Sticks and Stones - Chapter 45 - by Emma Nisbet (grnfield)
It had been less than half an hour since Jack had argued with Hammond and subsequently stormed off into the base. No-one had seen him since but as Jack's temper was legendary throughout the SGC most people were relieved about the fact. They continued to work on patching up and settling the Chamakan population but most of them kept shooting wary glances towards the resolutely closed door of the base.
Most of the staff within earshot of the gate looked up suddenly when the gate gushed into life once more. The fact that Earth was making contact again so soon after the last transmission couldn't possibly be good news.
Reynolds, as the most senior officer on the Alpha site, under Jack of course, strolled up to the MALP and waited as the event horizon settled into its usual form of glowing blue water.
The camera on the MALP spun round and stopped as the SGC focussed on Reynolds face. The speaker sprang to life and the tinny voice of General Hammond was heard around the clearing. "Colonel Reynolds, where is Colonel O'Neill?"
Reynolds answered him hesitantly, "Er, Sir. Colonel O'Neill is currently inside the base."
"Well send someone to go and get him," Hammond replied impatiently.
Reynolds looked around for volunteers but found that everyone was mysteriously extremely engrossed with whatever they were doing and were definitely not looking in his direction. "With all due respect, Sir. Colonel O'Neill was a little…er…upset when he finished speaking to you earlier." Reynolds was trying to put his words together carefully so as not to drop Jack into trouble.
"I am aware of that, Colonel." The annoyance in General Hammond's voice was clearly heard through the speaker. "I'd rather not order you to get him but I will do if I have to. I'm not asking you to walk into a room full of angry Jaffa, for Christ's sake, I'm just asking you to go and retrieve one man from inside his own base. Now please, go and retrieve the Colonel. I need to speak to him, this is urgent and cannot wait."
Reynolds looked around again and immediately noticed that everyone had moved further away from him. No-one wanted to volunteer to get themselves pounded into oblivion for disturbing an irate Jack O'Neill.
"Sir, you didn't see him when he went inside. I don't think there's a man here brave enough to go and get him at the moment. I'm not sure any of us could take on the Colonel when he's in a full-blow snit. I think someone'd almost certainly get hurt, and it's doubtful that someone would be Colonel O'Neill."
"Oh for heavens sake," the General spluttered. Sounds of a muted conversation came through the speakers, the General had obviously covered the microphone with his hand while he was talking to someone else in the control room.
"Colonel Reynolds," Walter's voice came through the MALP this time. "Please prepare for incoming travellers."
'Sh!t,' thought Reynolds. 'Sorry Colonel, but you're a frightening man when you're in a good mood. In a bad mood - whoa, I don't even want to think about it.'
Stepping away from the MALP he stood at parade rest and waited for the travellers to emerge from the glowing face of the event horizon.
It was no surprise to anyone that the first person through the gate was Teal'c. He was one of the people most likely to be able to control Jack and had he been there before then Reynolds would have sent him in to retrieve the Colonel for General Hammond.
The large warrior inclined his head in acknowledgement of Colonel Reynolds' greeting then strode gracefully towards the base - and ultimately Jack O'Neill.
More surprisingly though, following Teal'c came General Hammond himself, the face of the usually mellow General bearing a heavy frown as he too acknowledged Reynolds before following Teal'c towards the bunker.
The large Jaffa didn't hesitate at the door, he simply pulled it open and strode through, closely followed by the General who closed the door firmly behind himself.
Seeing the two men disappear inside, and assuming they may be some time, Reynolds took it on himself to oversee the running of the site. He strolled over to the tented area and spent some time answering what questions he could from the many that the Chamakan people asked him.
#
Reynolds was alerted via radio that the base door was opening and rushed back to the DHD to meet the General when he got there.
Teal'c and General Hammond left the base simultaneously, accompanied by an obviously even-more-fuming Jack O'Neill. Looking at the flushed red of Jack's face Reynolds wondered how the man had survived his own temper tantrums in the past without having a coronary. He hated to think of how high the Colonel's blood pressure must be and somehow doubted that Janet Fraiser would be happy about clearing him for gate travel should she read it any time soon.
Looking at the set of Jack's expression though, Reynolds doubted that even the SGC's Little Napoleon would be able to stop him at the moment.
'Oh Christ, what's happened now?' he thought with a heavy feeling in his gut. The only thing he knew at the moment was that it was obviously something bad - something VERY bad, judging by the fact that it had got General Hammond off-world. It was obviously something that had riled Jack even more than he already was so that only really left one possibility - something had happened to Sam. Bear in mind she was on the Ha'tak with her team-mates, whatever it was had probably also happened to Lou Ferretti, Jimmy Sands and Reynolds' own youngest team-mate, Mickey Davies.