Author's note: Just for the record – even though no one commented on it – Rodney McKay is very contemptuous of the military and I'll write him as such. It's not a view I share, so any military personnel who read this definitely shouldn't take it personally! (And in response to a question in a review, there's no way I can post more than once a day - not if I want to get all my other things done I need to do:) )
OOOOOOOO
Thor was still looking stunned, but he wasn't the only one.
"Are we sure it was your ship?" Daniel asked. "It could have been something else…"
"Like what?" Jack asked.
"I don't know. Maybe a-"
"It was my ship," Thor interrupted, turning his head slightly. "I can feel the difference."
"What do you mean?"
"We are tied mentally to our ships, Daniel Jackson. It has to be so, since we do not carry devices to remotely control the transportation beams."
Which made since, because Jack had actually always wondered how the ship knew to beam Thor up when he was ready to leave someplace. It wasn't like he had pockets to carry controlling devices in, after all.
"Then you felt it go?" Hammond asked.
Thor nodded.
"This is very serious, General Hammond. Without my ship, I have no way of protecting your planet – nor can I call for reinforcements in the event of an attack."
"Which was probably the whole idea…" Jack said, grimly.
"There's no way you can call the other Asgard?" Hammond asked.
"Not with the technology your people possess."
"What about the signaling device you gave me?" Jack asked.
"It is attuned to my ship," Thor answered.
"Lovely."
"So what do we do?" Daniel asked. "We can't count on help from the Asgard – and once the Goa'uld out there figure that out, they're going to attack…"
"I can use your Stargate to call for help if I can boost the power output…" Thor said.
"Like Jack did when he had the knowledge of the Ancients stuck in his head…" Daniel mused.
"Precisely."
Hammond nodded.
"You're welcomed to anything you need, Thor. And any assistance. Major O'Neill is working on another project, but we can pull her o-"
"I do not require assistance," Thor said. "Merely access to the required elements."
"How long do you think it'll take?"
"It depends on what you have for me to work with."
Hammond nodded again, and stood up.
"Jack, take him to one of the labs and assign him an assistant to do any running he might need." The last thing they wanted was for the little Asgard to be running around the SGC looking for whatever he needed. "I need to call the President and let him know what's happened."
Things had definitely taken a turn for the worst – and he hadn't really thought it possible.
"I'll come with you, George," Jacob said. He turned to Pia, who had been watching things quietly. "Make yourself useful to Colonel O'Neill, all right?"
The Tok'ra nodded, and looked over at Jack, who scowled. He didn't need help. Certainly not help from someone who was almost certainly going to flirt outrageously with him.
Hammond didn't give him a chance to complain though – and Jack knew this really wasn't the time to. They had enough problems just then. He stood up.
"Come on, Thor," he said. ""I'll show you where you can work."
OOOOOOOOO
"Wow, what's going on?"
The Marine who had accompanied Shawn and Andrew to the SGC didn't reply. He'd already told both boys that he couldn't tell them what was happening – it certainly wasn't his place to reveal anything, and if they hadn't been near a TV or a radio, well more power to them and why not let them be blissfully ignorant for a few more minutes? Instead, he ushered both of them down the hall past one of the many checkpoints that guarded the SGC – checkpoints that were doubly manned at the moment, which was what had caused Shawn to ask his question in the first place.
"I'll need your IDs, guys," the Airman at the checkpoint said, holding his hand out.
Since the man had known both of them for several years, it was another sign that security was enhanced – even beyond the normal tight restrictions. Shawn and Andrew both handed him their military IDs, and the Airman studied them carefully before signing them in and handing the IDs back.
"Proceed."
The Marine nodded, and gestured for the boys to go first.
"General Hammond's going to want to see you two," he said. "We'll head for his office."
Shawn nodded, trying to fight down the fear that had been dogging him since the small squad of Marines had found he and Andrew out hiking with Andrew's family. Something must have happened to Jack or Sam for them to be sent out to find them. He could only hope that it wasn't serious, but he was too afraid to hear the answer to even ask that particular question.
As the elevator door opened on that level, however, the first person he saw was Jack, and he felt a surge of relief that almost made him want to cry. Forcing that down, he couldn't help the smile on his face, and knew that his greeting was a bit too fervent to sound normal.
"Jack!"
Sure enough, Jack gave him an odd look, even as he greeted him and Andrew – and Shawn saw immediately that Thor was with him.
The relief was just as plain in O'Neill's expression, however.
"Are you guys all right?"
Shawn and Andrew both nodded.
"We're fine. What's going on?"
"I'll take them from here, Lieutenant," Jack told the Marine who had been their escort.
"Yes, sir."
He turned and headed back down the corridor, and Jack turned to the boys.
"Come with me. We have to talk."
He turned and started towards Sam's lab, and none of them noticed when Pia stepped away from the group and headed the opposite direction.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
It was the monitor that first gave Janet notice of the change in Ian's condition. The beeping that monitored his heartbeat increased. It was irregular – which wasn't good – but it was faster, which drew her attention to the machine and her patient. As she watched, concerned, the normal rhythm of Ian's heart reasserted itself and the heartbeat steadied. His breathing increased, as well, and he made a soft noise that sounded like a groan of pain. All of which were good signs.
Janet reached out and rested her hand on his forehead. He was fevered – but not dangerously so – and she kept her eyes on his temperature to make sure they wouldn't have to take steps to keep it from skyrocketing.
Predictably, Ian moved his head in response to the touch, and then gasped with pain when he opened his eyes to see who the hell was touching him.
"Easy…" Janet said, softly, easily recognizing the signs of a nasty headache when she saw one. "Hold still, okay?"
"What happened?"
His voice was a croak, and she reached for a plastic cup of water.
"You passed out. Do you know what day it is?"
Ian scowled, turning his head and looking around.
"What? How the hell should I know?" Every time he passed out, it seemed he was out for days. It'd be a disaster, though, if that were the case this time. "How long was I out?"
"A few hours."
"What did-" he cut himself off, taking a drink of the water gratefully. "What's going on? What have I missed?"
""I don't know for certain... I do know there was another sighting of the Ha'tak. Or maybe there's another one."
Ian groaned, bringing his hands up to clutch at his head for a long moment, as if he was afraid it was going to explode – or pop off his neck.
"I can give you something for that," Fraiser told him.
"No… you can't… Nothing will help this time." He took a deep breath, and visibly forced himself to concentrate on something besides his head. "I need to find out what's going on."
"I need to check you out befo-"
Ian shook his head, sitting up and swinging his legs off the table.
"There's no time."
She put her hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"There's time for this. We'll make time."
There was no way in hell she was going to let him leave – only to have him collapse somewhere down the corridor.
He looked ready to say something – he certainly scowled – but she held his gaze with one just as stubborn as his own, and he finally nodded.
"Okay. But it has to be fast."
Besides, he could probably use the chance to get feeling back in his legs - and maybe take the edge off the headache that was pounding behind his eyes.