Author's Notes: Here is the third part of the series. Also, I found that the script writer's didn't do Jack O'Neill justice with 'It's Good To Be King.' So, I wanted to 'fix' the dialogue. The "quoted" dialogue is Canon if the scene was shown in the episode. I added a few scenes after and in-between the official stuff.
To make the story truly 'Jack,' I had to do this one from Jack and Jon's POV. I couldn't picture Jack or Jon being any different.
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FOR IN THAT SLEEP OF DEATH
Part 3 of the Little Jack Grows Up Series
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"To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams May come." -From Shakespeare's Hamlet (III, i, 65-68)
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Jon climbed on the bus and scanned for an open seat. The other teenagers were almost bouncing with excitement. He took the seat behind the driver hoping to put a little space between him and the other kids. It wasn't that he didn't like the other kids; he just couldn't stand the near constant battering on his mental shields.
The mental assault was one of the main reasons Jon had for taking this trip. Fall and Winter had made way for Spring. And Spring was the time for high school retreats. While everyone attended their Senior Retreat, the Junior Retreat had only 30 kids sign up. Jon was looking forward to getting away from the near-constant mental strain. After keeping over 600 teenagers out of his mind for several months, Jon thought that 30 for a week should be a piece of cake.
When they initially discovered their growing telepathic abilities, Jon and Jack had tried to ignore them. However, while effective with riding a bicycle, apparently not so effective with telepathy. Their powers had continued to grow. So, after the trying incident with Ba'al, they had purposefully tried to learn the extent and limitations of their new skill.
Jon and Jack had found that they could 'reach' each other just about anywhere on Earth; thanks to Jack's frequent trips. The closer they were geographically, the easier it was, but distance didn't appear to be a limit for them. Of course, Jack had yet to exercise his right to leave Earth, now that he was 'the Man,' so interplanetary distances had yet to be tested.
They had both found that they could 'read' almost anyone's surface thoughts. However, neither of them had tried to dig deeper into someone's mind. Even thought they were getting used to it, they didn't like the idea of invading anyone's privacy that deeply. But, the problem wasn't reading someone's thoughts and feelings, it was NOT reading them. As uncomfortable as it made them, they had faced the fact that other people were shoving their thoughts and feelings into their faces; like it or not. Both had found that shielding themselves from everyone around them was essential for their general sanity. And they both had found themselves withdrawing from the people they were closest too.
While Jack had used his new rank as a shield, to explain his distance, Jon used his studies. Jon was quickly testing out of all of his senior year classes. Come Spring, he would graduate from high school a year early. For Jon, Summer vacation couldn't come soon enough; graduation or not.
Jon had a harder time with his shielding than Jack, mainly because he was surrounded by young undisciplined minds. The teenagers would shoot thoughts out so strongly that Jon often felt that he was hiding behind a tent wall dodging arrows. The shield would turn away most thoughts, but the stronger the emotion behind it the harder it was to keep out. And teenagers felt strongly about EVERYTHING from shoes to homework assignments.
Away from school, the pressure on his mind would ease up. Adults had learned to curb their enthusiasm and focus their thoughts. This was both a blessing and a curse. The stray thoughts were less noticeable, but when one pierced his shielding, it hurt more. Jack believed that the worst 'shooters' were the scientists. They were both more organized and way more enthusiastic. Jack said that when Sam or Daniel got going, he felt the need to run and hide from their 'scientific shelling.' He was glad he had cultivated a pained expression when sitting in briefings. Otherwise they might misinterpret his wincing when one of their zingers got past his shielding.
Now, sitting on the bus for the Junior Retreat, Jon was looking forward to the week of quiet. Getting out into nature would help erase the strain he had been under. Yup, peace and quiet. Just what the doctor ordered.
"Okay, kids, last chance to use the restroom for 3 hours," their perky counselor announced. Immediately, two girls hurried off the bus. Once they returned, the counselor took roll call. "Alright, are you all ready for a week of fun?" she bubbled. Okay, giggling is bad. Bubbling is way worse than giggling.
"Yes!" the rest shouted.
"Okay, then let's go!" The counselor sat down across from Jon all bubbly with enthusiasm.
So much for peace and quiet.
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Just after Jon and the rest of his group had arrived at the campground, Jon felt a distant surge of elation from his older version. Curious, he reached out to Jack.
Hey, old man. What's with the celebration?
I get to go off-world. I get to go off-world, Jack chanted in a sing-songy voice, back at him.
Yeah. And. So. Therefore…
Jealous? Jack retorted.
Of course. Now, get to the good part.
Carter found a ship that only I can fly… Well… maybe, you too… but she asked me first.
Sweet. So, when do you leave? Jon sent back.
As soon as I can get my shit together… Ack! Walter, no more. I have got to go. Apparently, Walter has some issues with me leaving. Who'd a thunk?
Jon smiled. Well, get your butt out of there, old man. Before he thinks to call Hammond.
Shit! I'm gone. I'll let you know if anything interesting happens. TTFN.
Jon felt Jack break the contact. Maybe he would get peace and quiet after all. With Jack off-world, they would get a chance to see if their telepathy could cross the emptiness of space. If not, at least it's one less voice in my head.
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Jack felt his annoyance at seeing Maybourne evaporate as he spotted the ancient ship. "Nice ride."
Daniel grinned at him, "Yeah, Ancients like to fly in style."
Jack felt like a kid in a candy store as he glimpsed the inside of the little ship. "Nice!" He immediately took the left pilots seat and unhooked his weapon. "Woo-hoo!" As he glances around, he failed to see anything that looked remotely like an 'on' switch. Okay, so the woo-hoo was a little premature. So now what? "You're gonna have to help me out here, Carter. Got any quarters?"
He could hear her smirk. He didn't even have to turn around. "Unfortunately, I can't help you with this one, Sir. You're on your own."
"Fine!" Just great. What is the point in bringing along a super-genius when they can't figure out the stuff you need them to figure out. Well, no time like the present, just grasp the… whoa… Ancient TIME machine… I so don't want to head back in time. Living through 1969 twice was enough. Oh, Carter… "How do we know we're not gonna end up back at the Alamo?"
"Um, well, for one thing, that was on Earth," Sam snarked.
She didn't just get all snippy with me, did she? She did. Does and old man proud…
"But more importantly, I've separated the time device from the control circuits… I think," she continued.
You think. That doesn't sound good. Super-genius' should be sure of everything.
"Concentrate on powering up the engines," she finished.
"Concentrate?" Okay, focusing the mind. Jack reached out with his mind and encountered a wall. Smooth and solid. He hesitated to try and push past the boundary. He couldn't see any mental doors. "Got nothin'." He smiled as his comment made Daniel and Sam jump.
Jack felt Daniel's thoughts slam into his shields, he almost flinched physically as well as mentally. Ok, so off-world with Daniel and Sam had a few draw backs. Less others, more Daniel and Sam. Ouch. Ease up Danny. That one hurt.
Daniel leaned in, "Uh… Come on, Jack. You've already proven that the Ancient gene you possess allows you to operate Ancient technology. It's no different than, uh, the device in Antarctica."
I don't remember using the device in Antarctica, Daniel. Wait a minute. Jon remembers. Thanks, Daniel. We needed to test the intergalactic voodoo hotline anyway. JON! Jack gave a mental shout.
? came the faint reply.
Okay, shouting may work. He tried louder. HOW DO I GET THE OLD DOOHICKEYS TO TURN ON?
! Relax. Picture. TA-DA!
Okay, now I am getting snarked from two planets at the same time. That has got to be a new record.
"Just… ffff-ocus," Daniel continued, oblivious to Jack's internal conversation.
Relax, relax, relax. Jack took a deep breath and let all the extra thoughts out of his mind. As he relaxed his control, he felt his shielding come down. Picture. Picture what you want. I can see the whole ship turning on. Lights and … Jack felt the technology, not unlike an obedient dog. Not quite sentient, exactly, but sort of... It jumped when he reached mentally for it. He felt the ship power up around him. This is so cool.
In the background, he could hear Daniel, "Good. Good!"
The ship in his mind started sounding alarms. He was able to feel its disappointment. Not enough power. His mental image of a dog came back to him sad at its failure. He powered the ship back down. Don't want to blow anything.
"Not so good," Daniel sighed next to him.
"Carter?" Jack asked. He did a quick scan of her surface thoughts. She didn't have a clue where to begin. The crystal structures were so different from the Goa'uld technology that she wasn't sure why nothing was working. Okay, we don't have time for this. Need a shortcut. Ah! Power he whispered into her mind. That one word started a chain reaction. Her thoughts were a frenzy of activity. Jack threw up his shields to protect himself from the assault.
Sam began checking things out on her laptop and poking around inside the various open panels. Finally she announced, "The primary power source is depleted. We need to reroute the controls to the secondary output which was primarily designed to power the time device."
"Of course… we do." Maybe next time I'll ask for the short explanation. Something along the lines of 'I'll fix the power, Sir.' Yup, that is a good explanation. Clear, concise, perfect.
"Okay. Try it now, Sir."
Well, that was quick. Show time. Okay, relax, relax, relax… Jack sent his mind into the ship again. It was easier this time. The ship/dog image recognized him and was eager to do as he asked. He once again felt the ship power up. System checks popped up and cleared. He didn't need to read them to understand that the systems were all checking out. Then one system flashed a warning. Power connections are inadequate. Failure imminent. His ship/dog flinched and yelped as he heard the sparks in the rear compartment. He quickly powered down again.
"Damn it!" Sam cussed at the ship. Then immediately began taking the control crystals out one at a time and checking them.
Jack sighed. This might take a while. I'll give her 30 minutes. Then we have got to go. Jack looked a Daniel and jerked his head towards the rear hatch. Daniel nodded in assent. The both slipped past Sam trying not to destroy her concentration.
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After his brief contact with Jack, Jon joined the others in the common area. Mitzy, yes, her parents actually named her that, the retreat counselor was waiting for the last of the stragglers so she could announce the agenda for today. Mitzy was way to perky in Jon's opinion. But then, somebody had to be perky to his snarky, and it looked like Mitzy was just perky enough.
"Okay, Juniors. We are going to have sooo much fun this week. Did everyone get a welcome packet?" she waved a bright pink folder in the air. A few teens grumbled 'yes' and she continued grinning. "Okay, the first sheet is the agenda. Let me know if you have any questions or problems with any of the items." Her face became more serious. "I especially need to know if you will need special accommodations for any of our more… physical… activities." Jon snickered with the majority of the boys. Mitzy then began to read each detail of the agenda.
Jon groaned. As if we cared what we were doing. I sooo don't need to hear Mitzy's never ending list of 'fun.'
Maybe I can make her stop. Jon was intrigued by the idea. He had never tried to put an idea in anyone's mind. I guess it's time to move from reading to writing, Sparky. I promise to only use my powers for good. Well, my good anyway.
Jon reached out his mind to the counselor. Focusing on just her, he pictured whispering in her ear, They want to start having fun. Let's just start. They will read the agenda later. He pulled back from her and felt her mind shift gears. Her thoughts were as chaotic as her bubbly personality. He smirked as she frowned.
"Oh my God! I must be boring ya all to tears. How about we just start having fun?"
"Yeah!"
"Cool! Now, for this first activity I need to you break into groups of four. Two boys and two girls in each group please," Mitzy instructed.
Jon grinned as he joined the others in selecting teammates. This week was going to be fun.
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Half an hour after Sam had started, Jack and Daniel had to drag her away from the ship. "I'm just not that familiar with Ancient technology. I need a little time."
Of course, you do. I never expected you to instantly understand a new doohickey. But… "That is the one thing I can't give you, Carter." Damn, I hate having to blow up the good stuff. Jack dropped down and began to dig out his C-4.
"You can't be serious," Daniel asked.
Of course, I'm serious, Daniel. I never want the Goa'uld to master time. We would be so wiped out. Remember Ra. He could come back. I can't let that happen. It has to go. Jack gave Daniel a pointed look, but he didn't say anything.
"Sir, this technology is too valuable to lose," Sam stated.
I know. But we can live without it. We can't live with the Goa'uld getting it. Jack let his frustration with the two scientists get to him. "Carter, what do you want me to do? Call in reinforcements? It's not like we're throwing down with a couple of Jaffa. We're taking on a System Lord and his band of merry bad guys. Inside and out," he ordered as he handed the C-4 blocks to Daniel and Sam. "I want that thing gone!"
Jack heard the hostile thoughts too late. They all heard the bushes rattling and took up defensive positions, just as some of the villagers emerged from the trees with weapons ready. Shit! What the hell good is cosmic voodoo telepathy if it can't even warn you when some native wants to stick an arrow in your ass!
"Surrender your weapons, or die where you stand!"
Okay, there's the leader. Jack shifted his aim to the woman, "Oh, if I had a nickel!"
"Lower your weapons," the leader demanded again.
Jack pushed his mind towards the woman, only to be distracted as a fern tickled his face. Damn it! "I don't think so." He pushed the plant out of his way.
Jack mentally pushed at the woman again; this time without the distraction. What do you want? He saw her anger at the loss of their king. Harry? Harry wasn't dead.
"We will not allow you to take King Arkhan from us," their leader supplied with Jack's pushing.
Good. Now we can talk this out like adults. "Good King Arkhan is a fraud." Or like petulant children. Whatever works.
"Our king is wise. He is a seer," one of the other natives supplied.
Yeah, right. And I have this bridge in San Francisco for sale… "He may be your king, but he's no seer."
Come on, Daniel. It's your job to make the nice natives want to be friends. Jack gave his friend a little mental shove.
Daniel started to try and persuade them, "He can only interpret what's been written on the pillars of the temple ruins not far from here. Now, those writings hold the prophecies, and anyone who can read them can make the same predictions." Good boy, Daniel.
"That is a lie," their leader returned.
"Why don't we just go back to the village and let King Arkhan explain everything," Daniel responded, trying to sound reasonable.
Jack pushed deep into the leader's mind. He pulled her memories up and forced her to see where her King Arkhan was just a man. A man with knowledge that they didn't possess, but just a man. He also brought the image of the pillars in the ruins to the front of her mind. He showed her how the marks would be a written language not too dissimilar to their own. She was beginning to see reason. Let King Arkhan explain.
"Jack?" Daniel's voice broke his concentration.
"Daniel?"
"They're not gonna shoot," Daniel supplied.
Yet, Daniel, yet.
"Are ya?" Daniel asked their leader.
Jack read her thoughts again. She was conflicted but she didn't want to kill anyone. King Arkhan had greeted them as his friends. She didn't want to anger him by killing his friends. She lowered her weapon and gestured the others to do the same. Jack and Sam lowered their weapons at the same time.
Sweet! Score one for cosmic voodoo. "God, I miss goin' off-world! Oh yeah!"
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Halfway through lunch, Jon was bored. Camp food just reminded him of the SGC dining facility; completely unimaginative and bland. Somehow he just knew that Jack was having way more fun than he was. Jealousy reared its ugly head and Jon was didn't want to deny it. Jack got to go off-world. Jon got to go to camp… with teenagers.
Ya know. When put that way, it sounds like I'm being punished. The newest form of Goa'uld torture: Camp with Teenagers. Ah! Save me from the evil goddess Camps-a-lot. Jon chuckled at his own mental image.
He pushed his try away and leaned against the wall. Bugging Jack is so much more fun. He closed his eyes and pushed out to Jack. The connection was easier this time, though still tenuous. He didn't try to say anything in specific, just watch. He felt stretched thin. He couldn't make out any words and the visual was fuzzy, like a TV without sound and faulty reception.
What he could see, didn't make sense. Was that Harry? What the hell! Harry was addressing a crowd. They seemed angry. I guess it is Harry. What the hell did you say to piss them off Harry? Then he felt the power of their anger. They were beating their anger against Jack's shields. Their anger directed at Jack? SG-1? Harry? Yikes! Jon pulled back as the pounding had started to give him a headache. His last clear image was of Harry placing a crown back on his head and shrugging.
Ouch! Jon pulled himself back into his own head. Harry Maybourne as a King. How screwed up is that! So, Jack is not having more fun than me. Maybe less. No, definitely less fun; especially if Harry is involved. Yup, make a mental note to avoid angry crowds. That was sooo not good on the shielding.
Just then Jon felt Mitzy's bubbly mind as she approached. He quickly raised his shields again, "Jon! Are you ready for the obstacle course? Remember, first team through gets a special prize."
She must be a goa'uld. Only the goa'uld could torture you with their voice like that. Hell, only a BMT Training Instructor could say 'obstacle course' with such obvious delight. "Ya sure, you betcha!" he replied.
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Well, that was a phenomenal waste of time. Jack used the walk back to the ship to rebuild his shattered defenses. The angry crowd had beaten and eventually shattered his mental shield. Even now, with only Sam nearby, his shields were too thin to block her rapid-fire thoughts.
Good grief, Carter. Enough. No doohickeys for you. Ahh! Jack stopped and turned to yell at Sam to stop thinking so hard, when his radio went off.
"Jack? Come in," came Daniel's voice.
Years, Daniel. Years and years of training in proper radio etiquette and you let everyone in range know that one, you are not alone. And two, General Jack is on the planet. Great, Daniel. Just great. "Go ahead," he sighed into the radio.
"Uh… we've got a little problem here."
Okay, try to be a little more specific, Daniel. Jack reached out to Daniel. Using Jon's technique, he peeped over Daniel's shoulder. Shit! Jaffa had taken up defensive positions around the gate. Their time had run out. And that handsome fella must be the First Prime. Joy. Now all we need is the snakehead.
"Ares' Jaffa just came through the Gate. We're cut off."
Daniel's voice echoed through his mind and his ears. Well, that was weird. Jack pulled back from Daniel.
"If you blow the ship now, you'll give away your position."
Gee, thanks, Daniel. In all my experiences, I would never have figured that out. Ack! I'm out of the field for few months… okay, more than a few… and suddenly Daniel… yes, Daniel… is giving me tactical advice. Daniel of all people. Daniel!
Jack could hear Sam's mental Oh, shit! She knew the look he was now giving the radio. "Guess we're staying for a while," she ventured.
Jack sighed and headed for the ship. Snarky Carter was not improving his temper. The sooner we get this thing running, the sooner we are out of here. Jack pulled out his radio and did a full count to ten before giving Daniel his reply, "Copy. Head back to the village and give the good king my regards…And don't get caught."
"Copy. On our way," came Daniel's quick response.
Jack sat in the pilot's seat and rubbed his temples. Go to your happy place, Jack. Sunshine, palm trees, beach. Ahh. Ya know, I actually miss the kid in my head. Wow! How weird was that! I'm actually missing the voices in my head. My life is too weird. Deep breath. Okay, time to face reality. "Carter, I'll be outside. You have until the Jaffa find us to fix this heap of alien gizmos. Get cracking." Jack got up and started to familiarize himself with the forest around the ship.
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Jon had picked his team carefully. He really, really didn't want to win the special prize. However, in retrospect, he could have chosen better. At least, his team would have completed the course. As it stood, Jon was trying to figure out how to get two big boned girls and the president of the chess team through 'the Weaver.'
Doesn't sound very hard. You go over one pole and under the next and so on until you are on the other side. Of course, the OTS version had been made of 4X4 poles, not telephone poles. That slight difference was making him wonder if he could make it through the obstacle.
"Jon?" one of the girls asked. Sally. Her name was Sally.
"Yeah?"
"I don't think we can do this one. We can just go around. Most of other kids have," she stated. She was projecting her self-doubt so loud; she should have been shouting. Her friend Krystal was the same. But they both were ashamed that they were so inept when it came to anything physical. Their last team mate, Steve, wasn't so sure he could do this one either.
Oh come on. The Weaver isn't about strength, it's about leverage. We are sooo gonna kick its ass. "Sally, we all do this as a team. Now, you all have completed every other obstacle on the course, right?"
"Yes," she ventured shyly.
"So, this one is way easier than that one where you hung upside down on a rope." Jon projected his certainty to his three teammates. "We just got to work together. I'm going to show you how, okay?" He received three nods in response.
Jon deftly maneuvered over the first few poles, quietly explaining how to use their leverage and speed while going over the one log to swing under and over to the next log. "Muscle power alone, won't get you through this one. Muscles don't even really help," he explained as he stepped back down off the obstacle.
Jon set his mind and gaze on Sally. Project confidence and certainty, "Okay, Sally, you're up first. Remember, I'll keep you from falling. Not that you'll need me. You will kick this bad boy in the ass. Come on." Jon climbed under the obstacle and stood ready to catch Sally if she should fall.
Jon helped Sally focus on just the movement needed to conquer the obstacle. Up and under and up and under. They were both concentrating so hard that Sally and Jon were both surprised when they passed the last pole. Sweet! "Told ya!" he taunted Sally.
Sally was flushed with accomplishment and success. Jon heard her shouting her success mentally. I did it. I did it.
Grinning, Jon went back to the start of the obstacle. "See! Piece of cake. Who's next?"
Krystal volunteered to go next and Jon repeated the process. Soon Krystal was repeating Sally's chant. Next, Jon helped Steve through the obstacle. Steve needed less prompting. About half way, Steve sent him back to complete the obstacle for himself.
As Jon, touched down on the other side, he was surrounded by his teammates. Their confidence was restored and they were all eager to complete the course. The last two obstacles were mere formalities. They were all grinning like maniacs when they finally finished. They were the last team off the course.
"Good job, guys!" Mitzy bubbled at them. "You are the only team that succeeded in getting all your members over all the obstacles. Congratulations! You get the special prize!"
Jon gapped at her. Nooo! We were last! Life is sooo unfair.
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Jack was just returning from the forest between the ship and the village when Daniel radioed again.
"Sam? Jack? This is Daniel."
Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. Use radio protocol. If Ares knows about the Tau'ri, he may have one of our radios. It's not like they haven't taken one or two or twenty from us before. Radio frequencies are not secure. Come on, Daniel. Use that big brain of yours. Oh well, if they were listening in they would have started the search for us long before reaching the village. Lucky us.
"Ares' First Prime just sent some men out to check out the ruins. As soon as they see that Ancient writing, they're gonna search the area."
Okay, not so lucky. "Carter? How's it going in there?"
"Just a few more minutes, Sir," Sam replied quickly.
"What are you guys doing? I thought you were going to blow it up?" Daniel asked over the radio.
"General O'Neill's given me one more chance to get the engines online so we can fly it out of here," Sam returned.
Jack winced at the use of his rank over the radio. Et tu, Carter?
"Yeah, I'm all for saving the ship but you're cutting it kinda close," Daniel replied.
Jack smiled. Daniel must be channeling him. At least I know that Daniel was giving Sam the same shit he gave me.
"I know!" Sam shouted over the radio.
Oops! Don't push her too far Daniel. I know that tone. It's the one right before she tears your face off. Jack poked his head around the corner of the ship. "I'll be scouting the ruins. I'll probably be bringing company back. Be ready."
Sam's only response was to glance at her weapon and a quick nod as she continued to drag cables all over the little ship. Jack turned and jogged to the edge of the ruins.
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After the humiliating awards presentation, the group was sent to change and wash. Okay, it wasn't humiliating. Sally, Krystal, and Steve had NEVER gotten an award for anything physical. The little trophies and a little embarrassment were worth seeing his teammates' happy faces.
They were supposed to do 'crafts' before dinner. Oh well, playing with glue and string could be soothing at times. Not! On the bright side, tomorrow was paintball. Hey, he could prep his team for paintball using craft time. Yes! Now, we have a plan.
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Jack had just gotten comfortable in the tree line when the Jaffa arrived with a woman. He watched as the woman pointed to the pillars and said, "Its here." The lead Jaffa scouted the pillar.
Jack reached out to his mind, as the lead Jaffa stepped up to the pillar to examine the text closer. These pillars are not important. Return to the village. He tried to push the thought into the Jaffa's mind. But when he found resistance, Jack was surprised.
Jack had always known that Teal'c was different from other humans. In fact he had spent many hours in the Jaffa's calming presence when the mental pressures from the rest of the base began to overwhelm him. Even when he was angry at his son, Teal'c had maintained a tight control over his thoughts and feelings. Teal'c seemed to carry a well of calmness with him. However, he had wrongly assumed that it was just Teal'c and maybe Bra'tac. Not all Jaffa.
But the evidence was before him now. These Jaffa were so tightly controlled that any thought outside of the norm was rejected before it was even identified. Jack's respect for Teal'c increased as he realized that his friend had not only broken the conditioning, but, compared to these Jaffa, Teal'c was very free with his thoughts and emotions.
Jack felt the lead Jaffa frown in confusion as Jack continued to push harder at his mind, Not important. Not important. Not important.
Finally, the lead Jaffa broke Jack's hold. He directed the others to begin a search of the area.
"Damn it!" Jack put down his scope and backed out of sight. He jogged a short distance before grabbing his radio and whispering, "Carter?"
"Sir?"
"They're headed our way."
"I need more time."
"Yeah, of course you do!" Great. Now what. I can't do an Obi Wan on them and they way out number us. Scratch that, me. They way out number me. Shit!
Okay, new plan. Lead them the long way around. Hope you don't need too much time, Carter. Cause I'm coming in hot. Jack caught up to two of the Jaffa and caught their attention by shooting them without any warning. As his weapons fire echoed through the forest, he turned and headed towards the far side of the clearing. That should get the rest of them to follow me. Jack turned and ducked back into the woods as soon as the other Jaffa spotted him. He dodged the blasts that seemed to follow him through the trees. He arrived at the ship just before the reinforcements from the village. He closed the hatch behind him, not even bothering to return fire.
"Times up," he told Carter. Jack made his way past her careful patchwork and back to the pilot's seat. Come on, Carter. We are out of other options.
"I'm done! I think!"
About damn time! Jack rested his hands on the controls and tried to relax and reach out to the ship.
WHUMP! WHUMP!
Damn, Jaffa. Hard to relax when you're being shot at.
"We're good to go, Sir." Sam joined him in the cockpit.
"I'm doing the best I can," he snapped at her. Not helping, Carter. Relax. Relax. Happy place. Jack's mind finally tuned out the staff blasts striking the ship to find that the ship was eager to obey his commands. The little ship powered up and flipped through a system check at lightning speed. No warnings. Sweet! Jack reached for the controls as his awareness of the ship slowly moved into the back of his mind.
Flying the ancient ship was nothing like flying any other craft. The ship anticipated his commands and jumped to respond. Jack didn't even remember taking off. He just felt the little ship jump into the air and soar. They had buzzed the village before Jack had a chance to figure out what they wanted to do next.
Jack had activated the visual controls for Sam's benefit. He was getting all the readings internally, but he knew that Sam wanted to see it for herself. Besides, there was no way he was going to try and describe the experience to her. He never liked trying to explain the impossible. So, he just smiled as she watched the screen avidly. Yup, cool new doohickey for Sam to play with.
The ship gave him a proximity alarm at the same time that Sam declared, "Sir, we're detecting another ship. It's big."
Shit! A mother ship. Well, we were missing the head snake. So much for a joy ride in the new ship. Jack began evasive maneuvers as soon as the death gliders were detected.
"You're doing great, Sir," Sam offered in support. Jack saw her wince as one of the death gliders scored a hit. "Relatively speaking."
Jack shot her a frown. Snarky is not what I need right now, Carter. What I need are weapons. "Weapons. Weapons." Jack pulled his connection to the ship back to the front of his mind.
Weapons, where are the damn weapons? The ship immediately deployed several missile bays. Perfect. Now, go kill the bastards. The missiles fired at the Goa'uld mother ship.
"Keep firing, Sir."
Damn it, Carter. Stop distracting me. "Nothing's happening." Now, weapons, missiles. Empty. Shit! Jack began evasive maneuvers again.
"Weapons must be depleted. Hopefully you hit some vital systems," she offered, without much hope.
The targeting program that Jack had been using changed from a hit to kill. Just as the mother ship exploded. Nice! Jack pulled the ship around and sped a safe distance from the wreckage. Safe once again, "Think that was vital?" he snarked.
"Relatively speaking," she quipped back.
Jack grinned. Mentally he tracked the death gliders that survived the blast down to the surface. They all landed near the Stargate. He snorted, fearless Jaffa my ass.
Daniel! Teal'c! He sent his mind to the surface. The ships sensors augmenting his natural abilities. He found the village and his two wayward teammates. The enemy Jaffa had all been disarmed and locked in one of the rooms. The rest of the village was already cleaning up the debris from the fight. "Sweet!"
"Sir?"
"Sorry, Carter." Jack pulled up the sensor's screen on her viewer and let Sam see for herself.
"They won!" Her smile was returned. "Ready to head back?"
"Not just yet," he replied.
Jack began his joy ride in full. He pushed the engines and manipulated the controls in several complex aerial maneuvers. As he flexed his mind, the ship seemed to disappear around him. The feeling of being one with the sky was powerful. Wow! I have to get me one of these!
What else can this baby do? The little ship responded to his query with a detailed list of options. Cloak? Sweet! Could have used that earlier. Jack pulled a couple of barrel rolls as he passed over the village and then gently set it down in a nearby field.
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The sun was just setting when Jon felt Jack as a strong presence back in his mind. He was sitting around a campfire pit with his new teammates basking in the warmth of the fire.
Hey, old man.
Hey, kid.
Did ya have fun?
Did I ever! Jack replied with a flash of images. Then Jack's tone sounded sad, Carter won't let me keep the ship.
No?
No. Something about studying it more closely, blah blah, Area 51, yada yada.
Jon snorted, getting him a few odd stares from his fellow campers. How can they study it if only you and I can make it turn on?
Ya know, that is a very good point. I'll tell Carter that she wouldn't get much studying a dead piece of technology. But if she's really nice to me I'll turn it on for her.
Jon smiled and sent an image of Sam bribing Jack with cake to get access to the ships systems.
Exactly, kid!
So, old man, when are ya gonna pick me up?
Whatever do you mean?
Joyride in the alien doohickey, of course.
I don't know…
If ya let me have a joy ride, I'll let ya play paintball with me and my team of misfits.
Paintball, ya say?
Yup… against spoiled teenagers. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.
Tempting… Very tempting.
Got it all set for tomorrow. I even prepped the team. Come on, ya know ya wanna.
Alright! Joyride tonight! Paintball tomorrow. What a hell of a day!
END OF PART 3
Next, Part 4 of the Little Jack Grows Up series, 'What Dreams May Come'
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End Notes:
TTFN -Ta Ta For Now - from Whinny the Pooh
BMT – Basic Military Training
OTS – Officer Training School
Work Title: For In That Sleep of Death
Summary: Jon and Jack try to learn control their new ability. Part 3 of Little Jack Grows Up series. Gen. AU.
AO3 Sequel Information: Ay, There's The Rub
AO3 Series Information: Little Jack Grows Up Series
Rating: AO3 [Teen (T)] [Teen (T)]
AO3 Archive Warnings: AO3 [No Warnings Apply]
Fandom Category: Stargate SG-1: Season 8
Spoilers: Stargate SG-1: 0221 1969, 0809 Sacrifices, 0813 It's Good To Be King
AO3 Relationship Categories: AO3 [Gen]
AO3 Pairing: None
Characters: [NOTE: FF limit of 4] BG Jonathan 'Jack' James O'Neill, Clone Jonathan 'Jack' James O'Neill, LtC Samantha 'Sam' Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Master Teal'c (Apophis) of Chulak, Col Harry Maybourne,
FF Genre: General, Family,
AO3 Additional Tags: Mild Language, Angst, Episode Tag/Missing Scene, POV
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