MEMOIRS OF
BRIGADIER GENERAL JACK O’NEILL
(Retired)
Part I
Chapter Two
By Arrietty
2004
We had to wait another full twenty-four hours before we could move out. Daniel and Carter had been called out on a mission and were off-world, digging around some old ruins and looking for more toys, so we needed to wait until they had returned. They were hoping to find something that would help us with the up coming mission. We had heard rumors of hidden weapons, but so far they hadn’t found anything of use to us. Though the delay was frustrating, it still was good to see Davis in action, making sure in my mind that he was capable of the job. And so far, I was not disappointed. He could lighten up a bit, but still, at least he was less intimidating than I can be sometimes. Oh I am fully aware of how I appear to be.
The grin on my face disappeared as I walked into the control room. Something was not right.
“Sir, we can’t get a lock on PT4 372. The gate won’t engage.”
I felt the adrenalin begin to pump into my system. I knew that planet’s designation. It was the one that Carter and Daniel were on.
“Report, Sergeant,” I barked.
“It could be because it is engaged, sir. They are either dialing out or someone is dialing in.”
“Could it be this end, Sergeant?”
“No, sir. It is definitely their end.”
The adrenalin made my body want to run laps around the small room. However hard I tried, I could never get used to this adrenalin surge at the SGC and not be able to utilize it through physical action. I could wait for hours or even days in the field, but here in this concrete hole in the ground, I could never get used to the waiting.
“Try again, Sergeant and keep trying until you get through,” I ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
I felt a presence move into the control room, without turning around, I spoke quietly.
“Hi, Teal’c. It looks like we can’t dial through to Carter and Daniel. They were supposed to be waiting for our contact.”
“Indeed,” he returned.
Quickly glancing behind me I made eye contact with my brother-in-arms. He looked steadily back at me and then nodded slightly, acknowledging my thoughts.
I was worried, but then I was always worried when those two went off-world without me or Teal’c watching their backs.
Even though I knew I was making the technicians nervous, I couldn’t leave I just hovered around the control room, trying my hardest not to fiddle with anything.
Fortunately, it was only twelve minutes later when they got a lock, not only for my sanity, but for the poor technician’s neck that I was breathing down.
“We have a lock, sir.”
I refrained from replying with the sarcastic response, ‘I do have eyes, Sergeant.’ I let out a silent breath and waited not so patiently for the microphone to be passed to me.
“Colonel Carter. This is O’Neill at the SGC. Can you copy? Over.” I didn’t like the complete silence.
“Sergeant, do we have visual?”
“Yes, sir.”
Anxiously I watched the screen as the camera on the MALP that had gone with Carter’s team swivel around to take in the view. There was a flash of light, and then Daniel’s face peered in close to the lens. The sun was glinting off his glasses making it hard to see him properly. But I did see that he was smiling.
“Daniel. What’s going on there?”
“Jack, is that you?”
“No, Daniel. It is Frosty the Snowman. What’s going on?” By now I was getting rather exasperated with the man.
“Sorry, Jack. The Stargate was in use, we had to wait our turn.”
“Turn?” I am sure my voice had raised an octave with that word, remembering to lower it. I spoke into the microphone.
“What do you mean, Daniel? And where is Carter?”
“We are both fine, Jack. Some travelers were using the gate, had to wait until they had finished, then it was engaged all the time and we couldn’t get through to Earth. You been busy your end, Jack?”
Deciding to avoid the dig in my direction about keeping the ‘gate active, I spoke very clearly and precisely into the microphone.
“Get your butts back here pronto, Daniel. And that is an order.”
More quietly I spoke to the technician, “Shut down the gate, Sergeant.”
“Yes, sir.”
~*~
Four hours after Carter and Daniel arrived back at the SGC, we were in the briefing room. While Daniel prattled on about the peaceful nomads that had come through the gate to the planet they were on, I found my mind wandering again. It always happened when Daniel was talking and all I gleaned from that particular briefing was that the nomads were similar to the ones that had found Daniel after Oma’s friends had kicked him out.
Carter was strangely silent during the briefing, I was not sure what was going on in her mind, but then again I never really did understand what went on in there. Usually some technobabble, which would fly right over my head. As soon as the briefing was over and Carter was dismissed, she left the room in a hurry.
I wish I had asked her about it then, maybe it would have been easier for me to understand.
Later that day I popped into her lab, she had just slammed down the telephone receiver into its cradle and in so doing knocking it to the floor. As I bent down to pick it up for her, I heard the sirens go off and the words come over the intercom.
“Unscheduled incoming wormhole.”
I dropped it onto the desk and with Carter following closely, we ran to the control room.
Thankfully, as we arrived we watched SG-14 stumble through the wormhole, they had come back early. I observed Colonel Davis welcome them at the bottom of the ramp and speak with them before sending them to the infirmary. Apparently the locals didn’t like visitors.
~*~
The following day, we were ready. The old team all kitted up and champing at the bit. Jacob was there too, he said something about not missing this for the world. Just as the Stargate started dialing up, a warning came over the loudspeaker system.
“Incoming wormhole. Unknown origin.”
Twisting around on the spot I eyeballed the technician, nodding to me he then watched the screen which would inform him if it was friend or foe. I saw his shoulders relax seconds before he informed me of the outcome. Out the corner of my eye I saw Davis stiffen as he observed my exchange with the technician.
“It’s the Tok’ra, sir.”
I gave him a quick nod, ignoring Davis’ discomfort; he will have plenty of time to run things while I was gone.
As soon as the iris slid open, someone stepped through the event horizon, I felt Carter stiffen beside me, Teal’c I knew without looking raised an eyebrow and Daniel grinned. I groaned internally.
“Greetings, General O’Neill.”
“Hi ya, Anise… Freya… whatever.” I knew I was waving my hand around like a windmill, but didn’t really care. Whenever she came to the SGC, she always brought trouble with her and I expected nothing different today.
Walking straight past me, she made a beeline for Jacob. I couldn’t help but be surprised, as she usually hangs around me a bit.
“Selmac. You are needed back at the Tok’ra base immediately.”
“Hey!” I called their attention; there was no way we were going to lose Jacob on this mission. “Nope, he’s ours for this trip. You will just have to wait your turn.” I felt very smug as I stood beside Jacob.
Then that creepy feeling crawled its way up my back again. Selmac spoke.
“Jacob and I are needed here, what is it that is so urgent?”
As they started to speak, I whipped around to face Daniel, did a good imitation of Teal’c’s eyebrow and stared hard at Daniel. “What are they saying?”
“Well put it this way, Jack, it doesn’t look good.”
I knew what Jacob was going to say, before he said it. Facing me, he looked most apologetic; I almost felt sorry for him, not that I would ever show it.
“Sorry, Jack. Selmac is the only one that can help, and the Tok’ra need his help. I can’t go with you on this one.”
A small knot of fear began to do macramé in my stomach as Jacob spoke. I knew I had to go back into that hellhole, but I had been counting on the extra help and support from Jacob and believe it or not, Selmac too.
Shrugging my shoulders externally, while the knots still made a plant holder in my stomach. “It can’t be helped, Jake.” I smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “See you back here soon, okay?”
He nodded to me, and then turned to Carter.
“Sam, I’m sorry.” They hugged. He quickly turned on his heel and followed Anise through the now opened wormhole.
By now, Davis had walked into the ‘gate room.
“Sir, what is happening?”
“They needed Jacob. We will have to go without him.”
A voice came from behind me. “Are you sure, Jack?”
“Yes, Daniel.” I answered irritably. I could feel Carter’s eyes boring a hole into the side of my head; I kept my gaze firmly fixed on the Stargate.
“Okay, kids. Remember,” knowing full well that they didn’t need reminding, “we are just going in, find this new weapon… virus... whatever it is, and then we slip out. Baal should never know we were even there.”
A small chorus of “yes, Jack, yes, sir and an indeed,” made its way through the sound of the event horizon bursting open. Feeling totally patronized, I followed my team up the ramp to the waiting open wormhole.
~*~
The whole mission was a disaster from the moment we strode onto the steps the other side of the Stargate. The few seconds it took for us to travel through the wormhole was enough for Baal’s Jaffa to have turned up.
Of all the stupid timing, if Anise had never arrived to take Jacob, we would have been through and safe by the time these goons decided to use the Stargate.
The first sound that assaulted my ears as I stepped through the puddle was the heavy clatter of bullets hitting their targets. With a glance I took in all that was happening as I dived behind the DHD. Carter was making mincemeat out of the Jaffa as they ran down the steep slope behind the Stargate. Daniel was crouched down beside me taking pot shots with his pea shooter. The only signs of Teal’c were the rapid blasts that came from the forest behind me toward the oncoming Jaffa.
I heard the warning horn as the booming sound sailed out over the hills and faded into the distance. A few moments later, a faint sound came back towards us from the direction of Baal’s fortress. We were toast, no where to go but back through the way we had come. Daniel had already started dialing the gate, but a hidden sniper was stopping him from punching in the third chevron.
Amidst the cacophony of sound, I shouted to Daniel, “I’ll cover you.”
He nodded in reply. I briefly noticed that he was nursing his right hand; it looked like it had been hit by a glancing staff blast from the sniper.
“On, three,” I shouted holding three fingers up.
Nodding vigorously, he crouched behind the DHD, holding his good hand ready to reach over the top and punch in that key. Spinning around the DHD on the muddy ground I landed heavily on one elbow as I fired my P-90, raking the bushes where the sniper had been hiding.
He had moved.
I stared in horror at the sight of Daniel, falling back to the ground, as smoke billowed up from his stomach. Simultaneously I heard a cry from my left. Not a cry of anguish, but one of pain. Crouching, I swiveled around on the spot. A crumpled heap met my eyes; the telltale shock of blond hair was streaked with bright red. Glancing back behind me, I saw Daniel struggling to roll over. His glasses were broken beside his head.
Our eyes met. “Go!” He croaked, “Get Sam.”
I heard another cry, as the sniper was taken out by a blast from Teal’c. Still crouching, I raced over to Carter, zig zagging, hopefully avoiding any enemy fire. I could hear the reassuring sound of the chevrons as they locked into place. Out the corner of my eye I saw Teal’c make his way towards the DHD and Daniel. I slid to a halt in the mud beside Carter. She hadn’t moved.
Reaching around under her hair, an incongruous question flitted through my mind, ‘when did her hair get so long?’ I frantically felt for a pulse, but none was to be found. Pulling her over onto her back, I ignored the blasts of fire that exploded around me. One look at her staring open eyes was enough to tell me that I was too late. I could hear the familiar keening sound inside me that I had heard before when I had heard that Shallan had died. This time it was not Kanan. I reached down under her, and lifted her up onto my shoulder, just as I heard the kawoosh of the wormhole forming behind me. Teal’c was already supporting Daniel, as they made their way up the steps to the way home.
As I ran towards the Stargate, something hit me; it felt like an express train had run into me, the weight of Carter’s body left my shoulders seconds before I landed face down in the mud.
2025
“Grandpa, Jack!”
“Grandpa, Jack!”
“Hello, my little bambinos. Come on; give your Grandpa Jack a hug.”
“Me first.”
“No, me!”
“Hey, I’ve room for the two of you up here. I do have two arms ya know. Where’s your mom?”
“She’s putting little Jack down for his nap.”
“Ah, so you’ve come for lunch then?”
“Mommy brought strawberries.”
“Ooooh! Now that sounds like it is going to be a very nice lunch.”
“Sammy, Janet? Where are you two?”
“Hi, Cass.”
“Hi, Jack. There you are, I should have known you two would have made a beeline for here.”
“You coming, Jack?”
“Yup! Right there.”
“Jack?”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, fine.”
“Oh, you just look a bit…”
“Nope, fine. Who wants to be a helicopter?”
“Me…me…me.”
“Ooops! Be right there, have to switch something off.”
~*~
Heliopolis Main Archive
A Stargate: SG-1 Fanfiction Site
Memoirs of Brigadier General Jack O'Neill (retired)
by ArriettySite Navigation
Support Heliopolis