lots of time tutoring him. It was to be expected that the ex-Jaffa would have been behind and he still was but somehow Jack trusted his friend's judgement more than he did his own. So in the end, it really meant that Sam was writing nonsense.
Nonetheless her writing nonsense was fundamentally nonsensical itself. It would be more accurate to say that she forgot herself, which her previous actions had clearly indicated. Now it would be preferable if she would realize her lapse before something happened. As soon as Jack finished his line of thought, the 'something' fatefully happened.
MacPen's expression had entirely changed. From a smug smile which lasted a long time as he was sure she was swindling her way through, his face now was tight with anger.
While Douglas MacPen was highly competent on his job – he had even graduated with honor in his times – he was no way at the same level than Doctor Samantha Carter, multiple times PhD in diverse disciplines and for the last years involved on a secret military project linked to alien technology. Indeed, Sam Carter was in fact at the source of what could be called the next human revolution in the understanding of the universe.
If anyone, only a certain Doctor Rodney MacKay – whose name, it was right, presented some resemblances with MacPen – would have understood what she was trying to do and where exactly she was heading with her demonstration – something pertaining to multi-dimensioned universe, time distortion and even an attempt to integrate variability brought out by alternate realities. All of this resulted in a rigmarole of complex formulas, long equations, funky functions and convoluted schematics, all of this accompanied with a language that looked alien to even an alien (Teal'c). To be straight to the point, it was just incomprehensible.
Of course, one could wonder how it had happened in the first place since even if it was an advanced physics problem it was still a high school problem. Actually, it came from the junction of two phenomena. The first was rather obvious: Sam's inattention not to the problem itself but to her surroundings – she had no idea and didn't care one bit that she was in High School. The second was less visible but still noticeable: MacPen's himself lack of thoroughness – he worded the problem simply too vaguely, no mention of any frame of reference thus no restrictions which even if it was implied in high school level was not assumed by an engineer or a physicist.
While Jack and Teal'c shared the knowledge that Sam wasn't raving, Douglas MacPen surmised that it was all but a hoax and thus acted in consequence.
"Miss Carter!" his voice rang warningly.
The young girl didn't stand to attention which even if it was consistent to her conduct since the beginning did not help to alleviate the teacher's outrage.
MacPen made a few steps stomping his way to arrive at her level.
"Miss Carter!" he reiterated loudly.
This time, Sam registered but not quickly enough as MacPen yanked her back by her shoulder. Jack saw on her face that she was definitely confused at the teacher.
"What is this?" the latter pointed at the board.
She glanced at her work and again looked at him frowning.
"What are you trying to do here?" he yelled at her.
"What do you mean?" the girl stammered, "I'm solving the problem…"
"Don't play this game with me," MacPen cut in.
"Is it some sort of prank? Are you getting your fun?" MacPen shouted.
Silence reigned in the class; even the obnoxious twins shut their mouth. Everyone was attentively looking at the scene that was playing before their very eyes.
"How dare you disturb my class like this," MacPen sounded indignant.
Sam's eyes began to widen, she turned her head towards the board looking for what had gone wrong. From Jack's perspective, she was looking in the wrong direction; she had still not realize she was not in a conference room or her lab but in a class in High School. Teal'c on his side was getting up ready to intervene.
"I… I don't understand," she advanced hesitantly, her voice like a whisper, "there's nothing wrong…"
"Cut the crap out, that," MacPen snapped with a gesture that included the whole board, "is sheer nonsense!"
"You think it's funny, don't you? What insubordination!" He continued to hammer.
"But," Sam attempted to explain herself.
"I have never seen a mediocre student like you", MacPen said with a vengeance, "bluff her way with that kind of tripe!"
Both Teal'c and Jack thought that he was going overboard with his last remark.
"I knew you were but a bullhead," MacPen pursued without halt, "a trouble maker…"
Somewhere during his ranting, Sam emerged from the daze.
"I BEG YOUR PARDON," she all but bellowed.
"Who do you think you are?" she added furious and slipped even deeper, "Who the heck do you think you are to even question my work?"
MacPen startled at her disrespectful and surprising reaction but he was immediately submerged by a wave of rage. He advanced menacingly on her, effectively towering her.
"Back off", Sam almost screeched, "what are you trying to do? Intimidate me?"
"How dare you?" MacPen violently replied, "You heckle my class and dispute my authority…"
"I did what?" Sam shouted back.
Teal'c was up intending to interfere but not sure that a more moderate approach wouldn't be preferable so he waited.
"Sam!" Jack ended up calling in turn.
The young girl threw him a quick glance, her expression tense.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" MacPen revived the shouting match ignoring the boy's intervention.
Again, Sam snapped and in the same way MacPen had banged on her table, she did it palm flat on the board.
"This is right," she asserted her statement.
Though she hadn't use her fist which would have proved a too physical threat, Teal'c clearly felt the tension rummaging through his friend and he decided to act. He wasn't in his intention to defend the girl, he was conscious that if one needed to be defended it would be MacPen himself. All he wanted was to separate the two so that no violence would rise from one party or the other.
Jack was immediately on his heels taking another path among the rows.
"Carter!" Jack said in a commanding tone.
At his surprise, Sam turned her anger and her burning eyes at him, which almost made Jack step back. But she kept quiet and stayed away from MacPen.
The other students could see a shifting of powers; the balance was indeed out.
"I will make you expelled for this, Miss Carter," MacPen was heedless, "No one challenge my authority, no one challenge me that way in my class!"
Teal'c was now at their level and he began to gently push the menacing teacher back.
"Professor MacPen, I strongly advise you to calm down," he suggested to the teacher.
While MacPen was taller, Teal'c was sturdier and what he lacked in height he all but made it up in charisma and overall presence. On his side, Jack took the initiative to pull the fortunately quiet girl away gripping her arm. While she hadn't snapped at MacPen's threat, Sam jerked his hand off and glared furiously at Jack.
"Carter, follow me!" Jack added firmly as he went out in the hall.
Sam obeyed him, blatantly unwilling, but she did nonetheless.
The rest of the class was rather perplexed as why such a strong-willed girl would do that. It appeared like whereas she refused the precedence of a teacher, even one as uneasy as MacPen, she accepted it from someone like Jonathan O'Neill who for all of the students was a pretty inconsistent teenager.
None of the members of the class shared his other classes except for two, Scott Pauli, the quiet red-haired boy already mentioned and Clara Sterling, a really focused auburn-haired girl. The couple as they were often referred to because when you saw one, the other was never far away, was rather discrete in terms of school popularity and they – had – noticed the strange bound between the new students and Jack – as he liked to be called, – a boy that represented a enigma for them although he had been rapidly dismissed by the other students. Jack had dropped school not long before the beginning of the year to reappear at the same time as the three new students of which one was absent right now. The popular opinion was that Jack was inconsistent which only brought out the definite difficulty of the student body to grasp his character. And it was well known that who they didn't understand, they either persecuted or ignored. While Jack alone had been easily brushed away, the newly band of four, on the contrary, was beginning to attract more and more attention. Oh they were discrete, they didn't mingle and most of the time, keep to themselves. But they clearly had a 'Past', Scott and Clara who had noticed them from the first day had no doubt of that. In fact, anybody could see it from the scene that was happening.
Holding the door wide open, Jack waited for Sam. As she went out he closed knowingly the door behind them, putting a definite end to the heavy monitoring of their classmates.
Sam didn't halt and just walked away. Seeing her escape, Jack rushed and once again made a move to catch her arm at what she reacted the same way. She yanked it away.
"Carter!" Jack insisted not without some pleading in his voice.
"Stop Carter me around!" She bit back..
"Sam, please, calm down," Jack implored as he blocked her way with his arms, one on each side of her figure backing her to the wall.
"He had no right to question my work!" Sam protested in a whisper, her head down.
"There is no doubt in that, Sam, "Jack reassured her.
"But you do realize where you are?" he could not but add.
Sam continued to look down and didn't answer.
"Is it because of the lab?" Jack asked then on a whim.
"What?" Sam raised her head and met his eyes for the first time.
"Are you upset because of the problems of the lab?" Jack hesitantly elaborated.
"That's… That's ridiculous," Sam replied indignant.
"I'm sorry, I just presumed," Jack apologized not entirely convinced but Sam was again averting her gaze to look at the ground.
"Sam, look at me," he intimated and waited to meet her eyes again.
"Do you want to talk about this?" Jack said once she eventually looked at him.
But it wasn't to be as Teal'c got out of the class carrying Sam's things and the intense gazing was broken.
"Do you feel in a better condition, Sam?" The black teenager asked, concern showing only through his words but concern conveyed as strongly.
"I'm fine now, thanks!" She answered him calmly but it was apparent she was drained.
"Sam?" Jack insisted softly.
The girl threw him a long glance, one deep and meaningful, but nonetheless evasive at the end.
After a moment, Teal'c intervened.
"I am sorry to inform you that Professor MacPen refused your attending to the class. I was not able to alter his stance."
"That explains your new job of caddie boy," Jack couldn't help himself from joking.
"Whatever," Sam blurted with disinterest but then she saw Teal'c was dejected if only slightly.
"It's not your fault, Teal'c, thank you," she added as she put her vest on and took her bag, discharging the other boy.
"Anyway, I… I need to take a walk," she said.
"Are you sure, Sam?" Jack asked.
"I just want to be alone," Sam retorted before adding more gently, "you know…"
Truth was they rarely talk, they were all uncomfortable when they had to. So most time than not, they gave up too easily.
"If that is your desire," Teal'c ended up saying, "we should leave you."
"More like you should leave us," Jack specified.
The silence that followed was heavy.
"Okay," Jack finally gave in, "but do everything I wouldn't, is that clear?"
She didn't think of answering since she didn't know what to say and so she simply walked away unhurriedly.
Once she disappeared in a turn of a corner, Teal'c was the first to speak.
"You should have insisted further, O'Neill," the boy said impassively.
"What the hell?" Jack protested.
"She is concealing something, it is obvious," Teal'c added.
"You were the first one rushing to accept her leaving alone," Jack defended himself.
"It was expected from a friend. You are her leader," the other teen explained.
"You're wrong, I am not her leader – not anymore," Jack advanced then, "but maybe you – are – right."
Teal'c turned to look at Jack while the other was still watching the spot where Sam had disappeared.
"Maybe I should have insisted further – as a friend," Jack finished.
Teal'c blinked before looking away.
"It may be, it may not be," Teal'c commented before adding, "Daniel would have insisted if he had been present."
Jack chuckled then.
"Where is Daniel when we need him, huh?"
Then the two of them stayed in a pensive silence.
x–x–x
(TBC)
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I've slightly changed my mind on my method of posting. After a long time observing how other authors publish their stories and how readers review them, I abandon the idea of posting a whole story once it is entirely finished. Although as I really structure my stories in a particular and intentional way, I can't really publish it in little bits either.
As a warning, I have no interest in telling what happened before SG-1 was "reunited". I enjoy exploring this all new dimension of them back in high school struggling with what they were, what they are and what they will be as a team and as individuals.
About Sam… Ah Sam, Sam, Sam, yeah I really like her character for a bunch of reasons mainly involving blatant and foolish identification (&co)… But no it wasn't for that precise reason that I focus on her in a really round-about approach in this second story. Between every members of SG-1, she is the one the most prompt to break down first as she is the one who has the most to lose in that clone-de-aging ordeal.
Finally the text still needs to be 'betaed' by someone other than myself.
Please feedbacks are welcome, which also include criticisms since I'm not American (cultural divergences) and since English is not my first language (grammar and stuff).
v-v-v-v-v-v
Thanks to Ellie 5192 for the "Um" tip, it does make a lot of sense .