Proud of me folks? Another chapter. And thank you for those who reviewed. It's lovely hearing from my faithful SG readers. And for those of you who asked - it was a difficult summer. I lost my Mom to cancer in July so have taken some time to deal with that. But life goes on. So - any hints needed? I don't think so because you all know I LOVE reviews. Thank you.
"Hey Thor, can you beam up the rest of my team?" Jack asked as he looked around the Asgard ship.
"I can O'Neill. Just one moment." Thor fiddled with the crystal thingy the Asgard liked to use and the next second his teammates were standing in front of him, all looking a bit bemused by the sudden transfer.
"Hey Thor, it's good to see you." Daniel was the first to recover. He was followed by Sam and finally Teal'c, who simply bowed his head at the little gray alien.
"So O'Neill, you requested my presence."
"Yeah – in fact we've been trying to get you for quite a while. Been busy?"
"Indeed, my apologies. We have been dealing with some remaining replicators and I was only able to respond now to your message."
"Yeah, well, I can understand that. Pesky little beggars."
He got the requisite 'blink' for that and wanted to grin. It was great having the little guy here. Maybe now they could get this thing figured out and he could get all the Ancient crap out of his head.
"What can I do for you O'Neill?"
"Well, I've been havin' a little trouble with some returning Ancient crap in my brain. I'd like you to get rid of it and then we'd like you to convince the NID that I'm back to normal and I don't have any special powers."
Again Thor blinked, three times after O'Neill's monologue, evidence of his confusion. "I am sorry O'Neill, I do not understand. Are you saying that you again put your head into an Ancient repository."
"Nah. It just kind of happened on it's own."
Daniel sighed and stepped forward. "It's kind of a long story Thor. Is there anywhere we could go and sit down and we'll explain everything to you."
"Yes." The next thing they knew they were in another room on the ship, a table surrounded by Earth-sized chairs in the middle. One of the chairs had a step stool in front and Thor immediately made his way to that.
"Now, please tell me what has transpired so that I may assist you."
For the next half hour the three members of Sg1 explained all that had happened to Colonel O'Neill. He interjected a few times, which usually had the effect of confusing things. It was clear to all of them that all he cared about was getting his brain 'de-Anciented' as he called it and couldn't have cared less about the process.
"I will need to do a scan to determine what is required O'Neill", Thor told him at the end of the explanation. While most humans found the Asgard hard to read, Jack had deciphering blinks down to an art. What he read off Thor kind of worried him.
"Sure, no problem. Where do you want me?"
"You may remain here", Thor informed him. A moment later a cool blue light passed over O'Neill. While it was happening he wasn't able to move, but it only lasted for a few seconds, and he quickly relaxed.
"So?" he asked Thor two seconds later.
"I am still determining what it says O'Neill."
"Okay." There was a brief pause. "Anything?"
"I have not had sufficient time to decipher all the data O'Neill."
"Sure – fine." This time he waited all of five seconds. "So, what does it say? Can you get rid of everything for me?"
"I don't think you want to get rid of everything Jack", Daniel snickered. "Then you'd be a Marine."
Jack snorted. "Yeah okay. So Thor, how bought getting rid of the Ancient crap now?"
"O'Neill, will you please be quiet!" the little, highly irritated alien snapped at him. "In fact, why do you not return to the planet and receive your belongings. I will bring you back to my ship in two of your Earth hours. I should have all the data read by then."
"But Thor – damn", Jack looked around. He was once again standing on the Senecksi planet. "I wish he wouldn't do that", he informed Daniel, who was standing beside him. "Hey, where's Carter?" Teal'c was also with them, but not his second officer.
"Thor probably kept her so she could help. She's smart."
"And quiet", Teal'c added, clearly irritated that he'd been sent back to the planet. And Thor hadn't even sent them close to their camp. It would take almost 45 minutes to walk there, and then they had to pack everything up.
"Come on campers", Jack sighed. "The sooner we get going the sooner we can get back."
"Thor said two hours. I don't think how fast we move is going to make any difference", Daniel informed Jack as they began to move out.
"Yes it will", Jack answered. "And anyway, time is relative and I want my time to go quickly."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow at Daniel but didn't speak. The three men practically raced through the forest to get to their camp.
"It's kind of eerie knowing that everyone is gone", Daniel commented a while later. "I mean, a whole community ascended?"
"What about Abydos", Jack pointed out gently. "Same thing happened there."
"Yeah." They walked for a few more minutes in silence. "It just seems wrong."
"It is wrong", Jack agreed. "Especially since they had plans to -" He stopped dead.
"What?" Daniel looked at him curiously. "You said they had plans to – what Jack?"
Jack's eyes moved to Daniel and then to Teal'c, his head not moving at all. "To take over the universe."
"What?"
"Of what do you speak O'Neill?" Teal'c looked at him, worry evident on his face – which was rather unusual for the big guy.
"That's the reason they wanted me", he whispered, his eyes glazed and looking somewhere neither Daniel nor Teal'c could see. "After they were assured that I was 'The One' they activated something – something that the Ancients had created long ago. Once it started it couldn't stop – that's why the dance and the party. They needed us there – they needed me there. I think the dancing induced some kind of trance. I don't know – I think just a few of them were involved. Most of the people didn't know. God – they essentially killed their own people!"
"Jack, ascendance isn't death -"
"Maybe not to you", Jack interrupted harshly, "but from where I stand that's exactly what it is."
Daniel shook his head, deciding not to argue. "You said something about taking over the universe. What did you mean?"
"Exactly that. These aren't your usual, run-of-the-mill Ancients. This group was prohibited from ascending because they were looking to start a coup and control everything. They didn't believe in non-interference at all."
"But – why would they be left here to wait for this – for you."
"They weren't. They came here later – much later. They somehow found out that the – library – or whatever that was, was here. They believed that it would help them ascend but the problem was, they couldn't access it. Something had been done to them or to the Ancient equipment, that kept them from accessing anything."
"But they were waiting for The One", Daniel reminded him, and that turned out to be you."
"No, I think they were simply waiting for the one – small letters – who could open up the library. They could recognize my Ancient gene, but the first time I came it wasn't strong enough. I think they tried a few times to get me to do stuff – Ancient stuff – but it didn't work. Remember I told you I felt like they were watching me and following me?"
"Yeah, we thought you were paranoid."
"Well I wasn't. They were watching me, to see if I could get things going for them."
"So, when we returned, we played right into their hands!"
"Exactly. I was able to open the library and after that they could arrange to ascend. They must have been able to access it after Sam and I had gone."
"So they ascended and wanted to take you – but why?"
"To help them I think."
"To help them? Why you?"
"I don't know Daniel", Jack sighed. "That's all I can figure out. But all I know is that it's a good thing that they didn't take me with them."
"It's all kind of creepy."
"That's what I said all along."
Daniel sighed. He wondered if they were ever going to live it down.
They arrived a couple of minutes later and quickly packed up their supplies. They'd barely finished when they were suddenly on Thor's ship again.
"Ya gotta give us a bit of a warning there Thor", Jack said as he straightened. He'd just bent over to pick something up and the sudden transfer had almost knocked him on his ass.
"I am sorry O'Neill, but I did say two hours."
"Yes, yes you did. So, what did you find out."
"Let us go and sit down again and I shall tell you."
"And then you'll take it all out, right?"
Jack appeared, along with the other two men, back in the room with the table. Sam was already seated there, and it was telling that she wasn't looking at him.
"So Thor, when can you take it out?" He wanted to cut right to the chase.
"I am sorry O'Neill, but there is nothing I can do."
"What?" Jack frowned, then looked at each of his teammates. "Sam? You were here. What's going on?"
"Uh – I think Thor should explain it Sir."
"Okay Thor – go ahead. Why the hell can't you do what you did last time and just zap me back to my old self."
"Because this is the self you are now O'Neill."
"Okay – now see – I hate that mumbo jumbo Oma Desala stuff. Just give it to me plainly."
Thor took a deep breath – Jack had to wonder how much air that teeny mouth could actually suck in – and began to explain. "Your brain was not overwritten – is that the correct word Major Carter?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Good. So you see, unlike previous times, your brain was not overwritten. Major Carter explained to me your injuries. I could also see these on the scan."
"Right – so?"
"So, it appears as if the damage was extensive. You lost a great deal of blood, which reduced your oxygen levels to your body and brain."
"Yeah, I know all this Thor. Get to the good stuff."
"I do not know if it is good or not O'Neill."
"Thor – just tell me what happened?"
"I was attempting to do so O'Neil."
"Okay fine, I'm sorry. Now please continue."
"Because of the severe blood loss your brain was damaged", Thor said, sounding very clinical. Jack, in turn, blanched. "I would expect quite extensively."
"Good to know", Jack muttered.
"I believe what happened was that the Ancient gene – which contains the healing gene, probably recognized you were in danger. It activated itself – and I have no idea how or why – and helped repair the damage. Unfortunately, the only way it could do that was by restoring all the other abilities of the Ancients."
"I couldn't speak", Jack murmured, obviously still dealing with the stress from that.
"I believe your mind could only handle so much at one time. The area in your mind that processed speech may have been damaged. The ability to speak Ancient would have been identified as a priority."
"Great! But why can't you get rid of it like last time?"
"Because the previous times it was an external input of information from a separate source. I was able to remove the data."
"Okay – so?"
"So this time it is not just data. Your brain has undergone a change. The Ancient gene had rewritten your own code. There is no way to remove that without leaving you -"
"Leaving me what?"
"A vegetable Sir", Sam said softly.
He stared at her blankly for all of three minutes. "So – what does that mean?"
"That there's nothing that Thor can do", Daniel told him bluntly.
"But – what about all the stuff from the library. That was a download, wasn't it?"
"I do not believe so O'Neill", Thor informed him. "You learned things from the library, that is all."
"So – it's still stuff."
"No it's not Sir. It's knowledge – not like the repository. That was actual data – units of data that were downloaded, just like a computer. This time your own brain learned facts and processed information. It's – different."
"Okay – so basically I learned a few things from the library, I guess that's okay. As far as the other – look, I don't feel any different. Well, maybe a little better, but the Ancient thing isn't affecting me at all so now so – so I don't need to worry about it, right?"
The three humans and one alien simply stared at him until he wanted to stick pound his hands and kick his heels. "Right?" he repeated.
"We do not know O'Neill", Thor told him honestly. "Samantha Carter informed me that you healed someone near death?"
"Yeah", he admitted softly. "It was nothing. I'm sure she would have been fine without me."
"That is most difficult and implies a high degree of sophistication", Thor told him. "I would like to test you to see what other abilities you may have."
"Uh uh" Jack shook his head. "I don't have any other abilities. In fact I'm pretty sure things are going back to normal already. Nope", he said, after thinking for a moment, "no abilities."
"Sir", Sam reached out and gently touched his hand. "Can you answer a question for me?"
"Sure Carter, what is it?"
"I want you to be honest, and if you know the answer, tell me, okay?"
He looked at her carefully, knowing this was a test but unable to refuse her. He was such a sap! "Okay, as long as it's not personal. I am not about to tell you whether I wear boxers or briefs!"
She laughed, although could feel herself grow slightly pink. The fact was, she already knew. "Okay Sir, I promise."
"So, what's your question?"
She thought for a moment. "Alright, and answer as quickly as you can. What is the difference between centripetal acceleration and centrifugal force?"
For a moment he looked at her as if she had two heads. "Carter?" he whined.
"Just think Sir and see if you can answer it?"
"Fine!" He closed his eyes, although almost instantly they popped open again. With a frightened expression he looked at her. "Uh, centripetal acceleration is the acceleration an object experiences as it travels a certain velocity along an arc. Centrifugal force is the imaginary force an unrestrained object experiences as it moves around an arc."
There was silence for a few heartbeats. Sam sat back in her chair, an arrested look on her face. "Yes, that's right."
"Okay – that doesn't mean anything", Jack quickly stood up. "I'm sure I learned that in flight school and it was buried in my brain, that's all."
"O'Neill, can you explain how the Stargate system works?" Teal'c was looking at him, his expression a total blank.
Jack opened his mouth and instantly closed it. He didn't want to answer.
"Do you know Jack?" Daniel pushed him.
"Yes", he answered, but wouldn't say more.
There was a deep silence in the room, as everyone contemplated what this meant. O'Neill had been affected, dramatically, by what had happened to him and by the Ancient library. The problem was, none of them knew what to do about it.
"You need to go home", Jack finally said, softly.
"What? No Sir, not until we figure this out."
"Yes Sam – because we don't even know if we can figure it out and the last thing the three of you need is to be sailing around the galaxy in an Asgard ship – no offense Thor."
"None taken O'Neill."
"But Jack, what are you going to do? If you go back the NID will grab you."
"I know, and I don't want that. Thor – are you okay if I hang around with you for a while – at least until I figure this out."
"Of course", his little buddy nodded. "You are welcome to stay with the Asgard as long as you like O'Neill. You are greatly respected among our people and we would be glad to welcome you."
"Thanks", Jack gave him a small smile. "There ya go campers – all settled."
"But Jack you can't live with the Asgard for who knows how long. We can figure this out. Maybe there's some way Thor can mask the effects? We can simply lie to the NID and the Air Force and no one but us will know."
Jack considered that for a moment. "Is there a way to hide the effects?"
"I do not believe so O'Neill", Thor told him. "You could pretend not to know things, you could also refuse to heal anyone you saw hurt – although I expect that would be difficult for you. The problem is I see no way of disguising the changes in your body chemistry or brain patterns. Although Earth medicine is not as sophisticated as ours, it is still advanced enough to detect these things."
"Right – so sorry Danny – I think I'm looking at a vacation on Othalla, at least for the near future."
"I'll go with you Sir", Sam said, looking remarkably determined and remarkably beautiful.
"I appreciate it Sam", he told her softly, "but no. You have a life back home and I'm counting on you to figure this out. Look, I know all of you are loyal to me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that, but you'll do me more good on Earth. You can work with George to convince the powers that be to leave me alone. And I can spend some time -" he paused, "uh – what is there to do on Othalla Thor?"
"We would be happy to help you discover your increased abilities and potential O'Neill." When that didn't appear to excite the human officer he sighed. "We also have many beautiful places that you may wish to discover on our homeworld."
"There ya go – maybe I'll go camping. Okay Thor – let's head to Earth and we'll drop these folks off."
His team spent the next few hours trying to convince him that what he proposed was a bad idea.
"Jack, they're going to come after us you know, especially if we return without you."
"George will make sure that doesn't happen. I'll just let them know you didn't know."
"Right, like they're going to believe that!"
"What do you want me to do Daniel", Jack finally asked, running his hands through his hair? "I don't want you having to go on the run because of me."
"They will attempt to use us as leverage O'Neill."
"Damn!" He'd avoided thinking about it, but it was true. The fact was, there really was only one thing he could do. He nodded slightly. "Okay", he said, "you're right."
"So you'll take us with you?" Daniel looked at him expectantly.
"O'Neill, we have arrived", Thor announced over the speaker.
"Uh Thor – can I talk to you?"
"Certainly O'Neill." The next moment Jack had disappeared to the control room, leaving his teammates behind.
"What is he planning?" Daniel wanted to know.
Sam shook her head. "I don't know, but I don't like this." The next thing she knew, she was standing in the gate room. Beside her were Daniel and Teal'c and – the Colonel! "Sir, what are you doing here?"
"Turning myself in", he told her with a crooked smile. "Come on – let's go talk to General Hammond."