Rising from the Ashes of Ascension
Chapter 13
Disclaimer: As much as I might wish, I do not own Stargate: SG1, Highlander: the Series, or any recognizable characters from either show. If I did, I wouldn't be working in the public schools system. However, any characters that are not from either show are mine and I will use and abuse them as I see fit. Everyone else will be returned eventually, for I am only borrowing for awhile, but they might end up a bit scuffed.
Warnings: Potty language, violence, and occasional sexual references
A week later, after they had freed Ry'ac and Bray'tac from the Jaffa slave camp, Hammond informed SG1 that they had pulled training duty for the next two weeks. While there were others that ran the SGC's training program on a regular basis, field teams were brought in to assist the regular personnel in training when more specialized skills were necessary or when the trainers were either on leave or off world. This time, SG1 had the luck of being the team to take over the training for the new recruits. Everyone, including Teal'c grumbled about this latest assignment.
Training duty sucked.
The next day, on a cheerless, cold Monday at 0600, SG1 found themselves over at the Air Force Academy at the Cadet Field House's indoor track facilities faced with fifteen new recruits to the program from all branches of the military and the civilian sector, including the Coast Guard. One was a SEALs stolen from the Navy; three Marines; two soldiers had been taken from the 10th Mountain Brigade, 3rd Brigade Combat Team; two Air Force officers and an enlisted personnel; and a lone recruit from the Coast Guard. The remaining people were civilians, scientists and the like with specific areas of expertise that the military could not supply themselves. Ten of the individuals were men, leaving the remaining five female. They all came from different walks of life and backgrounds. Their ethnic origins were a lively mix, reflecting the racial diversity of the country.
The military personnel seemed to be made from the same cloth. All were in good shape, intelligent, and all had seen combat in some form or another. However, none of them had ever seen combat off world. Despite all they had done and seen, they were considered fresh meat by the standards of the SGC, especially SG1. The civilians, while none of them looked like doughboys, had not lead lives that depended upon their level of fitness. Most of them had come from academia or the private sector and their closest experience to combat involved scrabbling for a larger share of the yearly budget. One however, had been in the Army Reserves and had seen combat in Iraq before being discharged.
"Attention on deck," one of the SEALs called out, bringing everyone to attention, notifying the recruits that a superior officer was arriving. The civilians, with one exception, however looked around with some small amount of confusion.
"At ease," the Colonel said irritably, walking up to the group that was gathered on the indoor track. Following behind him were the other members of SG1: Major Carter, Teal'c (with his gold seal covered with a bandana), and Dr. Jackson all dressed in their blue utility uniforms, minus the patches.
Immediately the military group fell into parade rest, theoretically at 'ease,' but they were anything but at ease.
Daniel, standing behind Jack, looking slightly bored, wishing he was anywhere but at the Air Force Academy suddenly stiffened and looked around. The feeling was faint, but familiar. A pre-immortal was near-by.
A group of cadets were running as a group past the group from the SGC. Daniel quickly scanned the kids and saw a familiar, yet slightly older figure. His blond hair had been cut severely short and he wore uniform PT shorts and t-shirt of blue and white stained with sweat.
Scott Waters apparently had reached his goal of entering the Air Force Academy and he was still a pre-immortal. Thankfully his first death hadn't occurred since they had last seen him.
Sam and Teal'c were looking over at him strangely, noticing the change in posture and demeanor. Daniel responded with a slight shake of his head and mouthed the word 'later' at them.
Jack, oblivious to what was taking place, behind him started with his welcome to the first phase of the SGC. What the new recruits would have to first pass is a basic PT test.
"The SGC requires you to score at least sixty percent in push-ups, sit-ups, and a two mile run," Jack rattled off, looking grouchy. He hadn't had his coffee yet and he hated training new recruits. "Any questions?"
"What if we don't make sixty percent?" one recruit asked hesitantly.
Jack gave the person, a lieutenant from the Air Force, a grimace, silently threatening to kill the kid if he failed and disgraced the branch in front of the others. "Then you will go back to your original assignments and enjoy the rest of you careers. We finished? Good," O'Neill barked.
The group paired off and started with the push-up part of the test. Jack was in charge of keeping time, while Sam and Teal'c were in charge of making sure that no one was shorting the push-ups and Daniel was given the job of recording everyone's scores.
Daniel spent the next hour dutifully writing down everyone's scores, pleased to note that all of the civilians had made at least sixty percent in all areas. Score one for the civilians, Daniel thought happily.
One of the Air Force officers missed his two mile run score by only six seconds. Daniel honestly felt bad for the guy as he wrote down the time and circled the score.
"Did you write down seventeen minutes?" Captain Sansone asked breathlessly crossing the track to speak to Daniel.
Daniel looked up at him with mild annoyance. "No," he said slowly as if explaining things to a small child. "The Colonel called out seventeen, oh-six and that is what I wrote down."
"He said seventeen minutes. You must have heard him wrong," Sansone growled.
"I doubt it," Daniel said mildly.
"Then you must be deaf along with being blind," Sansone snarled, poking Daniel in the chest, pissed that a civilian was getting in his way of becoming a part of this elite program.
"Excuse me?"
"You either get it right or I swear by all I will make your life a living hell," the demented captain spit out the words, but was careful enough to make sure that the others didn't hear his words.
Daniel let a half smile curl his lips. "As having been, literally, to hell and back, I doubt you could do that."
"You talk big for a civilian whose great protectors are here to cover your sorry ass," Sansone said, not liking Daniel's contemptuous tone. "I doubt you'd be so brave alone without the big guy and the Colonel near-by. I bet you even hide behind the Major."
"Okay, now you are getting out of hand. I would suggest that you go walk off your anger and then talk to the Colonel about maybe letting you take the run again. Six seconds isn't that far off from the required score," Daniel suggested mildly.
"Hell no! I got seventeen minutes and that's what you're going to write down," he demanded, poking Daniel once again.
That was it. He hadn't had his coffee either and this was pissing him off. In a flash, Danil dropped his clipboard and had Sansone on the ground in an immobilizing arm-bar. "I will not be bullied by you or anyone. You try this shit with me or anyone else and I will break your arm in at least three different areas and smile while doing it."
Next thing Danil knew was three pairs of arms were pulling him violently off of Captain Sansone, preventing him from inflicting anymore violence on the man.
"Danny, stop it!"
"Daniel, please calm down."
"DanielJackson, you must desist from your attempts to injure this man," Teal'c rumbled baritone cut through the air.
"I want him brought up on charges!" Sansone yelled, rubbing his arm, wincing in pain.
"What in the hell went on here? Daniel, why did you feel the need to go after the Captain here?" O'Neill asked, looking cross. "Can we let go and trust you to behave yourself?"
"Yes," Danil snarled, then suddenly caught himself, letting his more rational side take over. The cadets, much less the new recruits, did not need to see how bad his temper could get.
"Not to repeat myself, but to repeat myself never-the-less, what in the hell went on here?" Jack asked, staring hard at his friend.
"He attacked me for no reason," Sansone protested loudly.
Daniel looked the mortal over, sizing him up, seeing him for the little man he really was. "Captain Sansone was six seconds off on his run. He wanted me to put his run down as seventeen minutes, rather than seventeen, oh-six. Sansone then started to poke me and told me what I was going to do."
"Is that true Captain?" Jack glared at the man.
"Of course not! How could you believe the word of a civilian over mine?" the idiot babbled, clearly not understanding who had just threatened to break his arm.
Jack gave the captain a vicious glare. "Let me introduce to you Dr. Daniel Jackson," Jack growled, mindful that he was in a public area. "He has been with this program since the gate was first opened. In fact he was the one that opened it for us. He has been a member of SG-1 since it was first formed and is the head of three different departments within the SGC. He has seen more combat than you ever will, not to mention that he is my teammate, so yes, I am going to take his word over yours any day of the week.
"You on the other hand are pissing me off. You are to return to your quarters at Peterson and remain there until summoned. Do I make myself clear? Good! Now get out of here. Oh and by the way Sansone, since Dr. Jackson has been a member of a combat team for several years now, do you not think he's picked up a few things on how to defend himself? Actually, you're lucky he only hurt your arm. He hasn't had his coffee yet and he's been known to kill people that piss him off before his first jolt of caffeine," Jack threw back at the officer. "Now get out of my face!"
Sansone, pissed, but knowing that now was not the time to protest his innocence, grabbed his gear, stomped out of the gymnasium, and slammed the metal doors behind him, furious that he had been treated that manner.
O'Neill turned to the group of fresh meat, military and civilians alike. "Let me make this perfectly clear to everyone. While the SGC is a military instillation, there are a number of civilians that work there and they will be treated with the same amount of courtesy and respect that you would treat fellow NCO or officer. I will warn you that several of the civilians are well trained in weapons, tactics, and defense. All of them have very high IQs and are imaginative in acts of revenge. And civilians do not think you can hide behind the excuse of but I'm a civilian. That only works so much and for so long before the higher ups get pissed off," Jack forced himself to not glare at Daniel with that last bit.
"Get yourselves cleaned up and report to the SCG by 1000 hours. Make sure you have your id badges with you. Dismissed," the Colonel barked, causing everyone to scurry away like scared kittens looking for mama.
Once everyone had gone, Jack turned on Daniel. "I am not saying that I don't believe you about Sansone, but what in the hell was up with that reaction?"
Daniel looked at the toes of his boots, head-down, and his face bright red as he mumbled something.
"What was that? I don't think I heard you," Jack snarked.
Daniel sighed and looked up. "He started poking me and I hate being poked, especially by assholes that think just because I'm a civilian I can be treated like crap. Hell, every civilian on base has had someone try to push them around at some point and there was no way in hell I was going to let him start with me. Next thing you know, he'd try something like that with Dr. Lee or sweet Dr. Lori Godfried and then we'd have an all-out war on our hands, especially if Lori ends up crying. I remember what happened when that one Marine asshole made her cry in the cafeteria. That idiot ended up duct taped to the back wall of the main elevator, pants-less, with a sign taped to him saying he was a suspected Goa'uld System Lord on the day General Shermann came for a surprise inspection. I though Hammond was going to have a coronary over that one."
Jack couldn't help the snort of amusement that escaped his lip. "It was weird how we never found out who was responsible for that."
Daniel did his best to not look at Teal'c.
"But still Danny, don't you think its best that people not suspect that you know more than just what we teach people at the SGC?"
Daniel rolled his eyes at that. "I just tell them that you and Teal'c are just really good teachers," he said, and then quickly added, "which you are. Everyone buys it. With your background and Teal'c being a former First Prime, it makes perfect sense that I would know a bit more than what is taught in our classes."
"Thanks," Jack said, not entirely sure he hadn't been insulted. "I just think you need to be careful Daniel. That's all."
"Jack I have not survived all of the years by being stupid. I know how to keep my identity intact," Daniel said, sighing.
"Well let me tell you Clark Kent, the nerdy glasses aren't working very well. Pretty soon someone is going to see beyond the geek personae and then not even your Fortress of Solitude is going to protect you," Jack said, sarcasm dripping from his tongue.
"Dr. Jackson? Sir! Ma'am! Murray?" a quiet voice said from behind the Colonel.
Jack whipped around and came face-to-face with a nervous cadet. "Yeees?" Jack drawled out his question, clearly not knowing who the kid was, worried that the kid might have learned something that he shouldn't have.
"Colonel O'Neill, this is Scott Waters. We met him and his family up in South Dakota," Daniel made the introductions.
"Oh," he said, and then realization fully dawned upon him. "Oh! So it's Cadet Waters now. Congratulations on making it into the academy."
"Thank you sir," Cadet Waters said. "I was surprised to see you come in, especially Dr. Jackson. I didn't think you were military," he said, noting that there wasn't any rank on his uniform, along with the missing patches on everyone's uniform.
"I'm a civilian contracted to work with the military," Daniel explained.
Scott smiled, his blue eyes sincere and innocent, well innocent as any eighteen year old boy's eyes can get. "I didn't mean to intrude sir. I just wanted to say hi and thank the Major for all of her advice."
Sam smiled at the kid. "I'm glad it helped Cadet. Good luck here."
"Thank you for your help ma'am. I need to get back," Scott said, indicating the group he had been running with. He came to attention, waiting for the colonel to dismiss him.
"Dismissed Cadet," Jack said, eyeing him carefully then looking over at Daniel with a caustic look.
With that the kid ran off to rejoin his group and the members of SG-1 also moved on, leaving the Cadet House, heading back to their cars.
Once they were out over everyone's hearing range Sam brought up a question that had been bothering her. "Daniel, why did you suddenly act like there was an immortal near-by in the gym? Was there another one of your people there?"
Jack snorted, while Teal'c looked inquisitive.
"Kind of," Daniel admitted. "Scott's a pre-immortal. I could sense him."
"Did you know about his status while we were on our retreat to the state of South Dakota?" Teal'c asked.
"Yes. I could tell the first time I saw him when I saw him at Devil's Tower. He's clearly a pre-immortal," Daniel explained.
"But shouldn't he be told about this? How fair is it to not tell him, let him think that everything is okay. Maybe him knowing about him being Immortal will keep him from taking stupid chances and let him lead a normal life," Sam argued.
Daniel shook his head. "It's tradition that we do not tell pre-immortals about their status. If we did, it could lead them to doing stupid stuff, knowing that even though they could ram their cars into a concrete embankment at a hundred miles an hour, eventually they would walk away. Not only that, they could end up taking innocent people with them, not to mention exposing our secrets to the world at large. Plus, they need to live their lives as normally as possible for as long as possible since once they die, their lives will never be normal for as long as their heads stay attached to their bodies."
"But still," Sam started to argue.
"No, he is not to know and don't you dare tell him Sam," Daniel said staring at her intensely. "Do I have your word that you'll stay out of it?" he asked, knowing that if Sam gave her word, she meant it.
"Fine," she sighed, not liking it, but possibly seeing Daniel's reasoning behind his demand. "I won't tell him."
"Thank you. Now I will see you all back at the SGC. I have to go pay homage to the gods of coffee at the altar of the Almighty Starbucks before I can face going back to the base," he said and climbed into his car, a new 2003 Ford Escape and started up the engine.
"There are times Daniel worries me more than the Goa'uld are up to," Sam commented to the Colonel and Teal'c.
"He leads a difficult life MajorCarter. He fights two wars that people are not aware of, not to mention that he has had to readjust to being among living beings after a year of his Ascension. He has had to create a new life for himself in familiar surroundings, all the while not knowing what happened to him while ascended. DanielJackson has many issues that he struggles with on a daily basis, most of which I would be hard pressed to wish upon even my worst enemy," Teal'c declared, watching his friend drive away.
"That was pretty deep T," Jack commented.
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.
A/N: Well, what do you think? Crap or not? Hit the review button and let me know what you think.
Danny-boy still has some issues. Granted he isn't insane/psychotic Danil, but his nastier side hasn't been totally eradicated. There is a struggle within Daniel, trying to put his life back together, coming to terms with the fact that he is back in the game, working for the SGC, and still doesn't know exactly why he was kicked out of the Glow Club. It's left him a bit angry. Plus he hadn't had his coffee yet, which Daniel without coffee is never a good thing. Plus, you all know how I like to do angry and pissed-off scenes. It's cheap therapy for me.
I wanted to bring Scott back in from the first story somehow, but not make him central to the story. Finally, if you know who you are, the crying scientist is a belated Christmas present for you. So, feel free to leave a review, least I think you don't care and I start to cry or go on strike. Odd thought of the day: Wouldn't it be a scary day if all fan fiction writers went on strike one day?