"So what have you found out, Jacob?" Hammond asked as he, Jacob and Pia entered the briefing room a minute or so later.

"Let's wait until everyone's here, George," Jacob said as he sat down and gestured for Pia to sit down as well. "That way we only have to tell it once."

Hammond nodded a greeting to Daniel, who walked in right behind them, followed by Teal'c.

"Sounds reasonable."

Daniel sat down across from Pia, with Teal'c beside him, and the two nodded hello to both Tok'ra.

"What's up?" Jack asked a minute later as he walked in. He seemed to realize the answer to his own question when he saw Jacob and Pia, and sat down by Daniel. "Hey, Jacob. That was quick. I figured you were Thor."

Jacob shook his head.

"Sorry."

"We haven't heard anything from Thor yet?" Daniel asked.

"Not yet," Hammond replied.

"It's a big sky," Jack said. "Even for the Asgard. He's probably being thorough. At least I hope he is."

"When-"

Daniel was interrupted by the arrival of Rodney McKay, who entered the room like he owned it, and sat down at the other end of the table.

"Where's Sam?" Daniel asked before Jack could.

"She went to the infirmary."

Jack frowned.

"Why?"

"The boy collapsed."

"What?"

McKay made an annoyed sound.

"Was I speaking Danish? The boy collapsed. Complained of a headache and passed out. I told you people that children shouldn't be allowed to-"

"When was this?" Hammond asked, concerned.

"Just now. Sam went with him and the medics to the infirmary, and told me to come here. Not like she can really give me orders, since I'm not in the military, but I figured-"

"McKay, what's wrong with Ian?" Jack asked, interrupting and not bothering to hide his annoyance any more than McKay was.

"How should I know? I'm not a doctor. He collapsed. Undoubtedly the stress of trying to save the world was just too much for him and he-"

"Enough." Hammond was tired of listening to McKay, and was seriously considering sending him on his way – except that they really might need him. "Colonel? When we're through here, go check with Doctor Fraiser and find out what's going on."

Jack nodded, glaring at McKay for another moment before Hammond turned the focus back to the problem at hand.

"What did you find out, Jacob?" he asked.

Carter gestured to Pia, who cleared her throat.

"Anubis is sending the Ha'tak."

"Anubis?" Daniel repeated, frowning.

She nodded.

"He is looking for this facility with a primary goal of destroying the Stargate to prevent your people from calling for assistance should he attack your planet."

Hammond felt a prickle on the back of his neck. It was their worst-case scenario – and exactly as Teal'c had predicted.

"He'd go up against the Asgard?" Rodney asked, his face suddenly a ghastly pale.

"Without the Stargate, you cannot call for assistance," Pia said, her own expression bland. "Anubis knows this."

"You're certain it's Anubis?" Daniel asked.

"Pia's our operative on his ship," Jacob said. "She'd know better than anyone."

"Has he grown strong enough that the other system lords are going to allow him to threaten their treaty with the Asgard?" Teal'c asked.

She gave the Jaffa a look that none of them could read, and then shrugged.

"The system lords are hoping the Asgard do what they have been unable to."

"Defeat Anubis, you mean…" Jack said.

She nodded.

"The Asgard will retaliate if Anubis manages to destroy your world and the system lords know this."

"So they're just going to sit back and watch…"

"No," Jacob said, shaking his head. "They'll almost definitely stay as far away as possible – to make sure the Asgard don't make any mistakes and go after the wrong person."

There was silence in the room as they all thought that over, and Pia spoke into it.

"It is possible that they might step forward," she said.

"To help?" Jack asked, sarcastically.

"To alert the Asgard. If Anubis succeeds in destroying your Stargate, then there will be no way for the Asgard to know what is happening. They could try to alert the Asgard in some manner – but do not expect them to assist you."

"We won't," Jack said.

Fat chance of ever assuming they'd get help from any Goa'uld.

"Well, hopefully Thor will find Anubis and do just that," Hammond said. "Or at least run him off."

"Any idea where Anubis is hiding out?" Jack asked. "We could send Thor after him."

"The Asgard aren't going to go after someone just because you tell them to," McKay said, speaking up for the first time since this particular discussion had started. "They're not your private army, after all."

"I'm pretty sure Thor-"

"Has better things to do than hang around here waiting for a system lord to – maybe – show up. What we need to do is start evacuating the SGC."

"We're not evacuating anything," Jack snapped.

"Then we're going to die."

"Doctor McKay, I don't suppose you. Major O'Neill, and Lieutenant Brooks managed to come up with anything before Ian collapsed?" Hammond asked.

"Major who?"

"O'Neill," Jack said, his expression unreadable.

"You mean…"

"Did you find anything, Doctor?" Hammond repeated.

"What?" McKay was still staring at Jack, who was actually rather enjoying this. He wondered how McKay had missed that little bit of information. "No. We didn't find anything. The boy was too busy arguing with me about-"

"Ian Brooks has a name, Doctor McKay, and it is not a difficult one to remember," Teal'c said, not bothering to hide his annoyance at the way McKay kept calling Ian a boy in such an insulting manner.

"He keeps telling me that the Ancients didn't design the cloaking device to be used as a shield and that it can't be modified."

"And you don't agree?" Hammond asked.

"No. I think that if we worked on it, we should be able-"

"What does Sam think?" Daniel asked, curiously.

McKay made an annoyed noise.

"She's backing the bo- Lieutenant Brooks," McKay said. "Big surprise there, though. I mean, she always wants to argue with me, and she never-"

"We get it," Jack interrupted.

"I want to talk to Major O'Neill," Hammond said, getting up. "And I want to know what's going on with Ian. We'll reconvene in half an hour."

That would give him time to check on things personally, because he definitely needed Major O'Neill – and he really had a feeling that Ian was going to be at least as essential.

"I'll come with you," Jacob said, standing up as well. "I want to know what's going on, too."

"What do I do?" Pia asked.

"Stay close," Jacob said.

The last thing the people of the SGC needed was for her to be running around the base – but he didn't want her to go back just yet, either. There was always the chance Pia could get together with Sam and come up with some weakness that Anubis might have that they could take advantage of.