"General?"
Hammond looked up from the mission reports he was studying. SG-1 had recently returned from P98-J41. The planet, which as far as the UAV and scouting trips could determine, was uninhabited but contained a large deposit of naquadah. "Yes Lieutenant?"
"Sir, an Asgard has arrived in the gate-room. He says he wishes to speak with you."
Hammond blinked. Usually the arrival of one of the small gray beings was heralded by a general power surge. " Send him in."
The lieutenant moved and the small alien entered the office. Hammond stood and smiled. "I'm General Hammond, commander of this facility."
The Asgard nodded. "I am Loki. Thor wishes me to express his regret at being unable to come himself. His ship is currently in the Garataliend sector."
The general didn't even pretend that he knew where that was. "Please," he gestured to the chair across from his desk.
"I bring news," Loki started once he was seated. "Our scientists have been able to determine the conditions that surrounded the disappearance of SG-1. They have discovered that there are over seven million different dimensions that they could have been sent to. Several thousand have been searched without success."
That was better news that George had been expecting for weeks.
"There is a problem however," Loki added. "There are several dimensions that we were unable to access for many reasons. If SG-1 managed to find their way into any of these it could be impossible to gain access to them for some time."
"Define 'some time'," Hammond asked.
Loki tilted his head. "We could be denied access to them for several years, if not centuries. It would not be prudent to continue searching for so long, considering that they would be dead. Thor has informed us that you are unable to search from this facility for many reasons stemming from your government. The Asgard are prepared to continue searching for your friends until such time as they are found, or you no longer feel that searching is a viable option."
Hammond nodded. "Thank you for taking the time and effort to do what we cannot," he said, and he meant it. Everyone at the base would be off world at the moment searching if they could, but they had their orders.
Loki nodded in return and stood. "If you will excuse me, General, I must return to our ship. Our sensors indicate that we will be discovered in a few minutes by your satellites," that said, the Asgard disappeared.
Hammond leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Seven million. The chances that his people would still be in the area, if they managed to find an open gate at all were slim to none, even he knew that. For the first time in over three months he allowed himself to consider the possibility that they hadn't made it.
He stood when he felt the familiar shaking of his chair. SG-15 was scheduled to depart in a few minutes. He walked to the window and watched as the gate spiraled into life. How many men and women had he sent through it over the past four years? Too many to count. How many had never returned?
Seventeen.
Every time someone died off world, or as the result of a mission, he added a name to the list in his head, along with a face. Thirteen men and four women had died under his command, and for the past months he had staunchly refused to add four more. Sg-1 always managed to land on their feet. Somehow those four people had managed to cheat death more times than was sane. They were practically the poster children of beating the odds. But at the back of his mind, for years now, had been a niggling doubt.
After all, even cats only had nine lives.
"I think my ass is going to fall off."
Daniel grumbled when Jack laughed at his assessment as he disappeared into the darkness. He wasn't joking. They had been riding for the better part of the day, and the sun had only just gone down. Sighing to himself, he patted his horse gently on the shoulder and looked around their small camp. Teal'c and Aragorn had gone hunting, while Jack and Legolas were on 'root detail', and the colonel had so cheerfully put it. Sam was currently rolled into a little ball, her cloak spread about her, a blond head that seemed to appear out of nowhere. When he sat down he fought the urge to giggle as a small snore echoed through the camp. No matter what she said when awake, the woman snored.
"You can look at me, you know, I wont disappear."
Daniel jumped, then blushed guiltily. Gandalf was sitting across from him, and the wizard was right, he had been trying to avoid looking at him. "I know you wont," he answered back, idly stirring the fire.
"Are you?" Gandalf asked in that aggravating questioning tone. Daniel shook his head. The first time they'd spoken together since that morning and he was already exasperated.
Daniel looked up. The old codger was actually smiling. He sighed heavily and continued his poking, much more forceful this time. "If I wasn't they'd have to lock me away. Delusions tend to be the first sign of mental illness," he shuddered. Oh no, Daniel. We are not going there today.
Gandalf laughed. It was the same deep, resonating laugh that he remembered, but it was different somehow. It was older, more tired. "Of course they wouldn't."
"You'd be surprised," Daniel muttered. Just plain maudlin today, aren't we? "How long until we reach Edoras?"
Gandalf looked to the south. "Perhaps a three day ride at the pace we take. Shadowfax is ready to move already."
A neigh sounded from behind him, proof enough that the horse was in agreement. Gandalf had placed his horse in charge of theirs, at least, that's what it looked like when, at a whisper from the old wizard, Shadowfax began corralling their horses into a tight circle.
"You do not seem happy to see me."
The archeologist was confused. "Of course I'm happy to see you, we all are."
"That bears seeing."
Daniel looked up again. The old man was actually teasing him. "I just don't know what to say. You died. You fought a demon, and you died. But here you sit. I mean, they've thought I was dead before, but you… you really were."
"And that troubles you?" Gandalf's tone was thoughtful.
More than you know. "Are you sure Merry and Pip are safe?"
The wizard raised one eyebrow, but said nothing on the sudden change of topic. "They are safe, as safe as they can be in Middle Earth. Treebeard will allow no harm to come to them. Then again," he added, "they just might drive the poor creature insane with their questions. Ents are old creatures, the first. Hobbits just might prove too fast for him to handle."
Daniel shook his head. First elves, then dwarfs, even goblins. But thirty foot trees that walked and talked? Fewer and fewer things were taking up the folder marked 'Impossible' in his head. "What were you doing in Fangorn, Gandalf?"
Gandalf looked confused for a moment. "I don't know. I had to be there. I suppose the distress of our small friends drew me to them."
The other man nodded. It was as good a reason as any other. "What happened in Fangorn anyway? The place was just… evil."
"Not evil," Gandalf shook his head. " Just old. And sad. And deeply, terribly angry. The trees were once known as the Great Forest. It covered most of Middle Earth from the reaches of the Grey Havens to the edges of the Shire. Over time, the trees were cut down, the forest receded further and further, until it began to fight back. The old spirits dwell in Fangorn, creatures that were slowly driven out of their homes by the coming of men. Even elves displaced their share of life here. Sprits live there, nymphs, nilats, all of them aware that they cannot roam as they once did. They resent the forest for its limitations, even as they love it for its protection."
"Do you think we'll ever go home, Gandalf," Daniel asked suddenly, then wished he hadn't. Over the past weeks he'd kept himself from thinking about it. Sam and Jack did too. Even Teal'c had seemed reluctant to talk about earth, and what might be going on there.
"That I do not know, Daniel. You will go where you are needed."
"Fate?"
"Design."
"You don't have to be so smug about it."
Jack could have sworn…sworn… that Legolas was laughing at him. It wasn't his fault that he went cart-wheeling head over tea kettle into a bush. If the damned elf hadn't distracted him with all his questions he would have seen the root sticking out of the ground, he would have walked around it. He certainly wouldn't be limping right now, wondering if it was actually possible to sprain your ass. After a quick but thorough once-over from Legolas they determined that nothing was broken, gathered up the sack of roots and tubers that they'd collected, and headed back to camp. Thankfully he'd only be bruised in the morning.
On his ass.
An ass that would be sitting on a saddle tomorrow.
All day long.
"I was not being smug, Jack. I only said I warned you-"
"You know, on my world, we call that an 'I told you so', and most people over the age of twelve are mature enough not to say it." Not counting one Colonel Jack O'Neill, but he wasn't going to tell him that.
Even in the dim moonlight he could see the elf's eyes shining with amusement. Jack decided that he didn't like this Legolas. He liked the serious, quiet elf that had grated on his nerves with his dead-pan seriousness that he'd met in Rivendell.
"Why did my question disturb you?"
Jack started. Disturb? "It didn't disturb me. I was just caught off guard."
"And?"
Evil-Jack grinned in the colonel's head. He'd draw this out until the elf was biting his nails. " And what?"
There was a small choking noise that could have been exasperation. "And, does Samantha not have any family?"
"Sure. There's Jacob, and through extension Selmac. There's her brother, Jimmy… cant remember her other brother's name."
"So she has no…companion?"
Companion? That's a new way of putting it. "Ah, no. Not that I know of. You'll have to ask her."
The elf seemed to deflate for a moment, then perked up again. "Hopefully Aragorn and Teal'c have been successful in their hunt."
"Yeah," he could see the fire glowing. A few more feet, and they'd be home.
"And Jack?"'
"Yeah?"
"I told you so."
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