Hi folks, thanks as always for your reviews. Here's another chapter for you to enjoy.
"If At First You Don't Succeed..."
by Lingren.
Previously:-
As Jack watched his CO leave, he couldn't help feeling desperate to know what exactly it was that Maybourne had to say to him, and how it would affect the SGC.
Chapter 6 – Plots & Plans
The next day, Jack, dressed in sweat pants and tee shirt, sat on the bed and watched as Daniel pushed the wheelchair towards him. He eyed it distastefully, not wanting to admit to anyone or even himself, how weak he really felt, nor how painful it had been just getting dressed, albeit very informally.
"If someone – who shall remain nameless - would give me a pair of crutches, I could walk, Daniel. I don't need to use that...thing." He scowled both at the chair and at his friend, then glared over at the door to Janet's office even though he knew the room to be empty.
"Sorry Jack, but Janet insisted that you won't be going anywhere unless you use it," Daniel told him adamantly. "Jack...it's only been a few days, and besides, she said you'd be far too weak to walk anywhere just yet."
"Oh fer cryin; out loud! I'm fine. And I can manage," he insisted, waving it away, but Daniel stood his ground, his face set in concrete. There was no way he would give in to Jack's theatrical refusal. Daniel could see what was coming even now...
Jack ignored his friend and swung his wounded leg off the bed gingerly, and Daniel held his breath as he watched Jack cautiously stand up. He'd already expected the grimace of pain on Jack's face as he tried putting some weight on his heavily bandaged limb. And Daniel was already there, nimbly catching him as Jack stumbled forwards unable to bear any weight at all on the leg.
"Ack! Don't you dare say it, Daniel!" Jack warned his friend, wagging his index finger at Daniel out of frustration at his own frailty and having been proven to be far from recovered. Just as Janet had predicted. How could he be this weak when he'd managed to get Maybourne here when he'd been bleeding like a stuck pig at the time? It didn't make any sense at all to his way of thinking.
"I don't have to Jack. I rest my case. Just...sit in the chair. Maybourne's getting impatient, he says it's urgent."
So it was with great reluctance that Jack sat in the wheelchair and let himself be pushed along to the isolation unit to see Maybourne, who had now obviously woken up and wanted to talk to him urgently.
OoOoOoOoO
Maybourne managed to pry open his heavy eyes again as Daniel deposited Jack, actually in the wheelchair, beside his bed. Daniel looked from one to the other and shrugged when they both turned to stare at him.
"Fine. I'll be outside if you need me." Daniel then left them to it, but sat just outside the door, acting as guardian and also in case he was needed to help out in some way.
Back inside the room, Harry took in Jack's presence and cursed his luck, though he was glad that Jack had taken his advice and worn a vest. Janet had already filled him in on the details of what happened after he'd gone down.
"Jack. 'bout time," he snarked, his voice weak but steady, and there was a smirk on his lips too.
"Yeah. Well, let's not dwell on why I'm not exactly 100 at the moment."
"At least you're still with us, Jack." And as was usual, Jack ignored the reference to his own situation.
"Sooo..." Jack asked changing the subject quickly. "What was so damned urgent that we both nearly wound up dead, and will probably see me court-martialled for going AWOL, or whatever?"
"Where's SG-6 Jack?"
Jack was blindsided by the question that came seemingly out of the blue.
"What?"
"Just answer the question Jack. SG-6! Where are they?"
"Still off-world on P3X...something or other. But, what the hell has that got to do with this?"
Harry sighed and winced when it pulled at the wounds on his back.
"Okay, good. So, when are they due back?"
Jack gave up trying to fathom out what Maybourne's enquiries were leading and just answered.
"I believe about 16:30 give or take. Why?"
"What day?"
Jack's eyebrows rose as he tried to work out exactly what day is was.
"Today, I guess. If today's Thursday that is. Why?"
"Could you check that Jack?"
Jack sighed and turned to wards the closed door, yelling for Daniel. The door flew open and Daniel stood there anticipating some desperate need, but relaxed when he saw nothing amiss. He folded his arms and frowned at the grinning pair.
"What?"
"What day is it today?" Jack asked, making Daniel's jaw drop in surprise.
"Thursday Jack. It's Thursday. Anything else you want to know?"
"Nope. You can go...sit...out there if you have to. Thanks!"
Daniel glared at his friend and was muttering something in what Jack took to be Gou'ld or maybe Latin or something, but whatever it was it sure didn't sound like a compliment, as he left the room and closed the door behind him.
Harry looked up at the big clock on the wall and noted with relief that the team were not due back for another hour at least; and he really hoped they wouldn't be early.
"They've been compromised Jack. Simmons's got some powerful friends and they plan to get rid of you, as I'm sure you already have guessed by now, and also General Hammond. Remember Jack? He's already tried it once before, and you barely made it through, that time."
Oh yes, Jack remembered all right. How could he forget that day in a hurry?
"So what's new?" Jack asked, and Maybourne held up his hand to stop him from interrupting. He was growing more tired now. The effort of talking for so long in his weakened state was quickly taking it's toll.
"Just shut up and listen Jack. Not sure how much longer I can keep talking. Not naming any names, but a certain senator, plans to get rid of you and Hammond and put his own men in charge of the SGC. He'll pull a few strings and get Simmons and our friendly Goa'uld out of confinement and send them safely off-world. He intends to use Simmons to run a second base, and use the knowledge from the Goa'uld to help him. 'twas his part of the deal for setting him free."
"And just how do SG-6 come into this 'paradoxical' equation?"
"Simmons has some kind of strangle hold over Harris, some bodged job or something that Simmons cleared up for him. Harris and Lt. Brown intend to dispose of Bates and Hughes, on P3X 892. Knowing that the General will be waiting, as he always does, at the base of the ramp when they gate home, they intend to spray the gate room with bullets when they exit the wormhole. Even though they know they won't survive the experience, they're hoping to take Hammond and half the gate room down with them. Reckons the inquiry would put it all down to a Goa'uld mind control tragedy thing. So no questions would be asked, just hushed up like any other deaths down here are."
"And how would they explain about my death? How would they hush that up, when it was plain to everyone they had already tried to get rid of me?"
"Come on Jack, it may well come as a bit of a shock to you, but you have made a few enemies over the years, so no-one is going to be surprised by a little revenge thing are they?"
Jack knew this to be true, he had stepped on lots of toes, so no big surprise there.
Maybourne was drifting off again, but Jack kept him talking for a little while longer. He had to know if there was anything else he should be telling him.
"C'mon Harry! Stay with me here. Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"Don't know...an'thin' else...gotta stop...Ham'nd..." Harry was exhausted and could no longer stay awake, easily slipping back into the arms of Morpheus once again.
Jack looked up at the clock, SG-6 were due back any time now. With adrenaline now pumping fiercely through his veins, and spurred on by his concern for the General; he leapt out straight out of the wheelchair, forgetting all about how much his injured leg hurt, limping over to the door. He surprised the hell out of Daniel - who was still sitting outside in the corridor waiting to take him back to his bed - by hobbling as quickly as possible right passed him towards the gate room ready for action.
"Jack?" Daniel questioned, getting to his feet in stunned surprise to follow his friend. "Janet said..."
"Not now Daniel," Jack called out, still hurrying as fast as he could down the hallway. "Go and get Carter and Teal'c. Tell them to meet me in the gate room, with Zats. NOW Daniel."
Daniel stopped in his tracts and repeated his earlier question, wondering what was going on. His eyes followed every move Jack made, watching him closely, as he also discarded the sling without a thought. Wondering what on earth Janet was going to say when she found Jack missing from the infirmary, minus the wheelchair, and now his sling - and who was charging towards the gate room for some unknown reason.
"Daniel! Just go!"
The yell from his friend, before he disappeared into the elevator, snapped him from his stupefaction and he hurried away to find the rest of his team.
OoOoOoOoO
General Hammond walked to the bottom of the ramp to greet the incoming team as was his usual practice.
Seemingly endless minutes passed before the rippling wormhole gave up the first member of SG-6, Major Harris, the team leader.
Harris staggered slightly as he landed on the ramp until the dizzying ride through the vortex had settled. He quickly surveyed the personnel around the room, checking on who and where the guards where. Standing there for a few brief moments, he noticed with enormous pleasure, that General Hammond was standing in his customary place, and nodded down at the General in greeting. All he needed to do now was wait for Lt. Brown to come through too, and then they could follow their orders.
TBC