MEMOIRS OF
BRIGADIER GENERAL JACK O’NEILL
(Retired)
Part II
Chapter Two
By Arrietty
2005
Raising the zat up high, I aimed it at the creature and squeezed the trigger. With a slight puffing sound he was gone, with only a few green hairs remaining floating lazily in the darkening light. Turning slowly I aimed the zat at the next victim. Without hesitation, they all turned and ran. Jonas aimed his weapon at any stragglers that decided to brave the fur ball machine.
As soon as the last bit of green fur disappeared into the gloom of the forest, we turned tail and ran – well, Jonas ran and I limped. That rock had done a bit of damage to my hip. Ignoring the pain, I dragged myself up the incline and down through the forest on the other side. I enviously looked at Jonas’ bandana; I could really do with that as my eyes were still streaming from the odor the creatures produced.
As soon as we burst through the tree line, a small bombshell flew into us. It took a few seconds to realize it was Malia as she hugged both of us in turn. Thanking us for saving her with every hug.
My pack was irretrievably lost, so we shared what food we had. Malia chatted most of the way home, still over excited from the rescue only pausing to eat the food that Jonas gave her. Just as we reached the city walls, she lost her energy. Jonas bent down and lifted her into his arms. I watched as Malia placed her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. Slipping my sunglasses on to hide my still streaming eyes, we walked through the city gates and made our way to Malia’s house.
There was lots of crying and wailing as Jonas carried Malia into his mother-in-law’s home. Kiana was there waiting, sobbing she snatched her from his grasp and hugged her tight.
“She’s alive?” she exclaimed.
“Mother, she is alive.” Crying she carried the sleepy child to her mother.
Jonas was still standing, as was I. Gesturing to me, he said, “Come, we’d better get cleaned up.”
Walking out the door I followed him back to his house. As we reached the front door, my body began to shake. It was tired, it had been beaten, dragged and fur balled. Not caring where I sat my smelly self, I plonked down on the nearest soft chair in the living room and promptly fell asleep.
{It was dark; the fronds were wispy and hung down in front of me. Pushing out with my arms I pulled the fronds apart. Bright green light assaulted my eyes, a burning sensation ran down my throat as I struggled through the glutinous mass of green sludge. However hard I tried, I couldn’t get through it. On the other side I could see her, she was being dragged through the long grass by a Grenut, and he was puffed out into a fur ball as though he had been zatted twice. She was screaming my name, calling for help. “Sam!” I called as loud as I could. “SAM!”}
“Jack!”
“Wha…wha.” I looked blearily around the room, stopping when I saw the anxious face of Jonas peering at me.
“You okay?”
Nodding, I swallowed; my mouth tasted like crap and, well, I didn’t smell too good either.
“Where’s the shower?”
“Just through there,” he replied, pointing. “You’ll find everything you need.” Jonas looked at me, frowning. “Jack are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“Oh yes,” I said, nodding carefully.
“Okay.” He smiled and trotted off to the kitchen.
Screwing my face up against the pain, I slowly leaned forward. Okay, which bit hurt? No, better make that which bit didn’t hurt? Nope, that isn’t going to help either. It all hurts. Slowly, I moved every joint and limb, stretching the stiffness out of them, so it would reduce the pain when I did finally stand up. With a grunt and a withheld cry, I stood up. Clutching the top of the sofa, I made my wobbly way along the living room, still hanging onto my prop. ‘Okay, Jack. Only two feet to the door, you can make it.’ With two staggering steps I arrived in the bathroom, closing the door behind me, I leaned onto the shower door and switched it on. Thank goodness I had used one before or I would never have guessed in my state that the blue tile, third in from the left was the faucet.
When I finally emerged from the bathroom, apart from the ache in my hip and shoulder and the grazes on my face, I felt almost me again. I noticed the chair that I had slept in was no longer in the living room and the room smelled suspiciously like rose petals, which didn’t really matter, as I smelled like one too. Jonas had just finished putting some food out on the table.
Rubbing my belly, I walked up to the table. “I’m famished.”
Jonas stopped, looked at me, sniffed and then laughed.
“What you smilin’ at?”
“You didn’t find the soap and shampoo I put out for you then?”
“What?” I was getting a little irritated by his grin, plus I was getting a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“You used Kiana’s shampoo.”
“Well I didn’t see any other shampoo anywhere.” Now I was really getting mad, though more at myself than anything. I hadn’t looked at any labels; I had just grabbed what was closest. Glaring at Jonas, I sat gingerly down at the table. That hip was going to give me trouble. I just knew it. It had already gone a lovely shade of black, so I knew some damage had been done. ‘Well, look on the bright side; it isn’t your knee this time, Jack.’
Jonas wisely ignored my grumpiness and started to eat. It was good food, and I felt myself beginning to relax.
“When’s Kiana coming home?” I asked.
“She will stay with her mother and Malia for a while. She popped around while you were in the shower.”
“Malia, okay?”
“Yes, she is a strong kid, and brave. She will be all right. Tomorrow they want us to go to the council and explain what happened. If the zat will destroy them that will be good, and then maybe our children will be safe.”
“Have you tried to reason with them, find another place for them to go?”
Jonas sat there open mouthed, then turned in his chair and looked behind him.
I frowned. “What?”
“Oh, just checking to see if Doctor Jackson was in the room.” He grinned.
Okay, so it wasn’t something most folks expected to hear coming out of my mouth. Shrugging my shoulders, I ignored him and continued. “Well, have you?”
“That wasn’t the first time I have had dealings the Grenuts you know. We tried about five years ago, and again, after I came back from the SGC. Each time we lost two of our men. They are not human. I don’t think they are even animal, and there is something really unusual about those creatures.”
“Ya think!”
Deciding that I had done my bit in saving another race, I continued the discussion in another vein. “How many zats does your government have?”
“Three.”
“Three?” I repeated.
“Well, four, but they don’t know that.” He grinned.
“Ah. The cupboard full of tricks.” I jerked my head in the direction of where the other weapons had come from.
Thankfully, Jonas had managed to retrieve my dropped weapon, so he still had the three noise emitters.
“I am not sure what the council will do, but my recommendation will be to arm sentries with zats at night and we will make more of those Grenut guns. I know how they are made.”
We continued to eat. I didn’t really care that I smelled like a flower garden, anything was better than the Grenuts.
“Jack, you okay?”
‘I really wish you wouldn’t keep on asking me that.’ “Of course I am okay, just a bit sore and stiff. It sort of does that to you when you have been dragged around by an overstuffed tribble.”
Jonas frowned at my choice of words. Deciding to ignore it, he continued down the dangerous alleyway that he was going.
“When you were asleep, you were dreaming?”
Ignoring my pointed silence, he continued. “You really miss Sam, don’t you?”
Shifting slightly in my seat, I speared something that looked a bit like a beet. It tasted totally different, but I didn’t really care at that moment. I was hanging by a thin thread – one which wouldn’t take much to break it and at this moment, Jonas had it at breaking point.
“Is that why you left the SGC?”
Counting slowly to ten, I replied. “Jacob and I are on a fishing mission, to find new technology that is all.”
But no, he didn’t get the hint. I mean frosty man O’Neill didn’t get through to him at all. He just kept on prodding.
“How is Pete?”
Mount Vesuvius hadn’t a patch on my reaction. Food and plates went flying as my arm shot across the table and pinned Jonas to the wall. That was a totally low blow. I thought Jonas had much more sense than that, but no, he just had to pry.
“Don’t you ever mention that two faced, conniving, traitorous wretch to me again. Only three lousy months. ONLY THREE LOUSY STINKING MONTHS! And he goes and gets married to someone else, didn’t even wait a decent time. She thought the world of him, and look how he repays her.”
My eyes refocused onto Jonas’ face. He wasn’t scared; he was sad. I didn’t like pity anymore than the next man, but this wasn’t pity, this was real true friendship. Releasing him from my hold, I tiredly sank back into my chair.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I shouldn’t have pried. And I shouldn’t have mentioned… well, you know.”
Shrugging my shoulders - I seemed to be doing that a lot lately - I waved my hand out over the mess. “Sorry about the-”
“No, really it’s okay. You go and see Jacob; I’ll sort this lot out.”
I think he had seen the pain I was in, and knew that there was no way I could get down on the floor to clean that lot up. So I stood up stiffly and opened the door. Stopping, I turned and spoke very quietly.
“You are a good friend.” Then I quickly closed the door behind me before he could respond.
I made my way as swiftly as I could to see Jacob. I also wanted to get my hip checked out, just to make sure that nothing was severely damaged.
When I arrived, I found Jacob sitting up in bed happily eating his meal. A pretty nurse was seated on the edge of his bed, laughing at his jokes. ‘I am sure that is against regulations.’
“Hello, Jacob.” I sauntered in the best way I could with a sore hip, with a grin plastered across my face.
“Jack! Hi there. I hear you have come face to face with the local wild life.” His cheeky grin disappeared as the nurse stood up and left.
“Now look what you have done, Jack.”
“She’s too young for you anyway, Jake,” I said as I slowly settled myself down in the chair.
“So what happened?”
“I got attacked by a stinking, smelly oversized, green fur ball. That’s what happened.”
“Stinky is the word. Did it roll in rose petals before it attacked you, Jack?”
At that point, I just gave up and closed my eyes; I could hear the clatter of his knife and fork on the plate while he finished his meal as I drifted off to sleep.
{I could hear her screaming my name, “Jack! Jack!” Looking up through the green haze I saw she was held in a tight grip from a giant green ball, covered in fur. I started to run towards her, but it continued to drag her away from me. I had nearly reached her when the green monster turned towards me and laughed. Pete’s pink face looked out from amongst the green hair and then they faded into the mist.}
“Jack, you okay?”
Opening my eyes, I looked around the room. Jacob was sitting on the edge of the bed studying me.
“Yeah, fine, Jake. Just fur ball dreams.”
He nodded quietly.
“I need to talk to you, Jack.”
Groaning inwardly, I sat up a bit straighter, ‘here comes the lecture.’
“I’m going back home.”
I was surprised. “Why?”
“This time, stuck here in this bed, made me think a bit. I’m suspicious that Selmac took longer to heal me on purpose.” ‘What one day?’ “I have been thinking a great deal about Sam and what she would have wanted me to do. And it wouldn’t be wasting my life going after Baal for revenge.”
I sat waiting for him to continue. This was not what I expected.
“And I don’t think she would want it of you either, Jack.”
I looked up at his face; oh there goes that two thousand year old look again. “I can’t go home.”
“I know you can’t, Jack, but I can and I am going to. I have another child and grandchildren. Grandchildren that because of Selmac I will see grow up to have children of their own, even their grandchildren. I don’t want to die, Jack. I want to live, and this is what Sam would have wanted.”
I nodded. “Okay, Jacob, if this is what you want. I won’t make you come with me.”
“Think about it, Jack. Don’t throw your life away for nothing. Baal has gone; no one knows where he is anyway. Why waste your time, energy and life on him?” I didn’t like where this conversation was going. “I think you are running away.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about, Jacob.”
I slowly stood up, every muscle, joint and bone complaining at the movement. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Jack. Don’t forget what I said, running from your memories won’t help, they just follow you where ever you go.”
I ignored him and walked out through the door. What did he know about it anyway? I stood outside the hospital for a moment and looked up at the night sky. The stars were shining clearly, bringing me fond memories of my travels with SG-1. The words of Jacob resounded in my ears ‘you are running away’. A feeling of dread came upon me as I began to realize what he meant. Kicking the wall of the building, I turned away and walked angrily down the street. Trying to convince myself, I muttered under my breath, “I don’t know what he means.”
It was a long and thoughtful walk back to Jonas’ house; I just hoped he had gone to bed when I got in because I was not ready for another heart to heart tonight.
~*~
I have spent some tedious days in my time on other planets, but this morning took the cake. They had to form a committee to organize who had zats and who didn’t; what time they were issued; who was allowed to use them if someone was kidnapped. Were there enough zats to exterminate the Grenuts? I rolled my eyes at Jonas and excused myself from the table. They were so intent on arguing amongst themselves they didn’t even notice me leave. Jonas followed soon afterwards.
He was grinning from ear to ear as he strolled out of the conference room. I was waiting in the hallway, and had found a nice easy chair to rest my still sore body in. It felt good.
“Come and take a load off, Jonas.”
“Actually, Jack, I would have thought you would like to farewell Jacob; he is leaving in about fifteen minutes.”
I had almost missed him; I didn’t want that. I carefully stood up, pleased to feel my sore muscles begin to loosen as I walked, and even my hip was becoming less painful. This was just as well as I had totally forgotten to get it checked out the previous night.
We walked into the room, just as the event horizon formed. Jacob was geared up ready to leave. He would be gating to the Tok’ra base first, then on to Earth. He wanted to see his son and his grandchildren. I didn’t blame him, in fact I was pleased. He was content, which was important.
“Good luck, Jacob.” I shook hands with him. Without warning he pulled me to him and hugged me tight.
“Jack, remember what I said, you are no good to anyone dead,” he whispered into my ear.
I slapped him gently on the back and let go. I gave him a quick nod. His face broke into a smile and he returned my nod with one of his own. With sadness I watched him turn and walk through the open event horizon.
~*~
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