CHAPTER FIVE

When Burke first stuck his head out an air-conditioning duct in the briefing room, the loaded muzzle of a Beretta met him. Behind it was a slightly bemused looking Walter Harriman.

"Who are you?," demanded Walter in a calm, calculating voice.

A disembodied voice from behind Burke answered for him. "He's with me, Walter, let him out. Neither one of us is as skinny as we used to be."

"General O'Neill?"

"Just Jack, Walter, just Jack." The tall officer levered his way out of the shaft after Burke.

"Yes, sir. Um…we don't have a lot of time. I estimated your arrival time and drugged the current gate technician on duty to allow us access to the gate, but she won't be out long, and…"

"You did what?" Jack looked at Walter with a mixture of shock and admiration. If he'd ever had any doubts about the man, they were gone now, replaced with a newfound respect.

Walter looked up sheepishly and shrugged. "You do what you have to do, sir."

"No arguments here. Let's go. Is the gear ready?"

"Yes, sir…already in the gateroom, sir. Fully loaded MALP with everything you should need."

"What would we do without you, Walter?"

Walter stopped for a second, and seemed to consider the question. A small smile played across his lips, like he was tempted to say what he really thought, but it passed.

"Just doing my job, sir."

Jack grinned at the technician and both men headed out to dial up the gate. Only then did they realize Burke had been standing stock still and staring out the windows at the Stargate the entire time they'd been talking.

"Burke!" O'Neill called out.

The younger man didn't move, but softly mumbled to himself. "Huh. You weren't shitting me…"

"Nope. Now let's go. Don't worry-everyone has that reaction at first. You'll be fine." Jack then dragged Burke out of the room by his elbow and all three men left together.

Jack touched Walter's arm when they parted ways at the steps to the control room.

"Walter."

"Sir?"

"Thank you. You didn't have to do this. I know you'll pay for it. It means a lot…um...anyway…I just wanted to say thanks." The General looked uncomfortable and stumbled over the last part, struggling, as always, with his emotions.

Walter looked back at his former CO and a hard flint appeared behind his soft eyes. He looked like a man transformed. His next words put steel into Jack's already hardened resolve.

"You just bring them back, sir. Just bring them back."

Jack grinned a tiny grin and answered with hard flint of his own.

"Count on it."

There was nothing left to be said, so Burke and Jack continued to the gateroom while Walter began dialing the gate using a non-detection program he had developed years ago that would allow him a few minutes of undetected open wormhole time. He'd never had to use his program, but he had made in case of circumstances like these, and he was glad he had it. He was also glad he wasn't the one O'Neill was after.

As the two camouflaged men entered the gateroom, Burke was still in shocked awe, staring up at the giant ring with unmasked amazement. His quiet alone clearly indicated his shock.

Jack, however, immediately flew into a spitting mad rage.

The object of his anger was another officer, and as Jack screamed at him, his face was close enough to shower the man with saliva.

"What the HELL are you doing here? This is my op! My risk! You could be court martialed for even knowing about it! Get the fuck out of here! This isn't any of your business!" This went on for what seemed an eternity, with the hard-nosed General coming out more and more with every word. Many a man wouldn't have been able to stand up to such a verbal beating.

The officer didn't move, however. He didn't even react. He merely stood, impassive, and let Jack's fire burn itself out while the gate dialed. When the wormhole opened, Jack's head snapped sideways to look at the event horizon, and the berated soldier took his chance to speak.

"It's not an option, sir. I'm going with you on this. It's my choice, and my risk to take. You either take me, or you don't go. All I have to do is pick up a phone, and this op is over before it's even started."

Jack's hands clenched into fists, and his fingers twitched to grab his pistol. It crossed his mind that he could just wound this man and take off, thus saving him from his own foolish involvement in this. He didn't have to kill him. It was Burke who brought Jack out of this homicidal train of thought, by laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Jack…we could always use the help. If he's here, seems to me he'd be a good hand…" Burke was still staring at the now open wormhole, but seemed to have recovered enough of his wits to use them.

Jack seethed quietly for a few more seconds before turning to the man in question. "Fine, but Reynolds…I swear I'll get you for this. I don't like being kept in the dark."

The soldier had the good sense to look slightly abashed. "Sorry, sir, but we knew it was the only way you'd accept a little help."

Jack looked sharply at the other officer.

"We?"

"Yes, sir. Walter, myself, and…Siler." The last name was said quietly and with some hesitation.

O'Neill merely sighed, rubbing one hand across his forehead. "Siler's in on this?"

Another voice rose up from behind the MALP. "Yes, sir. Wouldn't miss it."

"SILER!?!"

A blonde, rumpled head of hair appeared from the other side of the MALP. "Yes, sir."

Jack took in Siler's field dress outfit and his level of armament in a heartbeat.

"Shit! You are not going on this! Get out of here, Siler!"

"Sir, you're going to need me out there. Any one of you three Jarheads know how to repair a DHD or even an IDC transmitter? I don't think so. Colonel Carter is likely to be incapacitated, and you'll need someone who can bail you out if things go south in the tech department."

Jack's blood boiled at Siler's insubordination and intentional reference to the Marines, as he was a Flyboy through and through, but he knew he didn't really have time to debate this, and Siler did have a point, as much as it pained him to admit it and to think that he might not have the services of his usual techie. A brief wave of nausea hit Jack as he realized again that they might be too late to save SG-1. He really didn't want to know if he could handle the deaths of Carter or Teal'c, or if he could face losing Daniel again, and the thought of losing them all…Jack's stomach clenched violently, but he managed to hide it well. Then the weakness left as quickly as it had come, and he merely nodded his head as Walter called down from the control room.

"General O'Neill? We've been detected. Better get out of here."

With a loose but meaningful salute up to the sergeant, Jack nodded to the three others in his little rag-tag team and started up the ramp. He barely heard Reynold's voice follow him as he entered the event horizon.

"Don't worry, newbie, it's not too bad."

Jack smiled a little as he remembered his first trip through the gate, and hoped Burke would get his feet under him fast. He was going to have to where they were going. Jack's imagination was still running wild with pictures of what they might find (if they found their people at all), and what his brain came up with wasn't a pretty sight. Not by a long shot.