Rising from the Ashes of Ascension

Chapter 28

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

Several weeks later, well after a near-disastrous mission to a planet to bring SG-13 back from P3X-666 alive where Janet had nearly been killed (though thanks to Daniel grabbing her and yanking her to the ground and taking a staff blast for her she survived her near brush with death), the replica statue was ready. Daniel's friend Felicia had out done her-self in the quality and exactness of the statue. In Daniel's opinion, only a careful examination involving carbon-dating would reveal the piece to be a fake.

"She did pretty good," Methos conceded, staring at the statue while standing in Daniel's living room, staring at the thing.

Daniel snorted. "She better have, considering how much she charged me."

Methos looked at him sideways. "I thought she was a friend," he stated.

"Yeah, so? She'd charge her own mother if she had one," Daniel replied.

"Did you ever notice that she looks an awful lot like Joan Jett?" Methos observed.

"Who?"

"You know, Joan Jett of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, 'I Love Rock and Roll,' she was an original member of the Runaways? Don't tell me you missed her heyday in the early Eighties? Did all you ever do back then was stick your head in the past?" Methos looked at him with ill-concealed disgust.

"I was busy then and no, I don't remember who Joan Jett is," Daniel said huffily.

Methos shook his head, disgusted by his friend's lack of knowledge in the area of music.

"So tell me again why we have to tell Hammond about our plan? He's probably going to just say no and it will all be for nothing," the Old Man said dismissively. "Why can't we just go in, grab the thing, and then present the thing to Hammond with a bow attached."

Daniel shook his head. "I agree with you, but Jack is worried that something could go wrong and we need to be to be bailed out of jail. He doesn't want our mission," with this, Daniel used air-quotes to emphasis the word mission, "to go on record official in case the NID finds out about this and beats us to in. Kinsey's pissed that he didn't wrest control of the SGC away from Hammond and he would love an opportunity like this to show how incompetent we are. However, he doesn't want to surprise Hammond if things go south and we need a bail-out."

"The General is going to have a stroke," Methos said sagely.

"No he won't," Daniel insisted.

"You keep telling yourself that pal and maybe someday you'll actually believe it," Methos said snidely.

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

"You want to do what? Are you out of your damn minds?" Hammond roared, his face red, a vein on his temple pulsating dangerously.

Methos glanced over at Daniel, giving him an I-told-you-so look.

Jack did his best to calm his boss down, citing the problems that could arise if some researcher would accidentally release the Goa'uld. He also mentioned the threat that the NID posed.

"I don't give a rat's ass!" Hammond barked, pounding a balled up fist on the arm of Daniel's living room chair. "You two," he said looking at Daniel and Sam. "I would have thought you two were smarter than this. And Teal'c I can't believe you would go along with this. Dr. Pierson, words can't even begin to describe my feelings towards you right now. I allowed you to join this program, hoping you'd be a voice of reason among these reprobates, yet here you are, mixing it up with my so-called premier flagship team."

"Sir," Sam began, but was interrupted by Hammond.

"Can it major," he snarled. "Colonel, I can't believe you would agree to this. Have you gone through the Gate too many times and have contracted some form of Gate-travel hysteria?"

"General, with our combined powers we can pull this off and no one will be the wiser," Jack pleaded with his boss.

"We have powers?" Methos side-whispered to Daniel.

"Of course," he answered back. "Sam can confuse the crap out of anyone, Teal'c quote Star Wars too you, I can die more times than anyone, and you can out-drink just about everyone on the planet."

"What can the Colonel do?"

Daniel thought that one over. "He can piss people off. See, with our skills, this will be a piece of cake."

"I'll remember that when we are sitting in a jail cell and you're being traded for a pack of cigarettes," Methos said sarcastically.

"A pack of cigarettes? Please! You'd get passed around before me."

"With your pretty-boy looks? I don't think so."

Just then, the two Immortals noticed Jack and Hammond both looking annoyed at them.

"Do you mind?" Jack snarked at them.

Methos gestured widely, sweeping his hand in front of him. "Go ahead, be my guest."

Jack glared at them before returning to his discussion. "If we went about this through official channels, it would take even longer than this already has, we would probably get turned down because the curator thinks Danny's a whack-job, and someone like the NID would probably get the drop on us. Do we really want them to have hold of a snake?"

Hammond sighed, resigning himself to the madness that his people were proposing. He knew that if anyone else had come to him with this kind of scheme, he'd throw them out of his office and recommend a psychological evaluation. However, this was SG-1, plus Pierson, and he was more willing to grant them some leeway.

"Fine, but I don't want any of this to make it on to the news or in the paper. I will be less than pleased if I get a call in the middle of the night to come and bail you people out of jail."

Mentally, Daniel wondered how much cash it would take to post his bail.

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

Two day slate, after procuring some time off, Jack, Sam, Teal'c, Daniel, and Methos piled into Jack's truck and Methos' Land Rover to head off to Kansas City.

Daniel rode with Jack, forced to listen to Jack's rendition of "Kansas City" several times before he threatened to break into Jack's home and burn all of his Simpson's tapes when they got back. Jack, who cherished his tapes, fell quiet.

For all of five minutes.

"So Danny," Jack began.

Daniel sighed, knowing instinctively where this conversation was going to go, but powerless to stop it. "Yes Jack," he replied patiently. He had hoped that somehow Jack would not pepper him with a million questions during the ten hour road trip (not including two stops in Kansas to see the world's prairie dog in Oakley, Kansas and the world's largest atomic cannon in Junction City – Teal'c ideas). He knew, however, that it was a futile thought.

"How do you think the gang is doing in Adam's car?" Jack asked.

Daniel grinned. "I told Teal'c to ask the Old Man about his foray into Rome's vomitoriums and his time in Pompeii's whore houses."

Jack glanced hack in his rearview mirror to see the Land Rover suddenly swerve on the near empty high way.

Suddenly Daniel's phone chirped to life. "Yes?" he called cheerfully, using the phone's speaker mode.

"You are such an asshole Danil!" Methos snapped. "Have you forgotten who owns your nude in repose?"

Daniel's smile faded for a second but pulled himself together. "I don't fear Death. You can't scare me."

"We'll see," Methos sneered and hung up.

Abruptly Daniel's phone rang again. It was Methos.

"We need a z. Name a musical group that starts with z."

Jack thought for a second. "The Zombies. They were semi-popular group in the sixties."

"Thank you," they heard Sam call out just before the call ended.

Jack and Daniel exchanged amused looks.

"Looks like the kids are having fun," Jack commented.

Daniel chuckled and settled back into his seat.

"So," Jack began again.

Daniel let out a sigh. "Just get it out Jack. Despite my extended life span, I don't have all eternity to tap dance around with you. You want a story, don't you?"

"Yes," Jack fairly bounced, As much as he hated it when Daniel went on about lost cultures and their ties to Earth, he equally loved to hear stories about history from someone who had actually been there. Daniel could bring history to life for him.

"Fine," Daniel said, feigning irritation. "Once upon a time there was a man named Albert Scott and he was a part of the Allied forces as they pushed towards Nazi-Germany."

A/N: Well, what do you think? Crap or not? Hit the shiny review button and let me know what you think. Please?

Well, not much to say here. Yes, this chapter was short, but it is a good stopping point for what I have planned for the next chapter. What I want to describe deserves its own chapter. The chapter after that will involve Jack meeting Amanda (I think). The Captain Planet bit came from watching an episode of Robot Chicken where they were mocking Captain Planet and it stuck with me. It was an insanely stupid politically correct cartoon in the 90s about environmental issues. It was one of the ultimate examples of what was wrong with cartoons in the early 90s. I remember seeing it when I babysat and it made me want to go and burn down a rainforest just for spite.

Thank you to Lorilei for being such a wonderful friend and beta. Also, thank you to you, the reader. I do appreciate you taking the time to reading my stuff and a double thank you to those who have dropped me a review. It is all appreciated.

Finally, yes Janet survived. I couldn't bring myself to kill her again. Hope that it meets with your approval.