MEMOIRS OF
BRIGADIER GENERAL JACK O’NEILL
(Retired)
Part VII
Chapter Four
By Arrietty
2007
I heard an unearthly screeching sound and watched helplessly as Jonas rose ten feet in the air. By the time the bullets I shot at the invisible creature had taken effect, Jonas had plummeted to the ground. I raced toward him as he lay face up on the side of the hill. Suddenly, great globs of thick, black substance fell down from the sky, coating both Jonas and myself. It had treacle-like consistency, restricting my movements. Teal’c reached Jonas first. Tearing out tufts of grass, he used them to clean an area off Jonas’ neck and face and felt for a pulse.
“He is breathing “O’Neill. We must get to the Stargate as soon as possible.”
Following Teal’c’s example, I too tore great wads of grass up by the roots and scraped as much of the stuff I could off me.
Teal’c hefted Jonas into a fireman’s lift and started up the hill, Daniel following closely behind. I on the other hand, found myself struggling as the sticky goo began to harden. However hard I tried, I couldn’t move one arm.
“Daniel!” I called in desperation.
He turned back and ran down the hill towards me.
“This stuff it’s starting to set. You have to get it off Jonas before it hardens. Don’t worry about me. I will try to get it off myself.” He hesitated. “Go!” I ordered. He turned immediately and raced up the hill after Teal’c.
I followed him, unbuckling my vest and P-90, which was useless, because the goo had gone down the barrel. I pulled my jacket off and then tried to peel the black-coated sleeve down my arm. I observed that Teal’c had stopped and was busily washing Jonas’ face. Pleased that my hat had taken the brunt of the black goo, I threw it onto the ground with my jacket. Pulling out my water bottle I soaked a bandana with water and swiped it across any skin where I could feel the thick stuff drying. By the time I’d finished, I’d reached the other three, and Jonas was coming around.
“What was that?” He sat up slowly. “What are you doing, Teal’c?” he asked incredulously.
I was breathing hard as I approached. “That stuff hardens on you so you can’t move. I don’t know if it will ever come off. We don’t want it on our skin.” I leaned my hands on my knees while I caught my breath.
“O’Neill, I think we should get out of here.”
“Yes, Teal’c. Jonas, can you run, walk, hobble, whatever?”
With an affirmative nod, he stood up. His skin was grey where the alien substance hadn’t completely been removed. Just as we moved, another blob of stuff fell behind us. Uh oh, either they were really big birds that liked to crap on their prey, or this was a snare tactics. Either way, I didn’t want to find out.
Fortunately, we only got deluged with the stuff twice after that first hit. What had been silent skies when we’d first arrived were now filled with screeching caws that made fingernails on the blackboard seem like a lullaby. Daniel reached the DHD first and started to punch in our co-ordinates. The MALP was totally unrecognizable as the creatures had obviously been using it as target practice. All we could see was a large black shiny mound with a small antenna poking out the top. The Stargate burst into life.
“O’Neill!” Came a strangled cry from Teal’c.
Spinning around on one foot, Teal’c was staring at the sky, I followed suit. My jaw dropped at the sight. The sky was black with honking great bugs shutting out the sun. Other bugs we had come in contact with in the past didn’t have a patch on these guys.
“Run!” I yelled, hoping that the SGC had acknowledged the GDO signal. I decided that I would rather go splat than be splatted by these bugs.
Daniel went through first, helping Jonas. I pushed Teal’c through before following just as one of the bugs made a bee line for us. As I landed heavily on the ramp, I yelled.
“SHUT THE IR…”
Something heavy landed on me and everything went black.
~*~
Once again I awakened in the infirmary. I moved and multiple shooting pains went through my torso. I groaned.
"General O'Neill." I wasn't the only one for whom old habits die hard.
I blearily opened my eyes and stared up at one of the nurses. “Retired general.” My throat was dry and I coughed.
“You’re in the infirmary,” she told me unnecessarily.
“What happened?”
A paper cup appeared in front of me with a straw extended. I took a sip and felt the cooling water slide down my parched throat.
“Jonas?” I started to panic and tried to sit up.
“Sh . . . General, you must stay still.”
Just then, I heard a commotion in the hallway, and then the clomping of boots as several pairs walked across the floor. In the boots were, Teal’c, Daniel, thankfully Jonas, and General Matthews. They stood by my bed and stared at me. There was a shuffling and they moved out the way as a rather irate petite doctor pushed her way through.
“Jack. How do you feel?”
“Sore, Janet.” I stared at the four men. “I ask again, what happened?”
No one seemed to want to give me an answer. I had to admit I was pleased to see that Jonas was none the worse for wear after his experiences.
“The iris didn’t close in time.” I stared at Daniel.
“Ya think!” I retorted. And waited for the rest of the explanation, when it didn’t come, I continued. “How did you kill it?” I waited. “You didn’t kill it.” I tried to sit up, alarmed.
“You killed it, Mister O’Neill.” I looked over at Matthews. “Well, indirectly you did,” he added.
I still didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.
“It was so big, that when the iris shut it sort of chopped it in half.” I glared at Jonas, as he had started his ‘sort of’ comments again.
“Oh.” I looked up at the ceiling and smiled. Then that awful sinking feeling hit me. “How much got through?”
“Enough to break three of your ribs give you concussion and sprain your wrist, Jack,” Janet informed me.
I groaned again and then closed my eyes. Oh joy, not only does the Stargate chuck me through its doors, but throws things at me now. I kept my eyes firmly shut until everyone had gone. I thought they had gone, but when I opened them again, Daniel was sitting on a chair, reading a large tome.
“Daniel.”
“Huh? Jack, you’re awake.”
“No, Daniel, you’re just dreaming. Of course, I’m awake. Help me sit up wil’ya?”
He cranked up the bed and then pulled a load of pillows off the spare beds and shoved them, not too gently I might add, behind my head.
“Janet’s losing her touch,” I said looking pointedly at the infirmary clock on the wall.
“She’s gone home.”
“Ah. That explains it.”
Daniel grinned.
“So, Daniel, I’ll listen, explain all.”
He grabbed a plastic cup of water and handed it to me, it was like nectar as it soothed my irritated throat.
“As General Hammond said before he left, that we’re under-“
“Left? When did he leave?”
“While we were off world, you knew that, I mentioned it at the briefi- Oh.” Daniel thumped the heel of his hand against his forehead. “That was after you passed out. That was when Hammond filled the rest of us in. Didn’t he tell you?”
“Tell me what?” I queried, my head beginning to hurt at the confusion.
“Okay, I’ll start at the beginning. Baal is making threats towards Earth, using Anubis’ weapons etc. The power source was depleted by the team we sent to the Pegasus Galaxy, remember?”
“I may be older than you, Daniel, but I’m not senile.” ‘Yet.’
“Anyway,” he continued, totally ignoring my irritability. “We need better defenses; this is why we need this cache of weapons.”
I nodded, “I’ve got you so far.”
“General Hammond has gone back to the Pentagon, hopefully, to try and increase funding, so we can go after these weapons, now that we have the address. General Matthews is a good man, Jack. He was in one of the lead X-302’s in Antarctica. He single-handedly destroyed fifteen death gliders.”
I sighed. “Daniel, you don’t have to praise Matthews to me. I can see what kind of man he is. I’ve met others just like him, in fact, I see someone like him every time I look in the mirror, well a few years ago maybe, before-“ Realizing what I was just about to say, I stopped myself, but Daniel knowing me better than most people, read my mind.
“Charlie.”
I winced. “Have you got word to Jacob about the replicators yet?” I asked to change the subject.
“Not particularly Jacob, but we have got word to the Tok’ra and the rebel Jaffa too. She could use anyone that knew Sam personally to get through our defenses.”
He opened his mouth to ask something about the replicators, but I sidetracked him with another question. “What did the doc say about me getting out of here?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows, depends on how quickly you heal.”
As he spoke the answer came walking through the doorway. The resident doctor came up to my bed.
“General O’Neill, I see you’re awake.” He circled the bed, checking the monitors, my pulse and my IV. “You need a fresh shunt, this one isn’t working anymore.” I looked down at the tube that was attached to the back of my hand and noticed red blood had backtracked up the tube. “General O’Neill you really mustn’t wave your arm around. We only have this arm to put these into and you don’t want one in your foot now do you?”
I rolled my eyes at Daniel, who stifled a giggle. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.
“No, Doctor,” I replied, parroting his condescending voice.
Either he hadn’t heard me or he was just ignoring me, because he continued talking in the same way. Perhaps my reputation for being ornery preceded me.
“Do you feel up to eating something? I can get the commissary to send something up.” I gave Daniel a helpless look, he replied with a small nod.
“No, thank you, Doctor,” I replied and gave him my best smile.
He smiled back and walked from the room. Apparently, Janet hadn’t warned him enough. I looked at Daniel, “how long?”
“I’d say about an hour. Can you wait that long?”
“Yup. I haven’t had pizza in, oh . . .” I gazed up at the ceiling as I did the math. “Two years, three months, what’s the date?” I asked.
He grinned and stood up. “See you in an hour, Jack,” and walked out the room.
Janet was going to kill him. I couldn’t help smiling to myself at the thought.
~*~
I knocked on Mathews’ opened door before stepping into his office.
“Hello, O’Neill.” He smiled. “Take a seat.”
I stayed standing. “I don’t need a shrink, General Mathews.”
“Sit down,” he ordered.
I sat down.
“From what you’ve told me, you need to see Doctor Mackenzie. I am one hundred percent positive you have only told me a small part of what has happened to you off world.” I stared at him, revealing nothing. “You have been putting this off for six weeks now and I’m not letting you off this base until you’ve seen him.”
“Off the base as in off world?” I asked. The feeling of being trapped came over me.
He looked surprised. “No, I meant out of the mountain, but does this mean that you want back out there?” He asked waving an arm towards the Stargate.
“Yes,” I answered.
“I don’t think this would be a good idea. I could stop you. You do realize this?”
I nodded. “Daniel said that you won’t let him pursue his findings from the planet PX-267. I asked, changing the subject.
“No, it’s not me, but the Pentagon. General Hammond can’t get anywhere either. Aside from that, you know he won’t sell them to us and he won’t accept our horses, they have to be this man Neeron’s horses, no one else’s. And on top of that, we can’t spare the man power either.” He leaned back into his chair. “We need Doctor Jackson elsewhere and you’re changing the subject,” he accused.
“I’ll go,” I said.
He looked up at me surprised. “You’ll go and see Doctor Mackenzie?”
Deciding not to ruin my reputation, I answered, “No to get the horses. And I know the address; it is number twenty-three on my list.” I grinned confidently.
“I’ll let you know, Mister O’Neill.”
I knew that tone of voice, I was being dismissed. I stood up to leave. “General, I need to get out there, not be stuck in here.” I spoke quietly.
His reply was a single nod.
~*~
The following day, Teal’c and I were sparring in the gym. Every so often, Daniel would stop lifting his weights and watch us. Waiting for an importunate moment, he would add his thoughts to the matter of me going off world again.
“So, you’re really going?”
“Yes, Daniel,” I said as I picked myself up off the floor. I faced Teal’c, raised my gloves and waited for the chance to actually hit him.
“Oomph!”
“O’Neill, you are soft.”
Instead of clambering up, I jumped to my feet. Ignoring Daniel’s grin at Teal’c’s goading, I blocked a punch with my right arm, shot in with an upper cut with my left. Teal’c barely flinched as I made contact.
“You were saying, Teal’c,” I smirked.
“I retract my previous comment.” He bowed his head slightly.
I dropped to a crouch and started to circle Teal’c.
One eyebrow rose. “I do not recognize this maneuver in the sport of boxing, O’Neill?”
I grinned. All I needed was a short sword. Teal’c mimicked my movements and we slowly circled waiting to see who would move first. The phone rang.
“Er . . .” Daniel lifted one hand in the air. “I’ll get that shall I?” I could see him walking to the phone on the wall out the corner of my eye. “Jack, General Mathews wants to see you in his office.”
~*~
Three days later, I was packed and ready to go. Fraiser had given me the all clear. All my injuries were healed and I had spent my obligatory three hours of wasted time with the shrink. I had insisted it wasn’t to be Mackenzie though. That man still grated on my nerves, but then all shrinks did. At least the shrink I did have to go to was easier on the eyes, and in fact, I had an appointment to see her again when I returned.
Daniel was jabbering to me while we walked along the corridors of the SGC.
“Remember, Jack, Neeron mustn’t know who the horses are for. Mungoon has wanted a breeding pair of Neeron’s horses for years, but Neeron won’t sell to him. Mungoon has tried, but Neeron knows all of his friends.”
I stopped walking. Daniel still prattling took three steps before stopping and turning back. He frowned and peered at me through his glasses.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why what?” he asked back
“Why won’t Neeron sell his horses? Or maybe this Mongoose character mistreats animals,” I answered my own question.
“Didn’t you read my report?” Daniel asked.
I grimaced and admitted grudgingly, “I skimmed over it, yes.”
We continued walking along the corridor to the gate room. Daniel filled me in on the bits I must have missed.
“Apparently, Neeron and Mongoon were friends and they had a falling out over a business transaction many years ago. I think twenty years was mentioned. Anyway Neeron’s horses are legendary and are excellent farm horses, and Mongoon wants some to work his land. We offered him the latest state of the art tractors, fuel and maintenance included,-.”
“Yeah, I read that bit,” I interjected.
Daniel continued as if I hadn’t even spoken. “But he turned us down flat, he said the horses he has are sufficient, he just – well – basically wants one over on Neeron.”
“What do you think you will find in the ancient building on Mongoose’s land?” I asked.
I saw Daniel roll his eyes but he refrained from correcting me.
“We think it’s a cache of weapons, but it could be a ZPM or some other ancient technology. But from what the writings said on PX-267, it is something important and maybe of great use to us to defend Earth.”
I cringed inside at the memory of the flying bugs that nearly ended my life.
~*~
We walked into the gate room, just as the kawoosh of the Stargate retracted and settled into the flat vertical surface.
Matthews and Teal’c were standing waiting for us. Siler walked in just behind me and handed me my long black leather coat that Teal’c had given me. I shrugged it on, placing all my weapons into the harness and pockets that had been sewn into the lining. This kept my hands free and you couldn’t tell that I was armed.
Next, Siler handed me my pack. “Whoa, this is heavy, Siler.”
“Yes, sir,” he replied.
I knew it was going to be heavy, but I had hoped not quite this heavy. Although I shouldn’t have been surprised as I knew it was going to weigh at least thirty-five pounds. It was full of pieces of gold, each weighing half an ounce. There were five hundred of them. I just hoped Neeron lived close to the Stargate.
As always, I hate long goodbyes. I nodded to General Matthews, shook Daniel’s hand and then gave a small incline of my head to Teal’c. He followed suit.
I started to walk up the ramp. “O’Neill, you must teach me the new fighting skill,” Teal’c said.
I stopped, turned around and faced him. “I will, T, as soon as I get back,” I promised.
Turning around again, I faced the open wormhole and without looking back, I marched straight up the ramp and through the waiting doorway.
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